Interest in how researchers and practitioners approach the management of talent has grown in recent years. Effective management of the talent life cycle begins with implementation of a talent management architecture—that is, the combination of systems, processes, and practices developed and implemented by an organization to ensure that the management of talent is carried out effectively. This chapter explores today’s career development environment and describes a career pathways framework as a viable “architecture” and philosophy for effectively managing talent. The chapter provides a brief overview of current perspectives on talent management, describes a career pathways system in greater detail, and discusses how building and implementing such a system as part of a broader human resource management function can pay dividends for an organization’s talent life cycle.