Director Early Career Development

Director of Early Career Development

This is an onsite role based in Northwest Arkansas; this role is not eligible for hybrid or remote work. If selected, candidates residing outside of Northwest Arkansas will be expected to relocate to the area. Relocation assistance is available.

The Director of Early Career Development is responsible for creating and leading Tyson Foods' enterprise early career talent strategy, including university recruiting, internship programs, rotational development experiences, and early career talent acceleration initiatives. This role owns the end-to-end early talent lifecycle—from identifying and attracting top university talent through successful integration into enterprise talent, leadership development, and succession pipelines. The Director serves as a strategic talent leader responsible for building Tyson Foods' future leadership bench.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities:

• Develop and execute an enterprise-wide early career talent strategy aligned with Tyson Foods' long-term business, workforce, and leadership pipeline needs Design, implement, and continuously improve internship, rotational, and early career development programs across all business units and corporate function
• Lead university recruiting strategy and oversee the identification, attraction, assessment, selection, and conversion of top undergraduate, graduate, and MBA talent
• Establish frameworks, standards, and assessment methodologies to identify high-potential early career talent with future enterprise leadership potential Partner with HR Business Partners, Talent Acquisition, business leaders, and Talent Management teams to align early career programs with critical talent and succession priorities
• Create developmental experiences, rotational assignments, mentoring opportunities, and learning pathways that accelerate participant growth and enterprise capability
• Monitor and analyze talent outcomes including offer acceptance rates, conversion rates, retention, promotion velocity, and progression into leadership pipelines
• Serve as the enterprise owner of the early career talent lifecycle, ensuring participants successfully transition into broader talent management, leadership development, and succession processes
• Build governance, operating models, reporting mechanisms, and executive updates that demonstrate program effectiveness and return on investment Lead, develop, and scale a high-performing early career development team while fostering strong partnerships across the organization

Education :

Required:

Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Organizational Development, Education, Psychology, or related field.

Preferred:
Master's degree in Business Administration, Human Resources, Organizational Development, Industrial/Organizational Psychology, or related discipline.

Work Experience:

Required:

• 10+ years of progressive experience in Talent Management, Leadership Development, Talent Acquisition, Human Resources, Organizational Effectiveness, Workforce Planning, or related disciplines
• Experience designing and leading enterprise talent, leadership development, or workforce programs
• Experience managing large-scale cross-functional initiatives across multiple business units
• Experience partnering with senior leaders and HR Business Partners to address strategic talent needs
• Demonstrated people leadership experience

Preferred:

• Experience leading university recruiting, internship, rotational, or early career development programs
• Experience building leadership pipelines, succession programs, or high-potential development initiatives
• Experience with in a large, complex, multi-site organization
• Experience utilizing talent analytics and workforce data to drive business and talent outcomes

Licensure, Registration and/or Certification:

• No specific licensure or certification required
• Professional certifications in Human Resources, Talent Management, Leadership Development, Organizational Development, or related disciplines preferred

Special Job

Competencies:

• Strategic talent management and workforce planning expertise
• Deep understanding of leadership development, succession planning, and high-potential identification practices
• Ability to design and scale enterprise-wide talent programs and experiences
• Exceptional stakeholder management and executive influencing skills
• Strong consulting, facilitation, presentation, and communication capabilities
• Ability to balance immediate business staffing needs with long-term enterprise talent objectives
• Experience utilizing talent analytics, workforce metrics, and succession data to drive decision-making
• Strong project management, change management, and program management capabilities
• Ability to build new capabilities, programs, and operating models from inception
• Demonstrated ability to partner effectively across Talent Management, Talent Acquisition, HR Business Partners, and business leadership teams

Supervisory:

Responsible for leading a team of university recruiting and early career program…