Director of Change, Culture and Engagement

As a leading mountain resort operator with over 40 resorts in sixteen states and four countries. We exist to create an Experience of a Lifetime for our employees, so they can, in turn, provide and Experience of a Lifetime for our guests. We are looking for leaders, innovators, creators, and ambitious professionals to join our talented team. If you’re ready to pursue your fullest potential, we want to get to know you!

Many of our Corporate function teams can now live and work in any of the states in which Vail Resorts currently operates* – enabling flexible remote work alongside a commitment to building and maintaining strong culture both in person and virtually. If you’re ready to pursue your fullest potential, we want to get to know you. Find your purpose with us at www.vailresortscareers.com. 

Job Summary
The  Director Change, Culture and Engagement will define, align and activate transformational culture and engagement strategies and embed, build capability and drive change management strategies resulting in measurable business outcomes for the highest priority company initiatives.  

This role is a key member of the Talent Development senior leadership team (TDLT), collectively the leadership team is accountable to the VP of Talent Development and DEI, for developing and driving the company’s overall strategic talent development and engagement agenda, priorities and projects in collaboration with TDLT peers, as well as leading the strategies and results in their specific areas of accountability, all in service to achieving the enterprise HR vision to “elevate the employee experience to drive the company growth and profitability around the world,” the company mission to create the best in class experience for employees and clients, and our collective ambition to be the “greatest leadership company in the world.”

This position is responsible for partnering with Business HR to:

• Design change and culture strategies that produce engaged employees and reinforce a values-based culture where people are central to the business growth and our mission – to create an Experience of a Lifetime for our employees that, in turn, creates an Experience of a Lifetime for guests. 
• Ensure that in a company of constant change, there is human-centered design embedded in rigorous and thoughtful change management strategies that drive the transformational business outcomes and care for our employee experience as initiatives are launched and embedded.

The ideal candidate will leverage data, outside-in research, and employee continuous listening results to gain talent insights. Acting as an advisor to the HR Senior Leadership team, this leader will bring the voice of the employee and a human-centered approach to key company and talent strategies.

• Design and oversee change management solutions and plans for large scale transformation, integration and organizational effectiveness initiatives to drive faster adoption, higher ultimate utilization of changes, and proficiency with the changes that impact employees who must use the changes in their daily work. These improvements increase benefit realization, value creation, ROI and the achievement of results and outcomes.
• Build capability in change management and human centered design within HR and across functions that drive initiatives which impact the employee experience.
• Create and implement measurable, results oriented culture & engagement programs and plans that increase employee engagement and productivity.  
• Develop scaled leadership and culture events, taking a leader-led approach to ensure embedment of the engagement strategy.

Job Responsibilities

• Set the vision and plan to deliver innovative, holistic culture and engagement strategies require to achieve company growth goals.
• Execute effective methods for gathering employee feedback, keeping a pulse on the employee experience, leader effectiveness and the employee value proposition. Develop meaningful reports for internal teams and facilitate conversations that lead to the creation of action plans and a continuous improvement mindset at the department and company level.
• Create targeted approaches, leveraging best practices, data and technologies to maximize program effectiveness for key employee segments.
• Oversee the design and implementation of large-scale change management initiatives. Scale change management capability within HR and across the organization. 
• Partner effectively with Communications team to leverage data-driven people insights to design multi-channel change management (including detailed communication and engagement plans) that deliver business and human resources strategic priorities, including acquisitions and integrations and large-scale transformations and ensure strong alignment between internal and external messaging and employee experience and culture objectives and results.
• Oversee the Employee Experience Council to ensure that programs are taking a stakeholder-focused, business-aligned, human-centered approach to design and delivery. 
• Lead enterprise-wide leadership and cultural events.
• Maintain knowledge, subject matter expertise, and thought leadership in areas of culture transformation, diversity and inclusion, change management, workforce planning and employee engagement while maintaining an awareness and point of view on trends and best practices.
• Serve as an internal and external ambassador for Vail Resorts and the employee experience.
• Lead a high-performing and inclusive team of change, culture and engagement professionals with a focus on team engagement and development to fuel the next generation of leaders.

Job Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Human Resource Management, Business Administration, Communications, or related field or a combination of education and experience is required.
• Progressive leadership experience in employee experience programming, organization development and/or culture design is required.
• Innovative thinker, with a natural curiosity and learning mindset, as well as a track record for translating strategic thinking into business-building solutions and actions.
• Demonstrated expertise and leadership in building a comprehensive, enterprise-wide employee engagement strategy and plan to advance a company’s mission, vision, values, and goals.
• A proven track record of stakeholder management effectively working with and influencing senior leadership across multiple functions to resolve complex issues and opportunities.
• Experience in human-centered design and/or design thinking preferred.
• Certifications and/or continuous education in change management desired.

Knowledge and Skills

• Ability to lead cross-functional project teams in a collaborative and consensus-based environment.
• Demonstrated capability to translate business strategies into critical talent and workforce strategies/ initiatives.
• A solid understanding of how people go through a change and the change process. Demonstrated experience with change management principles, methodologies and tools.
• Ability to innovate and challenge current norms to drive change in the organization and work with people of varying backgrounds and organizational levels.
• Highly flexible and adaptable to changing structures and priorities.
• Demonstrated experience in program development/design that is customizable and scalable; able to effectively tailor and present initiatives to a diverse group of constituents.
• Analytical and critical thinking skills, and the ability to organize, analyze and summarize with superior writing and editing skills.
• Ability to independently plan, organize, schedule, coordinate and make decisions and judgment relating to assigned projects and other responsibilities.
• Commitment to diverse and inclusive engagement and an ability to connect with others and cultivate relationships based on mutual trust and respect.
• Ability to anticipate and avoid issues and to negotiate effectively.
• Ability to anticipate future needs and opportunities, and make decisions in a fast-paced, rapidly-changing business environment.
• Enthusiastic team player that builds a positive, collaborative work environment and relationships.
• Expertise in both visual and written communications.

The expected Total Compensation for this role is $129,900 - $166,950 annual bonus.  Individual compensation decisions are based on a variety of factors.
 

The perks include a free ski pass, and a set of benefits including... 

• Medical, Dental, Vision insurance, and a 401(k) retirement plan  
• Hourly employees are generally eligible for accrued Paid Time Off (PTO) and Sick Time.  Salaried employees are generally eligible for Flexible Time Off (FTO) 
• Paid Parental Leave for eligible mothers and fathers  
• Healthcare & Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts  
• Life, AD&D, and disability insurance 

Reach Your Peak at Vail Resorts.  At Vail Resorts, our team is made whole by the brave, passionate individuals who ambitiously push boundaries and challenge the status quo. Whether you’re looking for seasonal work or the career of a lifetime, join us today to reach your peak.  
 

*Remote work is currently permitted from British Columbia and the 16 U.S. states in which we currently operate. This includes: California, Colorado, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New York, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Utah, Vermont, Washington State, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. Please note that the ability to work remotely, and the particulars related to such work, are subject to change at any time; and, accordingly, the Company reserves the right to change its policies and/or require in-person/in-office work at any time in its sole discretion.   

Vail Resorts is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, protected veteran status or any other status protected by applicable law.

Requisition ID  496873
Reference Date: 07/24/2023 
Job Code Function: EE Communications 

Salary : $129,900 - $166,950