Director, Talent Development & Strategy
Description
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
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Lead the design and execution of a comprehensive agent development strategy across all business areas, including Music.
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Oversee and evolve core development programs, including:
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Assistant onboarding and training
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Farmhouse and Trainee program integration
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Early-career agent development initiatives
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Ensure programming aligns with agency priorities, performance expectations, and long-term talent strategy.
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Identify gaps in development offerings and implement scalable, high-impact solutions.
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Performance Management Design & Execution
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Lead the build-out, standardization, and execution of performance management frameworks in partnership with HR and Business Operations.
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Define and operationalize:
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Clear performance expectations and success metrics
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Feedback cadence and evaluation processes
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Documentation and escalation pathways (e.g., coaching plans, performance improvement processes)
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Ensure alignment across departments on performance standards, accountability, and evaluation consistency.
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Partner with HRBPs and leadership to support managers in delivering effective, actionable feedback.
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Integrate performance management into broader development programming to ensure a clear link between performance, progression, and promotion readiness.
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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.
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Cross-Functional Sprints Leadership & Execution
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Serve as a key leader within the HR / Inclusion / Operations Sprints initiative , partnering across HRBPs, Business Operations, Recruitment, Inclusion, and development teams.
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Drive progress across critical workstreams, including:
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Performance management frameworks for early-career agents
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Standardized training curriculum (assistant through agent levels)
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Career progression pathways and promotion criteria
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Onboarding and orientation optimization
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Translate sprint outputs into practical, scalable tools and programming implemented across the agency.
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Ensure alignment across stakeholders and maintain momentum on cross-functional initiatives.
Onboarding & Orientation Strategy
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Oversee the agency-wide onboarding and orientation experience for assistants and agents.
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Partner closely with HR and on-the-ground team members to ensure:
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Consistency across departments
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Strong in-person and virtual delivery
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Alignment with WME culture and expectations
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Continuously refine onboarding experiences using feedback, data, and evolving business needs.
Program Integration & Pipeline Alignment
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Ensure alignment across all early-career programs, including:
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Assistant training
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Trainee Program
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Farmhouse
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Additional development initiatives
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Create a connected and clearly defined development journey from entry-level roles through early agent years.
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Partner with leadership to ensure programs are integrated into broader talent and business strategies.
Stakeholder Management & Agency Collaboration
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Act as a central point of coordination across:
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Human Resources
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Business Operations
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Recruitment
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Inclusion
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Department and office leadership
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Build strong relationships across all offices (Los Angeles, New York, Nashville, London) to ensure consistency and adoption of programming.
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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.
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ESSENTIAL JOB KNOWLEDGE, EXPERIENCE, & CHARACTERISTICS:
Professional Knowledge & Experience
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5–7+ years of experience in talent development, organizational development, or related fields.
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Must have previous experience using Workday as an HRIS
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Experience building out and utilizing the Workday platform to support performance management processes.
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Experience designing and leading scalable development programs in a complex, fast-paced organization.
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Strong understanding of early-career pipelines, performance management, and career progression frameworks.
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Experience working cross-functionally with HR, Operations, and business leadership.
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Entertainment, media, or agency experience is strongly preferred.
Skills & Capabilities
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Strategic thinker with the ability to translate vision into execution.
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Exceptional stakeholder management and influence skills.
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Strong program design, facilitation, and curriculum development capabilities.
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Ability to operate both strategically and tactically .
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Excellent communication, presentation, and organizational skills.
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Data-informed mindset with strong analytical capabilities.
Personal Characteristics
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Collaborative and highly relationship-oriented.
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Proactive, solutions-driven, and adaptable.
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High level of professionalism, discretion, and accountability.
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Passionate about developing talent and building high-performing teams.
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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.