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.

• 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.

- 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.

• 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 work streams, 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…