Vice President, UTA Advisory Business Operations
United Talent Agency· enterprise· Entertainment· Oct 20, 2026 · 8d ago
New York, NY
In office
Full-time
VP
$180K–$250K est.
Job description
UTA Advisory seeks a Vice President, Business Operations who will build and lead the operating capability that connects commercial demand to workforce capacity, resource deployment, engagement execution and profitability. Serving as the central operating partner to Advisory leadership, this executive will establish the processes, systems and accountability needed to operate as an integrated business and deliver consistently as the portfolio grows.
The role translates booked work and qualified pipeline into actionable staffing and delivery plans, coordinates capabilities across teams, and identifies operational and economic risks before they affect execution. Success requires a commercially minded leader who can connect strategy to daily decisions, influence across functions and turn complex information into clear recommendations.
Performance will be evaluated against an agreed baseline and targets for forecast accuracy, utilization and chargeability, staffing responsiveness, engagement economics, scope and staffing variance, contractor spend, timely risk resolution, workforce approval revalidation and adoption of common operating practices.
This role owns operating integration, capacity visibility, deployment coordination and the evidence supporting staffing recommendations. Business leadership retains client relationships, commercial strategy and delivery quality; Finance retains budgets, financial forecasting, accounting and financial controls; People retains organization design, workforce strategy and talent decisions. Creative leadership retains creative strategy and quality. Final workforce investment approval follows existing company governance.
ABOUT UTA ADVISORY
UTA Advisory drives growth by turning culture, entertainment, sports and marketing into business advantage. The business brings together insight, strategy, creativity, activation and measurement to help consumer and enterprise clients build relevance, revenue and measurable impact through UTA’s talent, creator, partnership and platform ecosystem.
WHAT YOU WILL DO
Integrated Business Operations
· Build and continuously improve the engagement lifecycle from qualified opportunity and scope development through staffing, kickoff, delivery, economic review and closeout; establish clear handoffs, stage gates and escalation paths.
· Connect Advisory capabilities and relevant agency resources around client demand, enabling coordinated delivery and expansion across services in partnership with commercial and account leaders.
· Lead weekly pipeline and resource reviews, delivery reviews, monthly operating reviews and quarterly capacity reviews; ensure decisions have accountable owners and follow through.
Workforce Capacity and Deployment
· Maintain a rolling 90–180-day view of demand, headcount, utilization, chargeability, skills, availability and contractor requirements across Advisory.
· Translate qualified opportunities into resource requirements by capability, level, skill, timing, duration, geography and shared-resource dependency; compare probability-weighted demand with available capacity.
· Coordinate enterprise staffing and resolve resource conflicts using business priorities, delivery risk and economics. Assess redeployment, staffing mix, shared resources, work sequencing and flexible capacity before recommending permanent headcount.
· Lead the operational evidence review for workforce investment requests; partner with Finance and People on affordability and organization design, track time-bound approvals and coordinate 90-day or earlier revalidation when assumptions change.
Commercial Planning and Engagement Economics
· Partner with Enterprise Sales, business leaders and subject-matter experts to validate delivery feasibility, staffing assumptions, timing, shared-resource needs and resource costs before significant proposals or statements of work are finalized.
· Partner with Finance to monitor engagement margin, revenue and margin per head, staffing mix, utilization, resource cost and scope variance; coordinate corrective action with the leaders accountable for the work.
· Identify under-scoping, resource inefficiencies and avoidable external spending; provide staffing scenarios and operational recommendations that support sustainable growth and profitability.
Portfolio Delivery and Shared Capabilities
· Maintain a consolidated portfolio view of active and upcoming engagements, staffing, milestones, dependencies and delivery risks; coordinate Closed-Won handoffs, kickoff readiness, scope-change escalation and closeout.
· Establish intake, prioritization, workflow and deployment practices for Creative and other shared capabilities, balancing competing demand and internal versus external resource use.
· Capture delivery lessons and actual-versus-plan results to improve future scoping, staffing, forecast accuracy and readiness for client expansion.
Systems Business Intelligence and Change Leadership
· Lead the business requirements and adoption of connected Salesforce, Hive and Finance reporting workflows, in partnership with system owners; define resource taxonomy, data standards, project setup and reporting responsibilities.
· Build reliable dashboards linking pipeline, capacity, utilization, engagement economics, headcount, contractor spend and delivery risk; present executive recommendations with clear implications and tradeoffs.
· Validate available system functionality before designing automation, including skills-based resource matching; simplify processes and lead adoption across legacy teams.
· Assess existing resources and capabilities before proposing the function’s team structure; develop and lead the approved team while coordinating dotted-line operating relationships.
Leadership Expectations
· Apply critical thinking and strategic judgment to connect commercial, workforce and delivery signals; anticipate issues and recommend practical solutions.
· Communicate with clarity and executive presence, adapting detail to the audience and making decisions, ownership and next steps explicit.
· Build trust and accountability across teams; navigate competing priorities, invite constructive challenges and resolve disagreements with evidence and sound judgment.
· Coach and motivate team members through clear expectations, timely feedback, meaningful learning and recognition of achievement; delegate responsibility and create opportunities for developing talent.
· Maintain fluency in culture, the marketplace and the agency’s capabilities; help junior colleagues understand how their work connects to client outcomes and business performance.
WHAT YOU WILL NEED
· Substantial progressive experience in business operations, resource management or professional services delivery, including senior leadership responsibility in an agency, consultancy or comparable client-service business.
· Proven ability to build an integrated operating model across teams or business units and lead implementation through influence as well as direct authority.
· Strong command of capacity forecasting, utilization, staffing models, engagement economics and contractor-versus-permanent workforce tradeoffs.
· Experience connecting CRM, resource or project management systems and financial reporting; Salesforce and Hive experience is preferred, with comparable platforms also relevant.
· Demonstrated ability to partner effectively with business leadership, Sales, Finance, People, Legal, Creative and technology teams.
· Excellent analytical, communication, executive presentation and people-development skills; comfort operating through ambiguity and managing sensitive business information.
· Experience in marketing, media, entertainment, sports, creators or culture-driven advisory businesses is preferred.
What You Will Get
- The unique and exciting opportunity to work at one of a leading global entertainment companies
- Access to the tools, leadership, and resources you will need to create and drive a center of excellence
- The opportunity to do the best work of your career
- Work in an inclusive and diverse company culture
- Competitive programs to support your well-being
- Experience working in a collaborative environment with room to grow
About UTA
UTA is a premier global talent agency built for the future of media and entertainment. The agency's diversified platform and best-in-class, client-first approach is innovative, collaborative, and positioned to lead in an evolving market. UTA represents the most celebrated artists, creatives, and brands, from icons and legends to next-generation talent. Its integrated capabilities span film and television, music, comedy, creators, sports, brands, news, publishing, speakers, theater, and more. It is based in Los Angeles with offices in the U.S., London, and Munich.
For more information: unitedtalent.com
UTA and its Affiliated Companies are Equal Employment Opportunity employers and welcome all job seekers.
unitedtalent.com
Application prep
Use the role’s language and application details while tailoring your materials.
- Platform
- ashby
- Effort
- quick
Benefits
Benefits detected in the listing.
Vision