Director, Talent Development & Strategy
WME | William Morris Endeavor · United States
FULL TIMEfull-time
Job 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- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Details
| Company | WME | William Morris Endeavor |
| Location | United States |
| Type | FULL TIME |
| Niche | marketing |
| Experience | full-time |