Director, Talent Management & Learning China

Coherent is seeking a high-impact Director of Talent Management & Learning to own and elevate our talent agenda across the China region. This is a highly visible senior role at the intersection of global strategy and local execution built for someone who brings deep expertise in talent management succession planning and leadership development and who knows how to build trusted relationships with HR Business Partners and senior business leaders to get things done.

Reporting to the VP of Talent Management & Learning (TM&L) Center of Excellence (COE) you will lead a regional team serve as the primary liaison to the global COE and be the driving force behind building a strong internal talent pipeline a high-performance culture and purposeful leadership development. You will be expected to stay ahead of industry trends including the rapid evolution of AI-enabled talent tools and bring innovative scalable approaches to a fast-moving high-growth region.

What Youll Do

Talent Management Strategy

• Own the end-to-end talent management strategy for the China region anchored in talent reviews performance management leadership development succession planning capability building and internal mobility.
• Partner with and enable HR Business Partners to facilitate talent reviews processes that identify high-potential employees surface critical talent risks and inform internal mobility and development decisions.
• Drive a consistent meaningful performance management culture partnering with HRBPs and business leaders to ensure performance conversations are ongoing differentiated and development-focused.
• Champion internal mobility as a strategic lever creating visibility pathways and processes that enable talent to move and grow across the organization.
• Lead capability building efforts that identify current and future skill gaps define workforce needs aligned to business growth and translate those insights into targeted development actions.
• Partner with HR Leaders to ensure Individual Development Plans (IDPs) are embedded in the talent cycle and driving real career progression.
• Partner with HRBPs and business leaders to develop change management strategies that support workforce transitions
• Leverage industry trends and best practices to continuously sharpen regional approaches and inform global frameworks.

Leadership Development

• Design and deliver impactful internal leadership development programs that build leadership capability at all levels from new hires and emerging leaders to senior executives meeting both corporate and China-specific needs.
• Align leadership development priorities with succession planning outcomes ensuring identified successors have structured accelerated growth plans.
• Partner with external vendors and executive coaches to complement internal program design with high-quality development experiences.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of leadership programs through data and feedback continuously refining to improve impact and relevance.
• Lead a comprehensive regional L&D strategy aligned with global standards adapting programs to the unique needs of different locations business groups and functions across China.
• Ensure New Hire training is effectively delivered across both indirect and direct labor populations.

Build Relationships & Lead with Influence

• Proactively cultivate strong trust-based relationships with HR Business Partners regional senior leadership and business leaders across China building credibility and influence with and without formal authority.
• Serve as the primary TM&L liaison between the global COE and regional stakeholders ensuring clear communication of strategy goals and progress.
• Translate talent and capability data into compelling narratives that drive leadership decisions and organizational action.
• Navigate cross-cultural complexity with fluency bridging global enterprise expectations with local workforce norms regulatory considerations and business culture across China.

People Leadership

• Lead coach and develop a high-performing regional team of TM/L&D professionals.
• Set clear priorities manage performance and align team resources to deliver on both regional and global strategic objectives.
• Foster a team culture grounded in accountability collaboration and continuous learning.

Measure Impact & Drive Continuous Improvement

• Define and track KPIs and metrics to evaluate the effectiveness and ROI of all TM/L&D programs.
• Deliver regular reporting and executive presentations to the Global COE Leader and regional business leadership.
• Monitor and report on learning analytics to assess program effectiveness and identify opportunities for continuous improvement.
• Use data-driven insights to build talent data fluency across the regional HR team and improve decision-making.
• Lead or contribute to enterprise-wide TM/L&D initiatives and special projects beyond the region.

What You Bring

Experience & Education

• Bachelors degree in Human Resources Organizational Development Business Administration or related field; Masters degree preferred.
• 13 years of progressive experience in talent management and organizational development ideally within a global or multicultural environment.
• Deep hands-on expertise in talent reviews succession planning performance management leadership development program and capability building not just program design but driving real organizational outcomes.
• Proven experience building and scaling internal leadership development programs from concept through execution.
• Track record of managing and developing professional teams across geographic boundaries.
• Experience managing external vendor and training provider relationships with an eye for quality and ROI.
• Exceptional relationship-building skills you earn trust at all levels and build sustained influence across a the region.
• Strong ability to influence with and without data; you craft compelling narratives from complex information and drive stakeholder alignment.
• Proactively drives toward outcomes; identifies process improvements and holds self and team to high standards of quality and delivery.
• Sufficient business context to engage credibly with engineering R&D and manufacturing leaders on their talent and capability challenges.
• Operates with confidence in ambiguous fast-changing environments; balances global standards with local context and makes sound decisions under pressure.
• Experience rapidly building talent infrastructure to support organizational scaling including high-potential acceleration and compressed development timelines.
• Strong business acumen and ability to connect people strategy to measurable organizational outcomes.
• Fluency in English (written and verbal) required; Mandarin proficiency strongly preferred.
• Experience with Learning Management Systems (LMS) such as Cornerstone; familiarity with Oracle HRIS or similar enterprise platforms
• Adaptable organized and effective in fast-paced deadline-driven environments
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite

Work Environment & Culture

• This is a hybrid role requiring a minimum of 3 days per week in the office (Tuesday Wednesday and Thursday). The role involves periods of focused desk and computer-based work
• All employees are required to follow site EHS procedures and Coherent Corporate EHS standards.

At Coherent we are guided by our ICARE values:

• Integrity Create an environment of trust
• Collaboration Innovate through the sharing of ideas
• Accountability Own the process and the outcome
• Respect Recognize the value in everyone
• Enthusiasm Find a sense of purpose in work