
Director of Strategic Partnerships
Warner Music Group
London, ENThis is a Full Time Job
Your role:
As the Strategic Partnerships Director, you will serve as the main architect and lead for the strategic integration of workstreams within the GBS framework. Reporting to the VP of Global Operations, this role will oversee the "front door" for operational expansion, and will be responsible for facilitating the transition of critical functions from regional labels, affiliates, and M&A activities into our centralized global shared service center (SSC) model or to specialized third-party partners. You will serve as a high-level strategic advisor and advocate. You will navigate a complex global finance environment to ensure every transition is seamless. All transitions will be governed by rigorous internal controls and aligned with our long-term scalability goals. We are looking for a resilient, data-driven leader who can coordinate critical relationships with international collaborators and external service providers. This role ensures that GBS continues to deliver world-class performance and service excellence.
Here you'll get to:
• Managing internal and external project managers, fostering a culture of strategic collaboration, high performance, and operational excellence.
• Develop and lead all aspects of the global intake framework. This is the strategic entry for transitioning workflows, business functions, and corporate mergers into the GBS ecosystem.
• Act as the lead for Mergers & Acquisitions within the shared operations function. Evaluate the back-office landscape of acquired entities and develop a roadmap crafting the integration of their operations into this centralized services model.
• Lead the end-to-end lifecycle of organizational transitions. Ensure functional migrations from regional divisions and associated companies are completed timely and within budget. Minimize impact on business continuity.
• Act in a senior strategic advisory role to regional leadership and functional heads. Navigate complex organizational structures to secure alignment, advocacy, and formal approvals for global transition initiatives.
• Manage high-stakes relationships with third-party service providers and outsourcing partners, ensuring external delivery models meet WMG's rigorous standards for quality, scalability, and cost-efficiency.
• Establish and monitor important metrics and Service Level Agreements (SLAs) to ensure partners meet the same standards WMG has internally.
• Present transition roadmaps and arguments to global governance committees, managing priorities and goals in alignment with WMG's overarching strategic vision.
• Ensure all partnership models and work migrations adhere to corporate governance standards, including strict oversight of internal controls, resource allocation, and budgetary parameters.
• Manage the project lifecycle, including scoping, knowledge transfer, "shadowing," and stabilized go-live phases.
• Provide post-transition analysis and performance management, establishing KPIs to measure the success of integrations and the ongoing health of global partnerships.
• Collaborate with HR, CI, Reporting, Automation and Tech leads to ensure that new workstreams are supported by the necessary talent, optimized processes, and technological infrastructure from day one.
About you:
• Bachelor's Degree in Business, Finance, Operations Management, or a related field.
• 10+ years of experience in project management, specifically focused on functional migrations, shared services, or GBS transitions, including large-scale Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) management.
• Proven track record of leading end-to-end functional migrations and M&A integrations within a complex, global matrix environment.
• Experience with influencing stakeholders across different time zones and cultures without direct authority.
• Proven track record of resilience in "high-velocity" environments where you find a way to move the ball forward despite shifting priorities or internal roadblocks.
• Experience managing multi-dimensional workflows and multiple projects, and ability to effectively communicate priorities to executive audiences.
• Experience onboarding newly acquired entities or business units into a global service model.
We'd love it if you also had:
• MBA or an advanced degree in a strategic or analytical discipline.
• PMP, PRINCE2, or equivalent Project Management certification.
• Lean Six Sigma Green or Black Belt.
• Hands-on experience with Pega, S/4HANA, or ServiceNow.
• Experience in a shared services environment.
• Music industry experience a plus.
Love this job and wan
Additional Information
At Warner Music Group, we are a global collective of music makers, tech innovators, and passionate team members dedicated to turning dreams into stardom and audiences into fans. Our operations are guided by three core values: Curiosity, which drives creativity and innovation; Collaboration, emphasizing the power of teamwork in bringing music to the world; and Commitment, ensuring we pursue excellence with integrity. WMG is home to a diverse range of artists, musicians, and songwriters, and we strive to create a work environment that values and respects everyone. Our Global Business Services (GBS) supports our finance labels and affiliates with critical operations, fostering a collaborative spirit that nurtures entrepreneurial thinking and artist-focused innovation. We proudly represent a variety of premier recording labels, including 10K Projects, Asylum, Atlantic Music Group, and Warner Records, as well as our renowned publishing company, Warner Chappell Music, which manages a catalog of over one million copyrights. Additionally, WMG includes ADA, which supports the independent community, and Warner Music Entertainment, a leader in film and television storytelling. Together, we are Warner Music Group: Independent Minds. Major Sound.