Talent Specialist

Job Description

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.

• Partner with the Head of Talent and Leadership Development to interpret the COS business strategy and identify the skills required for future growth.
• Collaborate with the Learning team to ensure current and future skill requirements are embedded into learning programs and mandatory company training.
• Partner with Talent Acquisition to identify skill gaps and pinpoint areas where external expertise is essential to drive business growth.
• Work with a network of HR BP’s to secure and implement a clear succession planning process across all functions and regions, ensuring a strong pipeline for business‑critical roles and future capabilities.
• Design career pathways and capability frameworks that align with COS’s strategic goals, enabling future‑ready skills and supporting meaningful career progression.
• Support leadership development and assessment initiatives, contributing to the delivery of programs rooted in COS’s leadership principles.
• Work closely with the Leadership Specialist to implement assessments that identify leadership strengths, gaps, and readiness for future roles.
• 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.

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.

• Previous experience in Talent Management, this might include workforce planning, talent acquisition, and/or learning/leadership development.
• Good knowledge of leadership theories and learning and development methodologies.
• Strong understanding of workforce planning and skills gap analysis.
• Familiarity with HR systems and talent analytics tools.
• Ability to design and implement talent frameworks and processes.
• 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.

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

We offer all our employees attractive benefits with extensive development opportunities around the globe. All our employees receive a 25% staff discount usable on all our H&M Group brands in stores and online. In addition to our staff discount, all our employees are included in our H&M Incentive Program – HIP. You can read more about our H&M Incentive Program here.

In addition to this UK based colleagues also receive

• 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

At COS we’re determined to create and maintain…