HR Strategy and Enablement Leader

Overview

What You’ll Do:

We’re looking for a dynamic Strategy & Change Enablement Leader to join our HR team. You’ll sit at the heart of HR strategy, shaping how we design, plan, and execute the talent and organizational capabilities that fuel Principal’s highest‑priority initiatives. You’ll translate enterprise strategy into action, partner closely with senior leaders, and lead the teams responsible for Strategic Workforce Planning and Change Enablement.

If you thrive operating at the intersection of business strategy, workforce design, and organizational change, this is your opportunity to make a high‑visibility, enterprise‑level impact.

You’ll have the opportunity to anchor two core pillars of the Principal Talent Strategy, both critical to building an agile, high-performing organization:

• Build and scale a modern, enterprise-wide SWP capability
• Anticipate future workforce needs through skills, capacity, and scenario planning
• Turn insights into talent, operating model, and organizational design decisions

• Accelerate adoption of high-priority initiatives with disciplined, scalable change practices
• Drive readiness, adoption, and value realization for people and business transformations
• Lead a skilled team of change practitioners to support the organizations most strategic work

• Partner with HR leaders to synthesize, prioritize, and align HR strategy to enterprise goals
• Translate strategy into actionable programs with the HR Program Management team
• Monitor execution and ensure ongoing alignment to business priorities

• Lead a high-performing team delivering change for mission‑critical people initiatives
• Balance pace, capacity, and impact while ensuring organization-wide alignment

• Govern and sequence change across concurrent initiatives
• Identify adoption risks early and shape mitigation strategies

• Serve as a trusted advisor to senior HR leaders on workforce risk, readiness, and execution
• Provide insight that enables better strategic decisions and stronger outcomes

• Lead, coach, and develop change and workforce planning professionals
• Build a culture of collaboration, innovation, and strategic thinking

• 10+ years in HR strategy, workforce transformation, change enablement, or related roles
• Proven success leading enterprise-level Strategic Workforce Planning
• Strong experience driving large-scale change in complex, matrixed organizations
• Deep knowledge of workforce design, skills-based planning, and change adoption

• Trusted partner and advisor to senior leaders
• Clear, confident communicator with strong judgment
• Systems thinker comfortable navigating ambiguity
• Outcome-focused and committed to measurable impact

• Bachelor’s degree required
• Advanced degree preferred

Salary ranges below reflect targeted base salaries. Non-sales positions have the opportunity to participate in a bonus program. Sales positions may be eligible for sales incentives; total compensation may exceed base salary depending on performance. Actual compensation will be based on location, experience, education, licensure, and skill level and finalized at offer.

Salary Range (Non-Exempt expressed as hourly; Exempt expressed as yearly)
$141,000 - $191,000 / year

Flexible Time Off (FTO) is provided to salaried employees. FTO allows time away with pay; there is no accrual of a banked time off and no set number of days.

Work Environments
This role offers in-office, hybrid (at least three office days per week), and remote work arrangements (only if residing more than 30 miles from Des Moines, IA). Strong preference for a Des Moines, IA-based candidate.

We are not considering applicants who need immigration sponsorship now or in the future to work in the United States. This includes F1-OPT, F1-CPT, H-1B, TN, L-1, J-1, etc.

For Principal Asset Management positions, you’ll follow an Investment Code…