Aurora · 1 day ago
Principal, Talent Management & Workforce Planning
Seattle, Washington
Full-time
Onsite
Lead/Staff
$176K/yr - $284K/yr
10+ years expAurora Innovation is committed to delivering the benefits of self-driving technology safely and efficiently. They are seeking a Head of Talent Management & Workforce Planning to shape organizational capabilities through Talent Management, Strategic Workforce Planning, and Performance Review processes.
AutomotiveAutonomous VehiclesElectric VehicleTransportation
Responsibilities
Lead the design and administration of company-wide Talent Review and Succession Planning processes to identify, assess, and develop employees for critical roles
Develop and manage career pathing frameworks and competency models that support employee growth and organizational agility
Oversee the deployment of targeted development programs (e.g., leadership training, mentorship programs) to close identified skill gaps
Integrate diversity and inclusion principles into all talent management and succession processes
Design and execute a comprehensive SWP framework to analyze current workforce capabilities and forecast future talent needs based on business strategy
Partner with Executive Leadership, Finance, Talent Acquisition, Compensation to align workforce strategies with business goals, budget, and growth projections
Identify critical talent gaps, surpluses, and skill adjacencies, developing mitigation strategies (e.g., build, buy, borrow)
Develop data-driven models and dashboards to track key workforce metrics, trends (internal and external), and the efficacy of SWP initiatives
Own and refine the end-to-end Performance Review cycle (objective setting, check-ins, year-end reviews, calibration, compensation planning)
Ensure the performance review system supports a high-performance culture by emphasizing clear expectations, continuous feedback, and fair, objective evaluation
Educate managers and employees on performance management best practices and effective coaching
Analyze performance data to identify trends, ensure consistency, and recommend enhancements to drive higher employee engagement and productivity
Collaborate with the People Technology team to design and implement system enhancements that streamline the performance review cycle and improve the user experience
Qualification
Required
Lead the design and administration of company-wide Talent Review and Succession Planning processes to identify, assess, and develop employees for critical roles
Develop and manage career pathing frameworks and competency models that support employee growth and organizational agility
Oversee the deployment of targeted development programs (e.g., leadership training, mentorship programs) to close identified skill gaps
Integrate diversity and inclusion principles into all talent management and succession processes
Design and execute a comprehensive SWP framework to analyze current workforce capabilities and forecast future talent needs based on business strategy
Partner with Executive Leadership, Finance, Talent Acquisition, Compensation to align workforce strategies with business goals, budget, and growth projections
Identify critical talent gaps, surpluses, and skill adjacencies, developing mitigation strategies (e.g., build, buy, borrow)
Develop data-driven models and dashboards to track key workforce metrics, trends (internal and external), and the efficacy of SWP initiatives
Own and refine the end-to-end Performance Review cycle (objective setting, check-ins, year-end reviews, calibration, compensation planning)
Ensure the performance review system supports a high-performance culture by emphasizing clear expectations, continuous feedback, and fair, objective evaluation
Educate managers and employees on performance management best practices and effective coaching
Analyze performance data to identify trends, ensure consistency, and recommend enhancements to drive higher employee engagement and productivity
Collaborate with the People Technology team to design and implement system enhancements that streamline the performance review cycle and improve the user experience
Business Athlete Mindset: You are deeply knowledgeable about the business and industry, comfortable navigating and leading others through ambiguity, pivoting quickly to address new challenges, and solving complex problems without a pre-existing playbook
Systems Thinker: You recognize the connections across the organization, and take a holistic approach to analyzing situations and developing solutions that are sustainable in the longer term and account for system interdependencies
Strategic Acumen: You have an ability to translate long-term business strategy into concrete talent and workforce initiatives
Data-Driven: You use data and insights to proactively diagnose issues, inform your recommendations, influence decisions, and measure the impact of your work
Execution Excellence: You deliver high quality results through leading projects and initiatives with milestones and delivery schedules in partnership with stakeholders, and develop clear action plans with results-oriented goals for measuring success
Resilience and a Growth Mindset: You possess the resilience to thrive in a fast-paced environment and the ability to energize those around you
Consulting & Partnering: You have a strong ability to build trust and credibility with business leaders as a subject matter expert, and to work effectively across multiple business areas and teams in a fast-paced environment
Innovation: You have a continuous improvement mindset, seeking out and applying best practices and technology solutions in the HR space
Change Management: You are skilled in leading organizational change and ensuring successful adoption of new HR processes
Preferred
10+ years of progressive experience in Human Resources, with a strong focus on Talent Management, Workforce Planning, and Performance Management
Proven experience partnering directly with C-suite executives within a rapidly scaling organization
Technology industry experience is strongly preferred
Bachelor's degree in Human Resources (or related field) required. Advanced degree preferred
Proven experience designing and implementing Strategic Workforce Planning frameworks and models
Demonstrated success running large-scale, complex HR programs (e.g., annual performance cycle, talent review)
Highly proficient in using Workday and other HR systems/tools to extract, analyze, and present data-driven insights to senior leaders
Exceptional verbal, written, and presentation skills, with the ability to influence and collaborate effectively across all levels of the organization
Strong communication skills (written and verbal) to effectively address all organizational levels
Fluent in English
Ability to travel within the U.S. approximately 10% of the time
Benefits
Annual bonus
Equity compensation
Benefits
Company
Aurora
Aurora is building self-driving technology to operate multiple vehicle types, from freight-hauling trucks to ride-hailing passenger ones.
1001-5000 employees
H1B Sponsorship
Aurora has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (11)
2024 (51)
2023 (91)
2022 (77)
2021 (38)
2020 (51)
Funding
Current Stage
Public CompanyTotal Funding
$4.19BKey Investors
UberSequoia Capital
2024-08-01Post Ipo Equity· $483M
2023-07-19Post Ipo Equity· $820M
2021-11-04Post Ipo Equity· $1.8B
Leadership Team
Chris Urmson
CEO and co-founder
Sterling Anderson
Co-Founder & CPO
Recent News
2025-12-24
Company data provided by crunchbase