Director, Talent Development & Strategy

Primary Role Or Function

The Director, Talent Development & Strategy will serve as a strategic and operational leader responsible for advancing WME’s assistant-to-agent development ecosystem across the agency, including Music and all core business verticals.

This role will drive the design, integration, and execution of early-career development programs, ensuring a cohesive and scalable approach to onboarding, training, performance management, and career progression. The Director will play a critical role in shaping the next generation of WME agents by aligning development initiatives with broader business, talent, and operational priorities.

Working cross-functionally with HR, Business Operations, Recruitment, Inclusion, and senior leadership, this role will help define and implement a best-in-class agent development infrastructure that supports both individual growth and long-term business success.

Responsibilities

Agent Development Strategy & Program Leadership

• Lead the design and execution of a comprehensive agent development strategy across all business areas, including Music.
• Oversee and evolve core development programs, including:
• Assistant onboarding and training
• Farmhouse and Trainee program integration
• Early-career agent development initiatives
• Ensure programming aligns with agency priorities, performance expectations, and long-term talent strategy.
• Identify gaps in development offerings and implement scalable, high-impact solutions.
  

Performance Management Design & Execution

• Lead the build-out, standardization, and execution of performance management frameworks in partnership with HR and Business Operations.
• Define and operationalize:
• Clear performance expectations and success metrics
• Feedback cadence and evaluation processes
• Documentation and escalation pathways (e.g., coaching plans, performance improvement processes)
• Ensure alignment across departments on performance standards, accountability, and evaluation consistency.
• Partner with HRBPs and leadership to support managers in delivering effective, actionable feedback.
• Integrate performance management into broader development programming to ensure a clear link between performance, progression, and promotion readiness.
• Build out and utilize the Workday platform to administer performance management processes, including goal setting, review cycles, and performance documentation, ensuring consistency and data integrity across the organization.
  

Cross-Functional Sprints Leadership & Execution

• Serve as a key leader within the HR / Inclusion / Operations Sprints initiative, partnering across HRBPs, Business Operations, Recruitment, Inclusion, and development teams.
• Drive progress across critical workstreams, including:
• Performance management frameworks for early-career agents
• Standardized training curriculum (assistant through agent levels)
• Career progression pathways and promotion criteria
• Onboarding and orientation optimization
• Translate sprint outputs into practical, scalable tools and programming implemented across the agency.
• Ensure alignment across stakeholders and maintain momentum on cross-functional initiatives.
  

Onboarding & Orientation Strategy

• Oversee the agency-wide onboarding and orientation experience for assistants and agents.
• Partner closely with HR and on-the-ground team members to ensure:
• Consistency across departments
• Strong in-person and virtual delivery
• Alignment with WME culture and expectations
• Continuously refine onboarding experiences using feedback, data, and evolving business needs.
  

Program Integration & Pipeline Alignment

• Ensure alignment across all early-career programs, including:
• Assistant training
• Trainee Program
• Farmhouse
• Additional development initiatives
• Create a connected and clearly defined development journey from entry-level roles through early agent years.
• Partner with leadership to ensure programs are integrated into broader talent and business strategies.
  

Stakeholder Management & Agency Collaboration

• Act as a central point of coordination across:
• Human Resources
• Business Operations
• Recruitment
• Inclusion
• Department and office leadership
• Build strong relationships across all offices (Los Angeles, New York, Nashville, London) to ensure consistency and adoption of programming.
• Present updates, insights, and recommendations to senior leadership.
  

Accountability & Expectations

• Demonstrate ownership over agency-wide agent development initiatives and outcomes.
• Drive alignment across multiple stakeholders and departments.
• Deliver high-quality programming that supports both employee development and business performance.
• Maintain consistency, scalability, and operational excellence across all programs.
• Serve as a trusted partner to HR and senior leadership in shaping talent strategy.

Essential Job Knowledge, Experience, & Characteristics

Professional Knowledge & Experience

• 5–7+ years of experience in talent development, organizational development, or related fields.
• Must have previous experience using Workday as an HRIS
• Experience building out and utilizing the Workday platform to support performance management processes.
• Experience designing and leading scalable development programs in a complex, fast-paced organization.
• Strong understanding of early-career pipelines, performance management, and career progression frameworks.
• Experience working cross-functionally with HR, Operations, and business leadership.
• Entertainment, media, or agency experience is strongly preferred.
  
  

Skills & Capabilities

• Strategic thinker with the ability to translate vision into execution.
• Exceptional stakeholder management and influence skills.
• Strong program design, facilitation, and curriculum development capabilities.
• Ability to operate both strategically and tactically.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and organizational skills.
• Data-informed mindset with strong analytical capabilities.
  
  

Personal Characteristics

• Collaborative and highly relationship-oriented.
• Proactive, solutions-driven, and adaptable.
• High level of professionalism, discretion, and accountability.
• Passionate about developing talent and building high-performing teams.
• Comfortable navigating ambiguity and driving change across a complex organization.
  
  

Per local requirements and in the interest of transparency, the rate shown below reflects the prevalent current hiring range for this position. Hiring pay rates are based on a number of factors, including location and may vary depending on job-related qualifications, knowledge, skills and experience. The company strives to provide locally competitive rewards packages, which include base rate along with, as applicable, short- and long-term incentives, growth and developmental opportunities, and robust benefits, such as health care, retirement, vacation and other paid time off, and additional offerings.

Hiring Rate Minimum

$105,000 annually (minimum will not fall below the applicable state/local minimum salary thresholds)

Hiring Rate Maximum

$140,000 annually

WME is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from qualified and eligible candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, or religion or belief.