Handelsbanken
Talent and Succession Lead ( 12 month Fixed-Term Contract)
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Job Introduction
Handelsbanken is a relationship bank built on trust, long-term thinking and local decision-making. We provide bespoke banking and wealth management services to personal and corporate customers.
Our decentralised model means decisions are made close to the customer, in our branches. Our central Functions teams play a vital role in supporting the branch network, providing the expertise, governance and infrastructure that enable branches to serve customers effectively and sustainably.
This approach had underpinned our success for decades. Handelsbanken is independently recognised as one of Europe’s safest commercial banks, holds the strongest credit rating among its peers and is consistently ranked highly for customer satisfaction and relationship banking.
Our culture is values-led, shaped by trust, respect, and long-term thinking. We empower our people to use their expertise, make confident decisions and build long-term careers. We look for people who share our long-term vision, want to grow and want to make a meaningful impact in their local community and with the Bank
We also recognise that flexibility can support people to perform at their best, and that it looks different for everyone. While arrangements will depend on the requirements of the role and the needs of the business, we are open to having a conversation around what flexibility could look like for you.
Check our Handelsbanken website for further information
The opportunity
The Talent and Succession Lead reports to the Deputy Chief Human Resources Officer (DCHRO) and works closely with the D&I Wellbeing Lead, Head of Talent Acquisition, Head of UK L&D, Head of Mortgage & Credit Training and the wider HR Leadership Team. It provides a central point of coordination across these functions to ensure workforce, talent and change activity is aligned to a coherent people strategy.
The role is responsible for translating strategic workforce priorities into practical, embedded activity. This includes operationalising the succession planning framework, strengthening how talent is attracted, identified and developed, and supporting leaders and employees through organisational change, including the impact of AI on roles and skills.
A core part of the role is ensuring inclusion is integrated into workforce decisions, role design and change activity. It also contributes to measuring the effectiveness of organisational change and improvements in performance management maturity.
Overall, the role acts as the connective point between D&I, Recruitment and L&D, providing the CHRO and DCHRO with a trusted partner to deliver strategic workforce priorities.
Key responsibilities
Succession Planning & Talent Management
- Take ownership of implementing the succession planning framework in practice by embedding it into leadership routines, talent reviews, and business planning.
- Work with business leaders to identify business critical roles, assess bench strength, and build actionable development pathways for successors.
- Partner with L&D to ensure development plans arising from succession reviews are actioned and tracked.
- Own the design and delivery of talent management processes, including talent identification, calibration, and talent review cycles, ensuring they connect directly into succession planning outcomes.
- Work with business leaders to build a consistent view of leadership readiness high-potential and business critical talent across the organisation, using shared criteria and a common language.
- Partner with Recruitment to ensure internal talent movement and career pathways are considered alongside external hiring, so build and buy decisions are joined up.
- Partner with L&D and HR Business Partners to ensure talent development interventions (stretch assignments, mentoring, development programmes, targeted development) are in place for identified talent and track their progress.
- Introduce or refine talent metrics and reporting to give the CHRO and Executive Team visibility of talent, retention risk, and pipeline strength.
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Change Management
- Design and support the leadership of change management approaches for significant organisational shifts, including restructures, new operating models, and the integration of AI into roles and workflows.
- Build change frameworks, communication plans, and engagement approaches that support employees through transition.
- Act as a trusted advisor to the Deputy Chief HR Officer and Chief HR Officer navigating change, helping them lead their teams effectively through uncertainty.
Performance & Organisational Effectiveness
- Review and strengthen how the organisation drives performance — including performance management approaches, goal setting, and accountability structures.
- Assess organisational design, structures, and ways of working to identify opportunities for improved effectiveness and efficiency.
- Use data and insight to diagnose organisational state and recommend targeted interventions.
Inclusion
- Partner closely with the UK D&I lead to ensure inclusion principles are embedded into organisational design, succession planning, change initiatives, and performance frameworks rather than treated as a separate workstream.
- Ensure equity considerations are built into how roles are redesigned, particularly as AI reshapes work.
Future of Work & AI Impact
- Support with the adoption of AI thinking on how AI is likely to impact roles, skills, and organisational structure across the business.
- Work with L&D and business leaders to identify reskilling and workforce planning implications.
- Provide the DCHRO with clear, practical recommendations on how the organisation should adapt.
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Cross-Functional Leadership
- Act as a central point of coordination across D&I, Recruitment, and L&D to ensure a joined-up approach to talent, workforce planning, and business planning.
- Provide the DCHRO with regular insight, progress updates, and recommendations on organisational effectiveness, change, and succession priorities.
What we’re looking for
Research (by Harvard University) shows that women are particularly likely to second guess themselves and not apply - so if you are worried you don't meet all the criteria, get in touch anyhow and let us do the worrying…
- Proven track record of embedding succession planning and talent management frameworks into practical business use.
- Significant experience in organisational development, organisational effectiveness, or change management, ideally at a senior/leadership level.
- Strong change management expertise, including leading people through significant organisational transformation.
- Experience partnering with D&I, Talent Acquisition, L&D and HR Business Partner functions to deliver joined-up outcomes.
- Familiarity with the workforce implications of AI and emerging technology, or strong appetite to build this expertise quickly.
- Excellent stakeholder management skills, with the credibility to influence senior leaders and the HR Leadership team directly.
- Comfortable operating in ambiguity and delivering at pace.
Why join Handelsbanken
We want everyone at Handelsbanken to feel supported, motivated, and able to do great work. That’s why, alongside brilliant colleagues, meaningful work and training and development opportunities, we provide a variety of benefits designed with your wellbeing in mind.
In addition, there is a flexible benefits package with the key highlights detailed below.
Application next steps
Your journey with us begins once you have submitted your application. One of our Handelsbanken Talent Acquisition Partners will be reviewing your details and will later organise a phone conversation if your experience aligns with our requirements, we will extend an invitation for you to participate in an interview.
This advert will be live for a minimum of two weeks. However, please note that after the two weeks, the closing date could change at any time depending on the number of responses received.
The Bank is deeply committed to embedding good equality and diversity practice into all of our activities. This is so that we are an inclusive, welcoming and inspiring place to work that encourages everyone to apply, regardless of socio-economic background, age, disability, pregnancy and/or parental status, race (including colour, nationality, and ethnic or national origin), veteran status, marital and civil partnership status, religion or belief, sex, gender reassignment or sexual orientation.
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