Talent Management Specialist in London

At COS, we believe in shaping a future where people and business grow together. As Talent Specialist, you will play a critical role in identifying future skills capability across COS globally covering both store and office environments. Reporting to the Head of Talent and Leadership Development, the Talent Specialist plays a key role in shaping COS’s future-ready workforce by leading succession planning and high-potential development. You will secure career pathways and capability frameworks that support strategic growth and skill-building across the organization. Collaborating closely with internal and external stakeholders, you will ensure talent strategies are aligned with COS’s broader people and business goals.

What You Will Do

• Own and drive a clear succession planning process across all functions and regions, working hands-on with a network of HR BPs & Talent managers to secure strong pipelines for business critical and future roles.
• Design, implement, and continuously evolve career pathways and capability frameworks, ensuring they are practical, scalable, and adopted across the organisation.
• Work closely with the Learning team to embed current and future skill requirements into learning programmes and mandatory training, ensuring relevance and measurable impact.
• Partner with Talent Acquisition to identify capability gaps and shape hiring strategies that complement internal talent pipelines and adapt to future needs, pinpointing areas where external expertise is essential to drive business growth.
• Support leadership development and assessment initiatives, contributing directly to the design and delivery of programmes rooted in COS’s leadership principles, key skills and future needs.
• Collaborate on strategic talent initiatives, partnering with the Head of Talent and Leadership Development and senior stakeholders to deliver integrated strategies that embed leadership, growth, and development across the business.
• Collaborate with the Leadership Specialist & HRBP’s to implement and interpret assessments, identifying leadership strengths, gaps, and readiness for future roles.
• Partner with the Head of Talent and Leadership Development to translate COS’s business strategy into concrete talent priorities, identifying the skills and capabilities required for future growth.

Qualifications

Alignment to our company values is the most important characteristic we look for in all new joiners. Our values are the behaviours that we appreciate above and beyond anything else. We are open-minded and curious, we dare to be different, we believe in constant improvement and we empower and trust you to take ownership. Our values are part of who we are, what we stand for and how we act.

What you need to succeed

• Previous experience in Talent Management, this might include workforce planning and/or learning/leadership development / HR Business Partnering.
• Proven experience of designing and implementing succession planning and recruitment strategies that build a strong leadership pipeline and secure future-ready talent. This includes identifying high-potential employees, assessing readiness for critical roles, and aligning plans with organizational goals. It also involves partnering with recruitment teams to attract candidates who complement internal talent strategies.
• Good knowledge of leadership theories and learning and development methodologies.
• Strong understanding and experience of workforce planning and skills gap analysis.
• Familiarity with HR systems and talent analytics tools.
• Ability to design and implement talent frameworks and processes.

Additional Information

This is a full time permanent contract based at our Head Office in London UK. Benefits include:

• 25% staff discount usable on all our H&M Group brands in stores and online.
• Inclusion in our H&M Incentive Program – HIP.
• Up to 25 days holiday.
• Annual health checks.
• Pension scheme.
• Discounts on various activities and financial/lifestyle products via our benefits hub.
• Cycle to work scheme.
• Discounted gym membership.
• Employee assistance via retail trust.
• Private health & dental care.

Inclusion & Diversity

At COS we’re determined to create and maintain inclusive, diverse and equitable workplaces throughout our organisation. Our teams should consist of a variety of people who share and combine their knowledge, experience and ideas. Having a diverse workforce leads to a positive impact on how we address challenges, what we perceive as possible and how we choose to relate to our colleagues and customers all over the world, therefore all diversity dimensions are taken into consideration in our recruitment process.

Brand Description

COS offers a wardrobe of ready-to-wear and accessories rooted in exceptional quality and lasting design. The brand has an elevated aesthetic that embodies luxury with an emphasis on craftsmanship, innovation and compelling fashion movements. In this role you will have some flexibility to work remotely however due to the high level of cross department collaborations 3 days per week office presence is required to foster strong collaborations and teamwork.

Ready to apply? Click on the I’M INTERESTED link where you can upload your CV securely. Once we have received your application, we will keep you updated regularly about the status of your application so please look out for our email.

Closing Date: 29th of May. We are looking forward to hearing from you!