Who We Are
IMG is a leading global sports marketing agency, specializing in media rights management and sales, multi-channel content production and distribution, brand partnerships, strategic consulting, digital services, and events management. It powers growth of revenues, fanbases and IP for more than 200 federations, associations, events, and teams, including the National Football League, English Premier League, International Olympic Committee, National Hockey League, Major League Soccer, ATP and WTA Tours, the AELTC (Wimbledon), Euroleague Basketball, CONMEBOL, DP World Tour, and The R&A, as well as UFC, WWE, and PBR. IMG is a subsidiary of TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO), a premium sports and entertainment company. TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO) is a premium sports and entertainment company. TKO owns iconic properties including UFC, the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization; WWE, the global leader in sports entertainment; and PBR, the world’s premier bull riding organization. Together, these properties reach 1 billion households across 210 countries and territories and organize more than 500 live events year-round, attracting more than three million fans. TKO also services and partners with major sports rights holders through IMG, an industry-leading global sports marketing agency; and On Location, a global leader in premium experiential hospitality.
The Director, People Business Partner serves as a senior advisor to the TKO Global Partnerships and IMG organizations, aligning people strategy with business objectives across multiple regions. This role partners closely with executive and senior leadership to drive organizational effectiveness, talent strategy, and culture transformation at scale.
The position focuses on enabling business performance through leadership coaching, organizational design, workforce planning, and employee engagement. The ideal candidate brings strong commercial acumen, a global perspective, the ability to influence at the highest levels of the organization, and an interest in how emerging technologies such as AI are shaping the future of work.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Business Partnership
- Partner with global business leaders to shape and execute people strategies that drive business outcomes
- Act as a trusted advisor to senior executives on organizational effectiveness, talent management, leadership capability, and team performance
- Translate business priorities into actionable HR initiatives across regions
Organizational Effectiveness & Design
- Lead organizational design and restructuring initiatives to support growth and transformation
- Drive workforce planning aligned with long-term business strategies
- Identify opportunities to enhance agility, scalability, and collaboration across teams
Leadership & Talent Development
- Coach and develop senior leaders to strengthen leadership effectiveness and team performance
- Partner on succession planning and critical talent identification for key roles
- Support development of diverse leadership pipelines globally
Culture & Employee Experience
- Shape and reinforce a high-performance, inclusive, and values-driven culture
- Lead employee engagement strategies and interpret insights from surveys and data
- Champion diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives across geographies
Change & Transformation
- Lead and support change initiatives, including transformation programs and cultural shifts
- Provide change leadership and guidance to ensure successful adoption across regions
- Assess organizational readiness and mitigate risks associated with change
Employee Relations
- Advise on complex, high-impact employee relations matters
- Partner with regional HR teams to ensure consistent, fair, and compliant practices globally
- Support risk mitigation through proactive leadership guidance
Global Collaboration
- Partner with Centers of Excellence (e.g., Recruitment, Learning, Total Rewards) to deliver integrated solutions
- Ensure global alignment while adapting approaches to regional and cultural contexts
- Act as a connector across geographies to share best practices and drive consistency
Qualifications
Required
- Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business, or related field
- 8+ years of HR experience, with significant time as an HR Business Partner in a global organization
- Proven experience supporting senior/executive leaders in complex, matrixed environments
- Strong experience in organizational design and change management
- Demonstrated ability to influence business strategy through people insights
Preferred
- Experience supporting global functions or business units across multiple regions
- HR certification (e.g., SHRM-SCP, SPHR, or equivalent)
- Background in fast-paced, high-growth, or transforming organizations
- Demonstrated interest in emerging technologies (e.g., AI) and their impact on the future of work
Key Competencies
- Strong business and financial acumen
- Executive presence and influencing skills
- Systems thinking and problem-solving
- Cross-cultural agility and global mindset
- High emotional intelligence and coaching capability
- Curiosity and learning agility, particularly regarding technology and innovation
- Data-informed decision-making
