Why This Role Matters

At Emery Sapp & Sons (ESS) we don’t build roads, bridges, and infrastructure without building people first.

The Talent Development Manager plays a critical role in strengthening the backbone of our company—our craft workforce and frontline leaders. This role ensures our crews have the skills to perform, our leaders have the capability to lead, and our teams are set up to win—today and long-term.

From boots-on-the-ground training to leadership development that actually sticks, this role helps turn hard work into career growth, and career growth into company strength.

Position Overview

The Talent Development Manager is responsible for building the people who build the work. This role leads the development and execution of training and leadership programs that are practical, field-ready, and built to improve performance where it matters most—on the job site.

Working closely with Operations, Safety, and HR, this role identifies skill and leadership gaps, builds structured development paths, and delivers training that strengthens workforce capability, improves retention, and builds a stronger bench for the future. From entry-level craft to experienced supervisors, this role ensures our teams are equipped, confident, and ready to perform.

What You’ll Own

Workforce & Leadership Development Strategy

• Collaborate with Operations, Safety, and HR leadership to assess current and future workforce and leadership development needs across regions, crews, and disciplines.

• Identify technical skill gaps and leadership capability gaps; establish development priorities aligned with operational goals, performance data, and company growth strategy.

• Develop structured development roadmaps for key craft roles (entry-level through advanced) and leadership roles (Foremen, Superintendents, Project Managers, and emerging leaders).

• Design and maintain a scalable leadership development framework that supports succession planning and long-term organizational growth.

Craft Training & Leadership Program Oversight

• Lead, coach, and manage craft trainers, including onboarding, scheduling, performance expectations, and professional development.

• Oversee internal and external facilitators supporting leadership development initiatives.

• Standardize instructional methods and curriculum to ensure consistent, high-quality delivery of both craft and leadership programs across all locations.

• Equip trainers and facilitators with clear lesson plans, materials, evaluation tools, and delivery standards.

• Drive continuous improvement through train-the-trainer programs, structured feedback, and performance evaluation.

Program Design, Delivery, & Continuous Improvement

• Design, manage, and continuously improve craft training programs, including hands-on field training, classroom instruction, onboarding, equipment/skills development, and annual required company training.

• Design and implement leadership development programs focused on frontline leadership fundamentals, communication, accountability, safety leadership, team management, conflict resolution, coaching, and operational execution.

• Ensure all development initiatives—craft and leadership—are practical, job-specific, safety-aligned, and directly connected to company standards and business objectives.

• Coordinate logistics for training initiatives, including locations, resources, schedules, attendance tracking, and jobsite coordination.

• Measure program effectiveness through feedback, performance data, and operational outcomes; adjust curriculum and delivery methods to improve engagement, retention, and on-the-job performance.

Tracking, Documentation, & Reporting

• Maintain accurate documentation of training participation, qualifications, certifications, and leadership development progression.

• Oversee systems and processes for tracking development outcomes (LMS, spreadsheets, or other platforms as applicable).

• Develop and deliver reporting to leadership summarizing workforce readiness, leadership pipeline health, participation metrics, and measurable impact on performance, retention, and safety outcomes.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with Operations leadership to align development initiatives with project staffing needs and production demands.

• Work closely with Safety to ensure both craft and leadership development reinforce safety culture, compliance expectations, and best practices.

• Collaborate with HR and Talent teams to align onboarding, role readiness expectations, performance development, and succession planning initiatives.

• Work alongside Marketing to develop on-brand training materials and experiences.

• Support broader organizational efforts that strengthen culture, engagement, accountability, and leadership effectiveness across the company.

Talent Development Team Leadership

• Serve as a mentor and subject-matter leader for workforce development practices, helping team members build confidence, credibility, and industry knowledge.

• Create structure and accountability through clear processes, timelines, and performance expectations.

What Success Looks Like

• Crews are more skilled, confident, and productive in the field

• Frontline leaders lead with clarity, accountability, and consistency

• Training programs are practical, consistent, and widely adopted

• Leadership pipelines are stronger and more predictable

• Development efforts directly improve retention, safety, and performance

• Operations leaders trust and rely on Talent Development as a true partner

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in HR, Business, Education/Training, Construction Management, or related field (or equivalent experience)

• 5+ years of experience in training, workforce or leadership development, operations support, or program management—preferably within construction or field-based environments

• Experience leading trainers, facilitators, or instructional staff strongly preferred

• Ability to translate real-world job site needs into practical training

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills; ability to influence and collaborate across all levels of the organization

• Strong organization and execution skills—this role gets things done

• Confidence working alongside field leaders and earning their trust

• Ability to connect strategy to real, measurable outcomes

• Familiarity with training systems, tracking tools, and reporting—specifically Workday Learning (LMS)

Work Environment

• Mix of office and field—expect regular job site presence

• Fast-paced, no two days the same

• Travel across regions and training locations

• Flexible hours depending on training schedules

Why ESS?
We’re a company built by builders—and owned by the people doing the work.

Here, development isn’t a checkbox. It’s how we grow careers, strengthen teams, and build something that lasts. You won’t be designing training from a desk and hoping it sticks—you’ll be in it with the field, shaping programs that actually make a difference.

If you’re wired to build people the same way we build projects—gritty, practical, and built to last—you’ll fit right in.