Director, Finance Leadership Development Program

Paramount•Los Angeles, CA

3d•$156,800 - $235,200•Hybrid

About The Position

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.

Requirements

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

Nice To Haves

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

Responsibilities

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.
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.
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.
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.
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.