Music is Universal
 
It’s the passionate and dedicated team at Universal Music who help make us the world’s leading music company. From A&R to finance, legal to digital, sales to marketing, Universal Music is the place to grow and develop your career within a truly commercial and innovative business that leads in everything it does.

Everyone is welcome to apply for our roles, and we are determined to ensure that no applicant or employee receives less favourable treatment because of gender, race, disability, sexual orientation, religion, belief, age, marital status, background, pregnancy, or caring responsibilities. We also recognise the importance of diversity of thought within our teams and are fully committed to embracing the talents of people with autism, dyslexia, ADHD, and other forms of neurocognitive variation.

We will always seek to make appropriate adjustments to recruitment, workplaces, and work processes to be fully inclusive to people with different needs and working styles. If you need us to make any reasonable adjustments for you from application onwards, including alternatives to the online form or to disclose a neurocognitive condition, please email [email protected].

Department Description

The D2C Transformation & Growth team works at the centre of UMG’s global direct-to-consumer growth agenda. It acts as a catalyst for change across UMG’s global businesses, shaping how artists connect with fans and create value through commerce, data, technology and fan engagement.

The team partners with global labels and specialist functions to align senior stakeholders around shared transformation outcomes, define scalable operating models and lead complex D2C initiatives. We identify opportunities to improve how work is organised, how data and insight are applied, and how global capabilities and programs are delivered at pace and at scale.

The Role

We are seeking an accomplished Senior Program Manager to lead and shape UMG’s most strategically important global D2C transformation and growth programs. Working from broadly defined business outcomes, this role will define program objectives, delivery strategy, governance, success measures and the approach required to translate ambition into coordinated, measurable execution across eCommerce, CRM, data, technology and fan engagement.

Operating as a senior individual contributor and subject matter expert, the role will exercise significant autonomy and judgement in a highly complex, matrixed environment. The successful candidate will advise senior leaders, build alignment across global, regional and local teams, and make recommendations that influence priorities, investment, operating models and ways of working.

The successful candidate will bring structure to ambiguity, anticipate strategic risks and dependencies, resolve competing priorities and maintain momentum across interdependent workstreams. They will develop and promote robust program management methodologies, governance standards and reusable frameworks that improve the delivery of D2C transformation across UMG.

Strong relationship-building and influencing skills will be essential. The role requires someone who can challenge constructively, navigate differing contexts and incentives, and translate strategic, technical, commercial and operational complexity into clear recommendations, decisions and outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the end-to-end leadership and delivery of UMG’s highest-priority global D2C transformation and growth programs across eCommerce, CRM and related direct-to-fan initiatives.
• Translate broadly defined strategic outcomes into clear program objectives, roadmaps, operating models, success measures and integrated delivery plans.
• Shape program strategy and provide evidence-based recommendations to senior leaders on priorities, sequencing, investment, resourcing, trade-offs and key decisions.
• Lead complex, interdependent workstreams involving senior stakeholders across central, regional and local teams, creating alignment across differing priorities and market contexts.
• Establish and chair effective program governance, including steering forums, decision-making structures, executive reporting, risk management and escalation routes.
• Act as a trusted adviser to senior stakeholders, using judgement and subject matter expertise to challenge assumptions, resolve ambiguity and move teams towards clear decisions.
• Build strong, trusted relationships across UMG and influence without direct authority, adapting communication and approach to different audiences, functions and regions.
• Develop and promote scalable program management methodologies, governance standards, templates and reusable frameworks that strengthen delivery across global D2C initiatives.
• Distil complex strategic, commercial, technical and operational discussions into clear recommendations, decisions, accountabilities and practical next steps.
• Anticipate and resolve strategic risks, blockers, dependencies and decision points, escalating appropriately while maintaining ownership of progress and resolution.
• Define and track program outcomes, benefits and performance measures, using data and insight to assess progress, inform decisions and demonstrate impact.
• Partner closely with eCommerce, CRM, marketing, technology, operations, data and regional teams to improve operating models, workflows and cross-market ways of working.

Skills and Experience Required

Must Have

• Extensive senior program management experience leading complex, enterprise-scale transformation or growth initiatives, ideally within D2C, eCommerce, CRM or a related digital consumer environment.
• A track record of working from broadly defined outcomes and independently defining program objectives, strategy, governance, delivery approach and success measures.
• Demonstrable expertise in leading global, cross-functional programs involving multiple markets, functions, senior stakeholders and significant organisational complexity.
• Strong strategic and commercial understanding of eCommerce and/or CRM principles, operating models, platforms, workflows and performance drivers.
• Proven ability to influence executive and senior stakeholders, challenge constructively and build alignment where priorities, incentives or perspectives differ.
• Expert knowledge of program governance, integrated planning, risk and dependency management, executive reporting, decision management and benefits realisation.
• Experience developing and embedding program management methodologies, governance standards, reusable frameworks or improved ways of working.
• Strong critical thinking and judgement, with the ability to absorb complex information, identify enterprise-level implications and make clear, evidence-based recommendations.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to produce concise executive summaries, steering materials, decision papers and strategic recommendations.
• Highly proactive and accountable, with a strong track record of maintaining momentum, resolving ambiguity and delivering outcomes in a fast-paced global matrix.
• A genuine passion for music and a strong interest in how artists connect with fans and create value through digital platforms, commerce, content and data.

Nice to Have

• Experience in music, entertainment, media or another fan-focused consumer industry would be an advantage.
• Experience of business transformation, operating-model design, enterprise change or strategic consulting.
• Familiarity with eCommerce, data, workflow, automation or AI tools, including platforms such as Shopify, Looker Studio or similar.

Key Behaviours

• Operates as a senior expert, taking ownership for defining the approach and outcomes rather than waiting for detailed direction.
• Exercises sound independent judgement and remains accountable for decisions, recommendations and delivery.
• Thinks strategically and enterprise-wide, while maintaining sufficient command of technical and operational detail.
• Creates clarity from ambiguity and brings structure, pace and focus to complex or sensitive situations.
• Confidently challenges assumptions and constructively influences senior stakeholders without relying on formal authority.
• Anticipates risks, dependencies and unintended consequences, acting early to protect outcomes.
• Balances pace, rigour and pragmatism, making thoughtful trade-offs where information is incomplete or priorities compete.
• Builds trusted relationships across different functions, markets and cultures, adapting approach while maintaining clear standards.
• Communicates complex ideas with clarity and authority, enabling timely decisions and meaningful action.
• Curious and forward-looking, continually identifying opportunities to improve D2C capability, program delivery and ways of working.
• Embraces diversity of thought and experience, contributing to an inclusive, respectful and high-performing culture.

Additional Supporting Information

This is a senior individual contributor role within a small, high-expectation team, with enterprise-wide visibility and influence across one of UMG’s most important growth areas. The role will be trusted to define the approach to complex global programs, advise senior stakeholders and establish methodologies and ways of working that can be adopted across markets and functions.

If you meet most of the requirements and are excited about this opportunity, we encourage you to apply.

Just So You Know…

The company presents this job description as a guide to the major areas and duties for which the jobholder is accountable. However, the business operates in an environment that demands change and the jobholder's specific responsibilities and activities will vary and develop. Therefore, the job description should be seen as indicative and not as a permanent, definitive, and exhaustive statement.

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