Assistant Vice President, Talent and Leadership Development

At Selective, we don't just insure uniquely, we employ uniqueness.

Selective is a midsized U.S. domestic property and casualty insurance company with a history of strong, consistent financial performance for nearly 100 years. Selective's unique position as both a leading insurance group and an employer of choice is recognized in a wide variety of awards and honors, including listing in Forbes Best Midsize Employers in 2025 and certification as a Great Place to Work® in 2025 for the sixth consecutive year.

Employees are empowered and encouraged to Be Uniquely You by being their true, unique selves and contributing their diverse talents, experiences, and perspectives to our shared success. Together, we are a high-performing team working to serve our customers responsibly by helping to mitigate loss, keep them safe, and restore their lives and businesses after an insured loss occurs.

The Assistant Vice President, Talent and Leadership Development serves as the enterprise lead for leadership development, succession planning, talent readiness, and leadership pipeline strategy. Reporting to the Head of Talent, this role is responsible for designing, leading, and continuously enhancing programs and processes to ensure a robust pipeline of leadership talent capable of delivering the company's long-term strategic and business objectives. 

As a trusted advisor to senior executives, business leaders, and HR partners, this role leads enterprise-wide talent review and succession planning processes, executive assessment and coaching initiatives, and development planning for senior leaders, high-potential employees, and emerging talent. The role evaluates organizational bench strength, identifies leadership capability gaps, and implements strategies to strengthen leadership readiness and succession depth across the enterprise. The role requires expertise in executive assessment tools such as Hogan or similar methodologies and a demonstrated ability to coach and influence leaders at the highest levels of the organization.

All job duties and responsibilities must be carried out in compliance with applicable legal and regulatory requirements.

• Lead the enterprise talent review process, including talent assessment and calibration practices, to evaluate leadership talent, performance, potential, and readiness. Leverage talent insights to identify capability gaps and inform succession planning, leadership development, and strategic talent decisions.
• Lead succession planning for executive, senior leadership, and critical business roles by assessing bench strength, identifying talent risks and gaps, and implementing strategies that strengthen leadership readiness and organizational continuity. Monitor succession metrics and talent trends to support workforce planning and leadership pipeline development.
• Provide strategic oversight for executive, officer, and high-potential talent development programs, serving as a trusted advisor and coach to senior leaders. Leverage assessments and feedback to enhance leadership effectiveness and guide development planning for key talent and succession candidates.
• Design and implement innovative, scalable leadership development experiences, including leadership academies, mentoring, stretch assignments, executive education, and experiential learning opportunities.
• Leverage talent analytics and insights to assess leadership readiness, succession health, bench strength, talent mobility, and program effectiveness. Translate data into actionable recommendations and executive reporting that inform talent and workforce planning decisions.
• Manage partnerships with external coaches, assessment providers, and leadership development partners to deliver effective talent solutions. Evaluate emerging practices and AI-enabled capabilities to ensure alignment with business priorities and talent strategy.
• Serve as a strategic advisor to senior leaders and HR Business Partners on leadership effectiveness, talent readiness, succession planning, and organizational capability. Facilitate talent and succession discussions while supporting workforce planning, organizational change, and leadership development.

• Experienced user of leadership assessment methodologies, including Hogan assessments or other personality and leadership potential assessments.
• Training or certification in executive coaching, leadership coaching, or related development methodologies preferred.
• Strong consulting, facilitation, and relationship management skills with the ability to influence executive stakeholders.
• Strong analytical skills with experience utilizing talent metrics and organizational insights to guide decisions.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and lead through ambiguity in a dynamic environment.

Education and Experience

• Bachelor's degree required; Master's degree in Organizational Development, Industrial/Organizational Psychology, Human Resources, Business Administration, or related field preferred.
• 10+ years of progressive experience in talent management, leadership development, executive development, organizational effectiveness, or related discipline.
• Proven experience coaching executives and senior leaders.
• Experience designing innovative leadership development strategies and programs that drive measurable business impact.

Selective Insurance offers a total rewards package that includes a competitive base salary, incentive plan eligibility at all levels, and a wide array of benefits designed to help you and your family stay healthy, achieve your financial goals, and balance the demands of your work and personal life. These benefits include comprehensive health care plans, retirement savings plan with company match, discounted Employee Stock Purchase Program, tuition assistance and reimbursement programs, and 20 days of paid time off. Additional details about our total rewards package can be found by visiting our benefits page.  

The actual base salary is based on geographic location, and the range is representative of salaries for this role throughout Selective's footprint. Additional considerations include relevant education, qualifications, experience, skills, performance, and business needs.

Selective is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. That means we respect and value every individual’s unique opinions, beliefs, abilities, and perspectives. We are committed to promoting a welcoming culture that celebrates diverse talent, individual identity, different points of view and experiences – and empowers employees to contribute new ideas that support our continued and growing success. Building a highly engaged team is one of our core strategic imperatives, which we believe is enhanced by diversity, equity, and inclusion. We expect and encourage all employees and all of our business partners to embrace, practice, and monitor the attitudes, values, and goals of acceptance; address biases; and foster diversity of viewpoints and opinions.

For Massachusetts Applicants

It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.