Program Director, Organizational Development

At ACT, Your Work Makes a Difference

Education has power - a power that changes lives forever. It creates opportunities that lift up individuals, their families, and sparks societal change that echoes through generations to come. From our grassroots we have fought the good fight for inclusivity in education, and we remain devoted to helping anyone who struggles to access that power. This is what matters to us and we must do better -- we've never been more sure of our purpose.

ACT team members are part of an organization dedicated to a mission that has never been more important: Helping people achieve education and workplace success. Advancing that mission within our organization, by helping our team members achieve education and workplace success of their own, is core to our values. ACT values a diverse workplace and is committed to fostering an inclusive environment in which every team member has an equal opportunity to grow.

We want our team members to have the well-being and confidence they need to do their best work, in an environment where both they and ACT thrive. To support this, our total rewards include company paid life insurance, medical, dental, vision, flexible health and dependent spending accounts, 401(k) retirement savings with company match, paid holidays, paid time off, and so much more. You can find a comprehensive list of our benefits here.

We are seeking a Senior Organizational Development (OD) professional to lead initiatives that align people, processes and culture with business goals. This role will partner with executives, HR, business leaders and team members across the organization to design and implement programs that foster high performance, employee engagement, and sustainable growth.

The ideal candidate has both strategic thinking and hands-on execution experience, as well as expertise in change management, leadership development, talent management, and organizational effectiveness, with a proven track record of implementing impactful OD solutions in complex environments.

The finalist will be hired at the salary and level commensurate with their qualifications. For this position, we anticipate offering an annual salary between $120,000 to 145,000. ACT manages salaries within this range based on relevant factors, including skills, experience, and internal equity. This position is incentive-eligible.

Location: This is a remote position, based in the United States.

Applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S. without the need for visa sponsorship.

What you will be working on:

This role specifically focuses on building, maintaining, optimizing, and executing programs in support of our overall Talent Management strategy and HR priorities.

• Team Member Development
  
  
  
  • Assess development needs through collaboration with leaders and subject matter experts.
  • Build and deliver leadership development frameworks and programs for managers, senior leaders and emerging talent.
  • Provide leader coaching and facilitate leadership team effectiveness.
  • Own and execute the eLearning strategy by leveraging and curating platform content to close identified skill gaps and drive continuous learning.
  • Facilitate workshops, coaching, and team-building activities.
  
  
  
  
• Employee Engagement & Culture
  
  
  
  • Partner with HR and business units to promote a high-performance culture.
  • Design and lead engagement surveys including analysis and communication of results.
  • Work with leaders to design and deploy strategies and action plans to enhance team member engagement and retention.
  
  
  
  
• Change Management
  
  
  
  • Design and implement OD related change management strategies to support enterprise-wide initiatives.
  • Coach leaders through transitions to ensure successful adoption and sustainability of change efforts.
  
  
  
  
• Organizational Strategy & Effectiveness
  
  
  
  • Owns the leadership competencies and "Ways of Working" models and develops ways of integrating into the overall talent framework.
  • Leads annual goal setting process, ensuring goals cascade from our organizational strategy.
  • Partners with HRBP on workforce planning, talent review, succession management, and culture transformation initiatives.
  • Establish and track success metrics for initiatives and programs; ensure OD initiatives are data-driven and outcomes-focused, measuring ROI and impact.
  
  
  
  

Role Progression:

• 3- month mark:
  
  
  
  • Build Key relationships:
    
    
    
    • Meet with executives, HR partners, managers, and team leads.
    • Clarify stakeholder expectations of OD and how success will be defined.
    
    
    
    
  • Understand the organizational landscape:
    
    
    
    • Review mission, strategy, structure, performance goals, and engagement results.
    • Learn current transformation initiatives and understand how this role can contribute to our success.
    
    
    
    
  • Assess current OD- related practices:
    
    
    
    • Inventory current leadership programs, culture initiatives, engagement efforts, and change projects.
    • Identify where OD overlaps with HR and Talent teams.
    
    
    
    
  • Identify immediate opportunities:
    
    
    
    • Pinpoint 1-2 "quick win" opportunities.
    • Develop a prioritized road map.
    
    
    
    
  
  
  
  
• 6-month mark:
  
  
  
  • Move from planning to implementation.
  • Launched and begun measuring 1-3 initiatives with early impact.
  • Develop a simple but clear OD dashboard or reporting process.
  • Draft a 12-18 month roadmap for continuing culture, leadership or change. initiatives.
  
  
  
  
• 12-month mark:
  
  
  
  • OD priorities are fully aligned with the strategic plan.
  • Major initiatives are operationalized, measured and refined.
  • Leadership frameworks and competency models are in place and actively used in performance and talent reviews.
  • Building internal capabilities - training HRBPs and leaders to use OD tools independently.
  
  
  
  

This could be the job for you if you have (minimum requirements):

• Education:
  
  
  
  • Bachelor's degree in Organizational Development, Industrial/Organizational Psychology, Human Resources, or a related field of study, or an equivalent combination of education and experience from which comparable knowledge and abilities can be acquired.
  
  
  
  
• Experience:
  
  
  
  • 7 years of progressive experience in OD, leadership development, talent management, or organizational effectiveness roles.
  • Experience in a senior advisory capacity, partnering with executives and senior leaders.
  • Proven success in leading OD strategies and large-scale change management initiatives.
  
  
  
  
• Skills:
  
  
  
  • Strong consulting, facilitation, and coaching skills.
  • Exceptional stakeholder management and executive presence.
  • Analytical thinker with ability to leverage data and metrics to drive outcomes.
  • Excellent communication and influence skills, with ability to manage in complex, matrixed organizations.
  
  
  
  
• Competencies:
  
  
  
  • Strategic mindset with ability to translate business needs into OD initiatives.
  • Trusted advisor who can influence senior leaders and drive cultural change.
  • Innovative problem-solver with strong design thinking and systems thinking capabilities.
  
  
  
  

It's a plus if you have:

• Master's degree in Organizational Development
• Experience using Prosci Methodology
• Experience supporting an organization in transformation

About ACT

When ACT was founded in 1959, it disrupted the assessment industry with a new approach to helping students better understand their readiness so they could take steps to improve it. By leveraging our expertise and authority in assessment and research, we will again disrupt the industry-helping more people learn, better measure their progress, and improve their navigation through life's transitions.

More than ever before, ACT is fulfilling its mission of helping people achieve education and workplace success. We're doing it by pushing the boundaries of learning innovation through the work of our people, who we call team members because we're all in this together.

We know transformation does not come without challenge. That's why ACT invests in a variety of experiences for team members to strengthen their connections, explore ideas, learn from customers, and celebrate success.

Learn more about working at ACT at act.org!

ACT is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. ACT participates in E-verify. ACT's online position announcements are intended only to provide general descriptions of employment opportunities; none of the information provided for any position should be interpreted as a commitment by ACT to specific terms and conditions for employment.

Completion of the ACT National Career Readiness Certificate is recommended. Find a testing site near you to register for the WorkKeys assessments. Finalists for this position will be subject to a criminal background check as a condition of employment.

**If you have received an ACT employment-related communication from an email address that is not affiliated with @act.org and/or that requests personal or financial information, please do not reply. Instead, reach out to us at careers@act.org with the details. ACT's recruitment team appreciates your interest in working with us to transform college and career readiness pathways for all learners and wishes you the best of luck in your career journey.**