Director, People Partnering, Chicago, Illinois, USA / St. Louis, Missouri, USA

Job Title

Director, People Partnering

Job Description Summary

The Director, People Partnering – PSC Division & IPM serves as the strategic People Partner to the PSC Division President and IPM leadership team, providing executive-level counsel on talent strategy, organizational effectiveness, workforce planning, leadership development, succession planning, and change management. As a trusted advisor, this role partners closely with business leaders, Centers of Excellence, and the broader People organization to align talent initiatives with business priorities, drive organizational performance, strengthen leadership capability, and support sustainable growth. The Director leads integrated people strategies across PSC and IPM, leveraging workforce insights, organizational design, and talent management practices to enable business transformation, enhance employee engagement, and build a high-performing, inclusive culture within a complex global matrix environment.

Job Description

Director, People Partnering – PSC Division & Integrated Portfolio Management (IPM)

Cushman & Wakefield

Cushman & Wakefield (NYSE: CWK) is a leading global commercial real estate services firm for property owners and occupiers with approximately 52,000 employees in nearly 400 offices and 60 countries. Guided by our purpose to create solutions for a better business and a better world, we deliver services across facilities management, project and development services, leasing, capital markets, valuation and advisory, workplace strategy, and integrated real estate solutions. Our people are our greatest asset, and we are committed to fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, inclusion, and excellence.

Job Summary

The Director, People Partnering – PSC Division & Integrated Portfolio Management (IPM) serves as a strategic People Partner to the PSC Division President, IPM leadership team, and senior business leaders across the organization. This role provides forward-looking talent consultation and leadership to enable business growth, strengthen leadership capability, drive organizational effectiveness, and deliver scalable people solutions aligned with PSC, IPM, and GOS business priorities.

As a trusted advisor, this leader partners closely with the Head of People Partnering for GOS, PSC and IPM leadership, regional and global stakeholders, and the broader People organization to support growth initiatives, transformation efforts, workforce planning, and leadership development. The role is critical to ensuring talent strategies align with business priorities and are executed consistently across the organization while supporting enterprise integration and long-term organizational success.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Talent Partnership

Serve as the lead People Partner to the PSC Division President and IPM leadership team, providing guidance on talent strategy, workforce planning, organizational design, leadership effectiveness, and organizational health.
Lead people strategies aligned to PSC and IPM business priorities, ensuring integration with GOS talent strategies and People COE programs.
Translate business strategy into actionable people priorities, proactively identifying talent risks, capability gaps, and growth opportunities.
Act as a trusted advisor on complex organizational and talent matters, balancing business objectives, employee experience, and enterprise priorities.

HR Delivery & Advisory

Partner in the execution and delivery of strategic people programs, including performance management, talent reviews, succession planning, compensation planning, workforce planning, and change management.
Provide coaching and consultation to senior leaders on organizational effectiveness, leadership capability, employee engagement, and team performance.
Collaborate with People COEs, Employee Relations, Legal, and business leaders to ensure consistent application of policy, governance, and best practices.
Support promotion, retention, and talent movement decisions to strengthen organizational capability and leadership pipelines.

Talent Management & Leadership Development

Lead talent management initiatives including talent reviews, succession planning, leadership assessments, and development planning for critical and high-potential talent.
Facilitate leadership development and executive coaching strategies that strengthen leadership effectiveness and succession readiness.
Partner with Learning & Development and Talent Management teams to enhance programs focused on building critical leadership and business capabilities.
Champion diversity, inclusion, belonging, and engagement initiatives by embedding inclusive leadership practices into talent programs and succession strategies.

Organizational Effectiveness & Workforce Planning

Drive organizational design and workforce planning initiatives that align structures, capabilities, and talent investments with future business needs.
Lead efforts to assess organizational effectiveness and recommend solutions that improve performance, scalability, and operational excellence.
Partner with Talent Acquisition and business leaders to strengthen strategic hiring plans and leadership pipeline development.
Support transformation, restructuring, integration, and operating model initiatives across PSC and IPM organizations.

Workforce Analytics & Insights

Leverage workforce analytics, business data, and talent insights to inform leadership decision-making and strategic planning.
Identify trends, risks, and opportunities impacting talent health, retention, engagement, and organizational performance.
Develop data-driven recommendations that improve business outcomes and workforce effectiveness.

Compensation & Enterprise Collaboration

Partner with Compensation leadership on benchmarking, job architecture, organizational alignment, and compensation program reviews.
Collaborate across GOS, service lines, regions, and functions to address shared talent priorities and organizational challenges.
Partner closely with Employee Relations, Talent Acquisition, Learning & Development, Total Rewards, and other COEs to deliver integrated people solutions.

Business Transformation & Culture

Support strategic initiatives that advance PSC and IPM business objectives, including growth, operational excellence, and transformation efforts.
Lead and support change management efforts associated with business transformation, organizational redesign, and workforce evolution.
Foster a culture of accountability, inclusion, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
Identify opportunities to strengthen leadership engagement, employee experience, and organizational connectivity across the business.

Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business, Organizational Development, or a related field required.
Minimum 10+ years of progressive HR Business Partnering or People Partnering experience, including support of senior leadership teams.
Demonstrated experience in talent management, succession planning, organizational design, workforce planning, and change leadership.
Experience supporting large, complex, matrixed organizations with multi-regional or global operations.
Strong business acumen with demonstrated ability to influence senior leaders and drive business-aligned talent outcomes.
Proven ability to operate effectively within a highly matrixed, global environment.
Exceptional consulting, communication, facilitation, and stakeholder management skills.
Strong analytical capabilities with experience using workforce data and insights to drive decisions.
Executive presence with the ability to influence and build credibility at all levels of the organization.
Ability to manage multiple priorities while maintaining a strategic focus.

Preferred Qualifications

Master's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Organizational Psychology, or related discipline.
Experience supporting professional services, consulting, facilities management, integrated services, operations, or client-facing organizations.
Experience leading large-scale transformation, growth, organizational effectiveness, or change initiatives.
Global experience supporting leaders and teams across multiple regions.
Prior people leadership experience preferred.

Cushman & Wakefield also provides eligible employees with an opportunity to enroll in a variety of benefit programs, generally including health, vision, and dental insurance, flexible spending accounts, health savings accounts, retirement savings plans, life, and disability insurance programs, and paid and unpaid time away from work. In addition to a comprehensive benefits package, Cushman and Wakefield provide eligible employees with competitive pay, which may vary depending on eligibility factors such as geographic location, date of hire, total hours worked, job type, business line, and applicability of collective bargaining agreements.

The compensation that will be offered to the successful candidate will depend on factors such as whether the position is covered by a collective bargaining agreement, the geographic area in which the work will be performed, market pay rates in that area, and the candidate’s experience and qualifications.

The company will not pay less than minimum wage for this role.

The compensation for the position is: $ 148,750.00 - $175,000.00

Cushman & Wakefield is an Equal Opportunity employer to all protected groups, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities. Discrimination of any type will not be tolerated.

In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA), if you have a disability and would like to request an accommodation in order to apply for a position at Cushman & Wakefield, please call the ADA line at 1-888-365-5406 or email Accommodations@cushwake.com. Please refer to the job title and job location when you contact us.

INCO: “Cushman & Wakefield”