Definium Therapeutics is seeking a strategic and hands-on Associate Director, Talent & Culture to design, build, and scale foundational talent and culture programs that enable our people and our science to thrive.

This role will serve as the architect and driver of our engagement and culture strategy as part of a growing organization; integrating employee engagement and listening, onboarding, performance management, recognition, learning & development, and employee communications into a cohesive and high-impact employee experience, shaping how it feels to work and lead here.

This leader will partner closely with HR, senior leaders, and corporate communications to ensure our people systems enable accountability, clarity, development, and performance while preserving the culture that makes Definium special.

Key Responsibilities:

Employee Engagement & Experience:

• Lead engagement survey strategy and drive actionable follow-through
• Partner with leaders to translate engagement insights into measurable actions and maintain a culture of accountability, transparency, and trust
• Design programs that reinforce culture, connection, and employee voice
• Ensure that as we scale, we stay connected and intentional, not accidental

New Hire Experience & Talent Integration:

• Design and implement a best-in-class onboarding & assimilation strategy aligned to business impact
• Create scalable onboarding & assimilation frameworks that standardize what matters while preserving team-level flexibility
• Ensure new hires ramp quickly, understand expectations, and feel connected in a virtual first working environment

Performance Management 

• Own and evolve the company-wide performance management philosophy and framework, including annual goal-setting process, mid-year reviews, and year-end performance reviews
• Ensure alignment between business priorities, individual goals, and measurable outcomes
• Equip leaders to drive high-performance standards with clarity and consistency
• Balance rigor with agility; strong systems without bureaucracy

Recognition

• Build recognition programs that reinforce performance and cultural values
• Create simple, scalable ways to celebrate achievements and reinforce impact

Leadership & Organizational Capability

• Deliver focused, just-in-time learning experiences that address real-time needs
• Equip managers with practical tools and frameworks that elevate day-to-day leadership effectiveness without adding unnecessary complexity
• Serve as a trusted advisor to leaders and managers on development, engagement, change management and team effectiveness
• Ensure leadership development efforts are directly connected to performance expectations, engagement outcomes, and organizational effectiveness

HR Communications & Employee Value Proposition

• Partner with Communications to ensure HR messaging is clear, aligned, and forward-looking
• Oversee HR-related intranet content and employee-facing resources
• Simplify and modernize how talent information is delivered across the organization

• Help shape and articulate Definium’s Employee Value Proposition in partnership with HR and Communications

 

 

Qualifications

• Generally has 8-10+ years of progressive experience in Talent Development, Organizational Development, Employee Experience, HR Business Partnering, or related fields
• Proven experience building talent programs from the ground up in a high-growth or small-company environment
• Deep understanding of performance strategy, manager effectiveness, and engagement levers
• Comfort operating at both strategic and execution levels
• Demonstrated ability to influence senior leaders and partner cross-functionally
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Biotech or life sciences experience preferred
• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree in HR, Organizational Psychology, or related field preferred

Key Competencies

• Strategic thinker with strong execution capability
• Builder mindset; comfortable with ambiguity
• Systems-oriented and scalable approach
• Strong facilitation and presentation skills
• High emotional intelligence
• Collaborative and influence-driven leadership style

What Success Looks Like

• Leaders are aligned on expectations and confident in managing performance
• Talent systems scale smoothly as the company grows
• Engagement data leads to measurable action and improvement
• New hires reach productivity faster
• Definium’s culture remains strong and intentional through growth

The starting base pay range for this position is $150,000.00 - $195,000.00. Compensation will be determined based on several factors including, but not limited to, skill set, years of experience, and the employee’s geographic location.

Employees in this role may be entitled to additional compensation, including bonus and equity. Benefits information is listed on our Jobs Page. The Company provides competitive benefits to employees including:

• 100% paid health benefits including Medical, Dental and Vision for you and your dependents
• 401(k) program with company match and vesting after the turn of the first month after your start date
• Flexible time off
• Generous parental leave and some fun fringe perks!