In the era of digital transformation and the knowledge-based economy, the smartization of managerial processes within academic institutions is a necessity for enhancing competitiveness and sustainability; thus, the transition from traditional human resource management toward intelligent talent management systems is considered a primary pillar of transformation within university structures. This research, designed within the framework of the pragmatism paradigm and employing a combined inductive-deductive approach, is an applied-developmental study with an exploratory design aimed at elucidating a talent-nurturing higher education system based on organizational intelligence. This descriptive, non-experimental study was conducted through thematic analysis and semi-structured interviews with 12 academic experts (management professors) and practical experts (university managers) based on purposive sampling. The data were cyclically coded and analyzed using Maxqda software. The findings provided a systematic framework of intelligent talent management indicators in the Iranian higher education system, consisting of 11 main themes (including smart career path planning, competency-based reward systems, talent attraction and retention, technology and innovation in education, international interactions, and data-driven evaluation) and 55 sub-themes. Ultimately, this research developed a conceptual model for intelligent talent management, providing a theoretical and practical basis for designing transformation-oriented strategies within the country's higher education system.