Director, Finance Leadership Development Program

UT
Umande Trust

Accounting & Finance

West Hollywood, CA, USA

USD 156,800-235,200 / year

Posted on Oct 1, 2026

Storytelling is, and will always be, the heart of what we do at Skydance.
Our vision is to build a thriving entertainment ecosystem where stories and worlds are imagined, brought to life and experienced. We create for every age and audience, anchored by the strength of our content and experiences and the depth of our connection with fans. We are creator-first, audience-focused, tech-forward, globally scaled. Here, you’ll work with talented teams that move fast, think boldly and collaborate with purpose to deliver results. We aim high, champion the best ideas and win together, earning the trust of our employees, creators, partners and audiences every day. If you’re energized by the opportunity to help build the next-generation global media and entertainment company powered by creativity and technology, we’d be thrilled to welcome you aboard. LET’S GO!

Overview:

We are seeking an experienced, entrepreneurial Program Director to design, launch, and lead the program from the ground up. This is a unique opportunity to build a flagship talent program at a major Media, Entertainment, and Tech company — shaping its curriculum, rotation structure, participant experience, and long-term success metrics. The ideal candidate combines finance acumen, program/project management rigor, a forward-looking view on how AI and technology are reshaping finance work, and a genuine passion for developing early-career talent. The Program Director will serve as the primary point of contact for participants, rotation managers, university recruiting partners, and finance leadership, ensuring the program delivers a cohesive, high-impact experience from recruitment through graduation and placement.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

Program Design & Strategy
  • Build out the end-to-end structure of the program, including rotation sequencing, learning objectives, and success criteria for each of the three rotations.
  • Partner with finance leadership to identify and secure rotation placements (e.g., FP&A, Accounting & Controllership, Treasury, Investor Relations, Business Unit Finance, etc.) that provide breadth and depth of experience.
  • Design and continuously refine the technical finance capability curriculum (financial modeling, accounting, valuation, corporate finance fundamentals) in partnership with internal SMEs or external training providers.
  • Partner with the SVP of Innovation to design and integrate an AI-forward training track — covering AI/ML fundamentals for finance, generative AI tools for modeling and analysis, automation of routine finance workflows, and how emerging technology is changing the finance function — ensuring participants graduate as both strong technical financiers and confident, tech-savvy operators.
  • Continuously scan for new AI tools, platforms, and use cases relevant to finance and embed them into the curriculum as the technology landscape evolves.
  • Design and oversee the leadership development curriculum (communication, executive presence, project management, business acumen) in partnership with L&D/HR.

Participant Management & Experience
  • Own the day-to-day participant experience: onboarding, rotation transitions, performance check-ins, and end-of-program evaluation.
  • Serve as a primary mentor, coach, and advocate for program participants throughout their journey.
  • Facilitate regular touchpoints (1:1s, cohort sessions, exec speaker series) to build community and reinforce leadership development themes.
  • Track individual and cohort performance, proactively addressing performance or engagement concerns with rotation managers.

Stakeholder & Business Partnership
  • Act as the liaison between rotational participants and rotation managers, ensuring clear expectations, feedback loops, and successful integration into each business unit.
  • Partner with finance leadership to identify end-of-program placement recommendations based on participant strengths and business needs.
  • Build relationships with senior finance leaders to secure executive sponsorship, speaker engagement, and mentorship participation.
  • Serve as the primary finance-side partner to the SVP of Innovation, aligning on AI training content, piloting new tools with the cohort, and channeling participant feedback into the broader innovation roadmap.

Recruiting & Program Growth
  • Partner with University Recruiting to define target schools, candidate profile, and selection criteria for each incoming cohort — including evaluating candidates' comfort and curiosity with AI and data tools as part of the selection criteria.
  • Participate in candidate interviews and final selection decisions.
  • Represent the program at campus recruiting events, info sessions, and case competitions as needed.
  • Own program metrics and reporting (retention, performance, promotion/placement rates, participant satisfaction) and use data to continuously improve the program.

Program Operations
  • Manage program budget, vendor relationships (training providers, assessment tools, AI/tech platform vendors), and logistics.
  • Establish program governance, policies, and processes (rotation timing, performance review cadence, escalation paths).
  • Build the program's employer brand internally and externally as a flagship talent pipeline known for producing tech-fluent finance leaders.

Basic Qualifications:

  • Bachelor's degree in Finance, Business, or related field
  • 10+ years of professional experience, with a mix of finance/business experience and program management, talent development, or HR business partnering
  • Demonstrated experience building or running a rotational program, leadership development program, or similar early-career talent initiative
  • Strong knowledge of core finance functions (FP&A, accounting, corporate finance) sufficient to design meaningful rotational and technical training content
  • A tech-forward mindset — genuine curiosity about AI and how it's transforming finance, and comfort partnering with technical/innovation stakeholders to translate that into training content
  • Exemplary relationship-management skills, with credibility to engage confidently with senior finance executives and new graduates alike
  • Strong program/project management skills — able to manage multiple moving parts (curriculum, people, stakeholders, logistics) concurrently
  • Remarkable communication, coaching, and facilitation skills

Additional Qualifications:

  • Experience in media, entertainment, or a large, complex corporate environment.
  • Prior experience with university recruiting or campus talent pipelines.
  • Familiarity with designing learning in the flow of work.
  • Hands-on experience with AI tools in a finance or business context (e.g., generative AI for modeling/analysis, automation platforms).
  • Experience with HRIS/LMS platforms and program analytics/reporting tools
  • MBA a plus


About Skydance

Skydance is a next-generation global media and entertainment company, comprised of three business segments: Studios, Direct-to-Consumer, and TV Media. Skydance's portfolio unites legendary brands, including Paramount, Warner Bros., HBO and HBO Max, Paramount+, Pluto TV, CBS, CNN, CBS Sports, TNT Sports, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, MTV, Food Network, BET, HGTV, and Comedy Central.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Hiring Salary Range: $156,800.00 - 235,200.00.

In compliance with local law, we are disclosing compensation, or a range thereof, for roles where legally required. Actual salaries will vary based on a variety of job-related factors, including but not limited to geographic location, external market data, internal equity, skill set, experience, training, education, and/or performance. Base pay is just one component of our total compensation package. Other rewards may include annual bonuses, short- and long-term incentives, and program-specific awards.
This position is bonus eligible.

What We Offer:

  • Attractive compensation and comprehensive benefits packages. Check out our full list of benefits here.
  • Generous paid time off.
  • Complimentary subscriptions to HBO Max, Paramount+, and other Skydance streaming services and digital news products.
  • Robust employee engagement opportunities, including access to exclusive screenings and events, speaker series, volunteer activities and more.

Skydance is an equal opportunity employer (EOE)

We embrace the opportunity to build a workforce that reflects a wide array of perspectives, backgrounds and experiences. Being an equal opportunity employer means that we take seriously our responsibility to consider qualified candidates on the basis of merit. In line with the laws of the country or region in which the role is based, this includes consideration without regard to race, color, ethnicity, national origin, citizenship status, religion or belief, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, pregnancy, parenthood, physical or mental disability, genetic information, military or protected veteran status, union status or any other category protected by applicable law.

If you are a qualified individual with a disability, you may request a reasonable accommodation during the job application and/or recruitment process. You can request reasonable accommodations by calling 212.846.5500 or by sending an email to paramountaccommodations@paramount.com. Only messages left for this purpose will be returned.