UK

United Kingdom · Learning and development · C-Suite (20+ years)

VP, Global Talent & Performance

Here is the whole job, in plain words. What it is, what you decide, how you're judged, how people get here and where they go next. Then the part no course gives you: twelve AI tutors who learn your work.

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  • Experience bandC-Suite (20+ years)
  • Reports toChief Human Resources Officer (CHRO)
  • UK framework levelUsually a director, accountable for a division and its numbers

Also advertised as Chief Learning Officer · Chief People Officer (Talent) · Global Head of People Performance · Executive Director, Enterprise Capability

Built on 43,079 real UK job descriptions we analysed · grounded in what real qualifications cover

Two short quizzes about you

1From this job to a course

The qualifications matched to this job

OTHM Level 7 Diploma in Data Science OTHM Qualifications · Level 7 · covers 1 of 2 standards
NQual Level 5 Certificate in Leadership and Management NQual · Level 5 · covers 1 of 2 standards
NCC Education Level 5 Extended Diploma in Computing with Data Science NCC Education Limited · Level 5 · covers 1 of 2 standards
Level 6 Award in Data-led Decision Making Institute of Sales Professionals · Level 6 · covers 1 of 2 standards
NQual Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management NQual · Level 5 · covers 1 of 2 standards

Matched from the standards this job is measured against: a suggestion, not an official ruling.

The units you would start with

Data Science Foundations OTHM Level 7 Diploma in Data Science
Principles of leadership and management NQual Level 5 Certificate in Leadership and Management
Introduction to Data Science and Big Data NCC Education Level 5 Extended Diploma in Computing with Data Science
Data-led Decision Making Level 6 Award in Data-led Decision Making
Apply the Concepts of Data Science to Computer Engineering NOCN Level 5 Diploma in Computer Engineering (Information Technology and Data Science)
Leading and Managing People NQual Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management

The future skills this job leans on

AI Fluency working with AI as a thinking partner
Data Fluency turning numbers into a decision
AI Governance Fluency using AI responsibly
Automation Fluency building AI into how work runs
Change Fluency taking people through change
Your Plan Illustration

Built for VP, Global Talent & Performance

6 units that map to this job, from the qualifications that cover it.

  1. Data Science Foundations OTHM Qualifications · covers 1 of 2 standards Level 7
  2. Principles of leadership and management NQual · covers 1 of 2 standards Level 5
  3. Introduction to Data Science and Big Data NCC Education Limited · covers 1 of 2 standards Level 5
  4. Data-led Decision Making Institute of Sales Professionals · covers 1 of 2 standards Level 6
  5. Apply the Concepts of Data Science to Computer Engineering NOCN · covers 1 of 2 standards Level 5
  6. Leading and Managing People NQual · covers 1 of 2 standards Level 5
These are the real units behind this job, in the order they rank for it. Nothing here is marked done, because this plan has not been started by anyone yet. Yours would fill in as you go.

2AI and this work

Will AI change your work as a VP, Global Talent & Performance?

Nobody can say exactly how. Here is what this job is being asked for next, and where to start.

The new skills this role is being asked for

  • AI Ethics & Governance in Talent
  • Human-AI Teaming Strategy & Organisational Design
Why each one is rising

The future skills this job leans on

We'll only ever tell you what we can actually back up. No hype, no scare tactics.

What happens when you start

Next, a free account. We build your VP, Global Talent & Performance plan as you set up, starting with the free Automation Fluency module. No card.

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Keep this read. One email with what AI is changing in this job, the new skills it asks for and where to start free. Nothing else follows unless you confirm your address.

3What this role really is

This role shapes how a workforce grows over the next few years, across every level of the business. It covers making sure the right skills sit in the right places, globally. It means building the systems that connect people strategy to business results, from the board down to the front line.

4What you'd actually use

The tools this job runs on, and how well you'd need to know each one.

Learning Experience Platform (LXP) / LMS (e.g., Degreed, Cornerstone OnDemand) Strategic

Leading vendor selection (RFP process), defining the enterprise learning tech ecosystem architecture, negotiating multi-million-pound contracts, and ensuring the platform supports global strategic learning objectives.

Enterprise Data Analytics & Visualization (e.g., Tableau, Power BI, SQL) Strategic

Defining the key performance indicators (KPIs) for the entire L&D function, interpreting complex dashboards to tell a compelling story to the C-suite about L&D's business impact, and identifying strategic insights from global talent data.

Performance & Engagement Systems (e.g., Workday HCM, Lattice, Glint, Qualtrics) Strategic

Influencing the design of the enterprise performance management cycle and skills taxonomy, using predictive analytics to identify future leadership gaps, and ensuring these systems provide actionable insights for global talent strategy.

Financial Planning & Reporting (e.g., Anaplan, Workday Adaptive Planning) Expert/Strategic

Owning the multi-million-pound global L&D budget, building sophisticated financial models in Anaplan to forecast L&D ROI, and justifying investment to the CFO and Board with robust business cases.

Collaboration & Project/Programme Management (e.g., Asana, Jira, Miro, Confluence) Strategic

Overseeing the entire portfolio of global talent and performance improvement programmes, allocating resources, managing interdependencies at an enterprise level, and ensuring strategic alignment across all initiatives.

5What you get to decide, and how that grows

Power in a job isn't your title. It's what you're allowed to decide. Here's how it grows as you move up.

The choiceComing in Where you are nowThe step above
Global Talent Strategy Definition No involvement. Provides data and insights to inform strategy. Leads specific workstreams that contribute to the strategy.
Budget Allocation (Talent & Performance) No budget authority. Manages project budgets up to £10K with manager approval. Manages workstream budgets up to £50K, recommends larger investments.
Organisational Design & Restructuring No involvement. Contributes data for analysis. Proposes structural changes for specific teams.

6How you'll be judged

The scoreboard, and what is not on it. The hard targets, how often each is actually looked at, and the quiet signals that never reach a dashboard.

Enterprise Talent Pipeline Readiness
The percentage of critical leadership roles (e.g., VP-level and above) that have at least two 'ready now' internal successors identified.
Target · >80% for critical roles

If we have 50 critical VP roles, you'll ensure 40+ of them have identified, developed internal candidates ready to step up within 12 months. This directly reduces external hiring costs and risk.

L&D Return on Investment (ROI)
Demonstrating the financial return from major talent development programmes, linking investment to tangible business outcomes like revenue growth, cost savings, or reduced churn.
Target · Minimum 3:1 ROI on strategic programmes exceeding £1M investment

A £2M leadership development programme is shown to have contributed to a £6M increase in sales leader effectiveness, directly impacting revenue and reducing regrettable turnover by 10% in those teams.

Strategic Alignment of Talent Spend
The percentage of the total talent development budget allocated to initiatives directly supporting the company's top 3-5 strategic priorities (e.g., market expansion, digital transformation, new product launch).
Target · >95% of budget

If our top strategic priority is 'Global Market Entry into APAC', you'll show that almost all of our £15M talent budget is directly funding programmes that build capabilities for that expansion, not just generic training.

Critical Skill Gap Reduction
The measurable reduction in identified skill gaps across key strategic capabilities (e.g., AI literacy, cybersecurity, sustainable finance) within the global workforce.
Target · 15-20% reduction in identified gaps YoY

After identifying a 30% gap in 'Cloud Architecture' skills across our engineering teams, your programmes reduce that gap to 15% within a year, enabling faster product development.

Board & Executive Confidence
The degree to which the Board and Executive Leadership Team view Talent & Performance as a strategic partner, proactively seeking your input on critical business decisions.
  • You're regularly invited to strategic planning sessions, your opinions are sought on M&A talent integration, and the CEO references talent as a key differentiator in investor calls. They trust your insights and recommendations, even when they challenge the status quo.
Organisational Agility & Adaptability
Our ability to quickly pivot our workforce capabilities in response to market shifts, new technologies, or competitive pressures.
  • When a new market trend emerges, your teams can rapidly design and deploy upskilling programmes that get our people ready within weeks, not months. Our internal mobility rates increase, showing people can move to where the business needs them most.
Employer Brand & Reputation
How we're perceived externally as a place to grow and develop, attracting top talent and retaining our best people.
  • We're winning 'Best Place to Work for Development' awards, our Glassdoor reviews specifically praise our learning opportunities, and top talent actively seeks us out because of our reputation for career growth. Our regrettable attrition for high-performers is consistently below industry benchmarks.

7Would you like it

Both sides. What people enjoy, and what grinds them down.

What people enjoy
Shaping the Future of a Global Workforce

You're constantly thinking 3-5 years ahead, designing talent strategies that anticipate market shifts and future skill needs. This shows up in your long-term capability mapping, succession planning, and strategic investments in emerging technologies for learning.

Leading the charge on how we prepare our entire global workforce for the impact of AI, not just on a few teams, but across every function.

Driving Enterprise-Level Transformation

You thrive on leading massive organisational change programmes, from integrating talent strategies post-M&A to completely redesigning our performance culture. You're comfortable with complexity and the long game of transformation.

Successfully merging the talent functions of two large, acquired companies, creating a unified culture and capability framework across thousands of new employees.

Direct Business Impact at Scale

You're energised by seeing your talent strategies directly contribute to significant business outcomes – increased revenue, reduced costs, improved market share. You're always looking for the Level 4 evidence, the hard numbers that prove your impact.

Presenting to the Board how a new leadership development framework has directly led to a 15% increase in innovation pipeline and a 10% reduction in executive regrettable attrition.

What frustrates people
  • Board-level bureaucracy and slow decision-making on critical talent investments.
  • The immense difficulty of isolating the impact of your talent programmes from other business variables, especially when presenting to skeptical investors.
  • Navigating complex M&A integrations where cultural clashes and talent retention are massive challenges.
  • Public scrutiny and media attention on enterprise-level talent decisions or diversity metrics.
  • Managing a global budget of £10M+ and constantly having to justify every penny to the CFO.
  • The sheer scale of managing a function that impacts thousands of employees across dozens of countries, each with unique needs and regulations.
What this role does not give you
  • A quiet, predictable work environment with minimal pressure.
  • The ability to focus solely on one specific area of talent development (e.g., just instructional design).
  • Guaranteed immediate gratification for your efforts; enterprise transformation is a long game.
  • Freedom from intense public and internal scrutiny over talent decisions and outcomes.

8Who you work with

This role directly shapes the company's long-term competitive advantage by ensuring we have the talent and capabilities to execute our enterprise strategy. You'll influence market perception of our employer brand, drive significant P&L outcomes through talent optimisation, and mitigate critical business risks related to workforce capability and succession. Essentially, you're building the human capital infrastructure for our future success.

Inside the business
  • CEO and Executive Leadership Team
  • Board of Directors (especially Remuneration & Audit Committees)
  • Global Business Unit VPs and SVPs
  • Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Finance Leadership
  • Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and Engineering Leadership
  • Legal & Compliance Teams
Outside the business
  • Investors and Analysts
  • Industry Bodies and Regulators
  • Strategic Talent Partners and Vendors
  • Executive Search Firms
  • Media and Public Relations

9What you need before you start

Not a wish list. The things you would be expected to already have.

  • Proven track record of leading a large, global talent or L&D function with significant P&L responsibility (£5M+).
  • Extensive experience presenting to and influencing executive leadership teams and Boards of Directors.
  • Demonstrable success in designing and implementing enterprise-wide talent strategies that delivered measurable business impact.
  • Deep expertise in at least two core areas: global learning strategy, performance management, or succession planning.
  • Experience leading talent integration for significant M&A activities.
  • A strong understanding of global business operations and the ability to connect talent strategy to commercial outcomes.

10What to practise next

Where the job is going, and what to do about it starting this week.

Quantum Learning Design & Immersive Technologies

The next wave of learning will move beyond traditional e-learning. Think VR/AR for skill practice, brain-computer interfaces for personalised learning, and quantum computing for hyper-optimised learning paths. You'll need to assess their strategic potential.

Principles of immersive learning design (VR/AR/Met · Neuroscience of learning and cognitive load optimi · Ethical considerations of advanced learning techno · Measuring effectiveness of immersive learning expe · Scalability and cost-effectiveness of next-gen lea

  • This quarter: Attend a leading conference on immersive learning or future of EdTech.
  • Next 6 months: Commission a strategic review of potential applications for VR/AR in our critical skill areas (e.g., complex machinery operation, leadership simulations).
  • Next 12 months: Pilot a small-scale immersive learning programme for a specific, high-value skill.
  • Month 18: Develop a long-term roadmap for integrating advanced learning technologies into our global ecosystem.

Quick win: Explore free VR/AR demos related to your industry. Read up on the latest research from MIT or Stanford on the future of learning. Start a conversation with your tech team about potential infrastructure needs.

11Staying current once you are in

What people here do to keep up
  • Regular attendance and speaking engagements at global HR/Talent conferences (e.g., World Economic Forum, HR Tech, ATD International Conference).
  • Participation in executive peer groups or CHRO forums to share best practices and benchmark strategies.
  • Continuous learning in areas like AI in HR, organisational neuroscience, and future of work trends through executive education programmes or specialised courses.
  • Mentoring emerging talent leaders within and outside the organisation to stay connected to future perspectives.

12The rising capability

The rising capability

Zavmo analysis

What's rising in its place

This is where the work is heading, and the higher pay with it. Get fluent here and the shift stops being a threat and starts being your edge.

AI Ethics & Governance in Talent

The rapid adoption of AI in HR (hiring, performance reviews, learning recommendations) brings significant ethical and compliance risks. Regulators are catching up, and public trust is paramount. You'll need to define our enterprise-wide stance.

  • Algorithmic bias detection and mitigation in talen
  • Data privacy and security for AI-driven insights
  • Explainable AI (XAI) for talent decisions
  • Regulatory frameworks for AI in employment (e.g.,
  • Building trust and transparency with employees aro

Human-AI Teaming Strategy & Organisational Design

AI isn't just a tool; it's becoming a 'colleague'. You'll need to design an organisation where humans and AI collaborate effectively, defining new roles, workflows, and performance metrics for this hybrid workforce. This is a fundamental shift in how we work.

  • Defining 'AI-augmented' roles vs. 'AI-autonomous'
  • Designing workflows for human-AI collaboration
  • Measuring productivity and performance in hybrid t
  • Upskilling for human-AI interaction (e.g., prompt
  • Addressing psychological safety and trust in AI-dr

13What you’ll use

What you’ll use

Skills this role draws on

Technical

  • Enterprise Performance Consulting (HPT Model)
  • Board-Level Talent Strategy & Governance
  • Organisational Change Leadership (Prosci ADKAR® Model)
  • Predictive Talent Analytics & Workforce Planning
  • M&A Talent Integration Strategy

14The pathway

The pathway

How you actually get there, here

How you become one varies far more by country than what one does. This is the UK route. Most people take one of these ways in; the right one depends on where you're starting from.

  1. 1

    Director/VP, Global Talent & Performance (Large Enterprise)

    5-8 years at Director/VP level

    Skills to master

    • Mastering enterprise-wide programme management, influencing cross-functional VPs, managing multi-million-pound budgets, and building a strong reputation for delivering measurable business impact.

    You're ready to move on when

    • Successfully led a major talent transformation programme for an entire business unit.
    • Consistently delivered on P&L targets for your functional area.
    • Recognised as a trusted advisor by business unit VPs and SVPs.
    • Built and mentored a high-performing leadership team.
  2. 2

    Chief People Officer (Mid-Size Company)

    3-5 years as a CPO

    Skills to master

    • Gaining full P&L oversight for the entire HR function, reporting directly to the CEO, and building an integrated people strategy across all HR disciplines (TA, Comp & Bens, HRBP, L&D).

    You're ready to move on when

    • Demonstrated ability to build and scale an entire HR function from scratch or through significant growth.
    • Proven track record of influencing a CEO and Board on all people-related matters.
    • Successfully navigated complex M&A or significant organisational growth/change.
  3. 3

    Senior Partner / Principal Consultant (Global HR Consulting Firm)

    8-10 years in senior consulting roles

    Skills to master

    • Developing deep expertise across diverse industries, managing complex client relationships, selling large-scale HR transformation projects, and leading global consulting teams.

    You're ready to move on when

    • Consistently exceeding revenue targets for your consulting practice.
    • Recognised as a thought leader in talent strategy or organisational effectiveness.
    • Successfully advised multiple Fortune 500 clients on their most complex talent challenges.

15Where this role leads

The long view: This work can lead to running a company as chief executive, or to guiding several organisations as a board member. It can also lead to shaping wider thinking on talent and work, through writing or speaking.

The ten Future Fluencies

Zavmo analysis

The credential is what you can do today. These are what keep you valuable.

A qualification proves you can do the job as it's defined today. These ten are what decide whether you're still the obvious person for it in five years. They're the capabilities employers are now writing into senior roles faster than people are learning them. Zavmo weaves them through whatever you study, so you come out with both: the credential and the fluency.

The highlighted ones are the Fluencies your role leans on hardest, from how VP, Global Talent & Performance is actually changing.

Where it leads

Roles this leads to

How you would learn this

One to one, on the work you already do

A tutor sets the task against your own job and marks the reasoning, at your pace. There is no cohort to fall behind.

A lesson from Data Science Foundations, worked against VP, Global Talent & Performance.

Data Science Foundations Level 7

Applied to your work in VP, Global Talent & Performance

1. To enable the learner to define the scope and landscape of Data Science and differentiate the roles of Data Scientists from other IT professionals. 2. To enable the learner to evaluate key topics within Data Science, including data administration, governance, and big data sources. 3. To enable the learner to describe the architecture and core elements of Apache Hadoop. 4. To enable the learner to analyse the advantages and disadvantages of utilising Artificial Intelligence techniques in a business context. 5. To enable the learner to critically analyse the impact of Big Data on digital transformation within organisations and its effects on users. 6. To enable the learner to review strategies for ensuring data compliance and explain the responsibilities and challenges faced by data specialists.

How the thinking builds
  1. 1 Remember
  2. 2 Understand
  3. 3 Apply
  4. 4 Analyse
  5. 5 Evaluate
  6. 6 Create
An illustration of a Zavmo lesson, built from this role’s own route. The unit, its objective and every criterion above are the awarding body’s own words, not an example.

It is £70 a month, billed monthly. Your free first module is Future Fluency, and you can cancel any time.

See Your Progress Grow Illustration
VP, Global Talent & Performance
  • Enterprise Performance Consulting (HPT Model)
  • Board-Level Talent Strategy & Governance
  • Organisational Change Leadership (Prosci ADKAR® Model)
  • Predictive Talent Analytics & Workforce Planning
  • M&A Talent Integration Strategy
This is your Mind Palace on learn.zavmo.ai. Every skill above comes from this role's own record, not an example borrowed from another job. A node lights up when you evidence it, and what you build stays yours between jobs. That is the part a course cannot do.

16The detail, folded away

Everything else the record holds

The career branches in full, how AI is already showing up in the day-to-day, and the questions people ask about this job. Here when you want them, out of the way while you decide.

Where it leads next, rung by rung

Where it leads

The career path, and where it branches

VP, Global Talent & Performance is a start, not a ceiling. Each step below asks for new skills and hands back more autonomy.

  1. Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO)

    3-5 years

    Direct report to CEO, full executive leadership team member, board-level accountability for all people functions.

    • Executive Compensation Design & Governance
    • Global Employee Relations & Labour Law Expertise
    • HR Technology & Digital Transformation (full HRIS stack)
    • Workforce Restructuring & Downsizing

  2. Chief Operating Officer (COO)

    5-8 years

    Oversight of all operational functions (e.g., Sales, Marketing, Product, Engineering, HR), direct report to CEO.

    • Operational Excellence Methodologies (e.g., Lean Six Sigma at scale)
    • Global Supply Chain Management
    • Sales & Marketing Operations
    • Product Lifecycle Management
Working with AI on the job

Working with AI

Where AI is starting to help

Let's be real, at the C-suite level, your time is gold. You're not just looking for marginal gains; you need tools that fundamentally change how you operate and provide strategic advantage. AI isn't just for junior analysts anymore; it's a critical executive assistant for the modern leader, especially in global talent and performance.

Imagine cutting through the noise to get to the strategic insights faster, drafting board-ready presentations in a fraction of the time, and predicting future talent needs with unprecedented accuracy. That's what AI can do for you. We're not talking about replacing your judgment, but augmenting it, giving you more time for the truly high-impact, human-centric work that only you can do.

Enterprise Talent Analytics & Risk Prediction

Use advanced AI models to analyse global HRIS, performance, and learning data. Predict critical skill shortages, identify flight risks among high-potentials, and forecast the impact of market changes on our workforce capabilities. This moves you from reactive to truly predictive talent strategy.

Board-Ready Report Generation & Narrative Crafting

Feed raw data, strategic objectives, and key findings into GenAI tools to instantly draft concise, compelling executive summaries, board reports, and investor presentations. Spend less time wordsmithing and more time refining the strategic message and preparing for tough questions.

Global Learning Ecosystem Optimisation

Leverage AI-powered LXPs to dynamically curate personalised learning pathways for thousands of employees based on their roles, performance data, and career aspirations. AI can identify content gaps, recommend interventions, and even suggest new programme designs at scale, ensuring our learning investments are always relevant.

M&A Talent Integration Strategy Drafts

When an acquisition happens, use AI to rapidly synthesise due diligence reports, cultural assessments, and talent data to draft initial integration plans. This includes identifying key talent to retain, potential cultural clashes, and harmonisation strategies for learning and performance systems, saving weeks of initial analysis.

Common questions

Common questions

How do you become a VP, Global Talent & Performance?

Common routes in include Director/VP, Global Talent & Performance (Large Enterprise) (5-8 years at Director/VP level), Chief People Officer (Mid-Size Company) (3-5 years as a CPO) and Senior Partner / Principal Consultant (Global HR Consulting Firm) (8-10 years in senior consulting roles). Times vary with prior experience.

Where can a VP, Global Talent & Performance progress to?

This role can lead on to Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) (3-5 years) and Chief Operating Officer (COO) (5-8 years), depending on the skills you build.

What new skills matter most for a VP, Global Talent & Performance?

Increasingly, AI Ethics & Governance in Talent and Human-AI Teaming Strategy & Organisational Design. These are the skills our record of this role lists as growing.

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17Where to go from here

Other roles at Level 7

Same depth of qualification, different job. Useful if the work appeals but this particular role does not.

 More jobs in learning and development

Stay in the field you know and move sideways rather than up.
If you leave this industry

Skills in global talent strategy and performance improvement carry across most industries. This is especially true in sectors going through digital change or competing hard for talent, such as technology, financial services, healthcare and advanced manufacturing. The principles of managing people well stay the same, even as the setting changes.

This role profile is © 2026 Growth Engineering Technologies Ltd. Built from UK occupational standards and regulated qualification data, and written for Zavmo.

You're not behind. You're right on time. The shift is only just beginning. Your role won't look the same in two years. Be the one who leads the change, not the one it happens to. Start my free Automation Fluency module What happens next: a free account, then we build your plan as you set up. No card. Build your plan, see your roadmap and meet the twelve tutors matched to you. All free. When you're ready to start learning, it's £70 a month, billed monthly. Cancel any time and billing stops.