Director, Contract Administration

Kobalt Music Publishing is hiring a Director, Contract Administration to lead our global Contract Administration team. This role requires strong leadership, people management, and communication skills, as well as a strategic mindset to drive process improvements and scalability.

Reporting to the VP, Core Administration Services, you will oversee the end-to-end onboarding, ensuring contracts and works are accurately ingested—whether through manual entry or large data set formats such as CWR v2.2, CWR v2.1, catalogue shipment, CIF, and .csv. You will also play a key role in workload management, capacity tracking, and optimizing team resources, providing critical insights to leadership and cross-functional stakeholders.

The successful candidate is a proactive and adaptable leader with experience managing high-performing teams through change with evolving priorities. You are a natural communicator, a problem solver, and a strategic thinker who thrives in fast-paced environments. You are comfortable with technical challenges, have a deep understanding of music publishing operations, and are excited about evolving processes to improve efficiency and support business growth.

WHAT DOES A DIRECTOR, CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION AT KOBALT DO?

• You oversee Kobalt’s Contract Administration function and act as the leader for all Contract Administration employees globally.

You oversee several business-critical functions related to the onboarding and general administration of Kobalt’s publishing client contracts, including but not limited to:

• Managing contract and work ingestion at both the manual and large data set levels, including CWR v2.2, CWR v2.1, catalogue shipment, CIF, and .csv formats.
• Overseeing the successful administration of contractual obligations related to song delivery and release commitments, ensuring compliance with contractual milestones for advances, options, and extensions.
• Working cross-functionally with members of Kobalt’s Business Affairs, Copyright, and Royalty departments to ensure the successful administration of Kobalt’s contracts.
• Overseeing the strategy for large onboardings, determining the best approach for ingesting large catalogs into the system, and ensuring resources are aligned to support this process.
• Building and maintaining a system to track team capacity and workload management in partnership with department leadership, providing weekly updates on team capacity to leadership and key cross-functional stakeholders.
• Defining and setting clear expectations for team members across Assistant, Coordinator, Assistant Manager, and Manager roles.
• Identifying and addressing workflow bottlenecks by working cross-functionally to improve processes and enhance efficiency.
• Providing expert guidance to internal teams regarding catalog registrations, royalties, statements, and general administrative matters for client accounts (including with senior members of Kobalt’s management team).
• Fielding questions and supplying information relating to client accounts and internal operations to other departments within the business.
• Leading working groups to drive discussions around innovative solutions to complex departmental challenges, implementing new strategies to improve efficiencies and scalability.

WHAT SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE ARE WE LOOKING FOR?

• 10+ years of relevant experience, including at least 5+ years in leadership roles within contract administration, rights management, or music publishing operations.
• An expert end-to-end understanding of music publishing, key contractual terminology, and the rights flow of copyright chain of title, licenses, and royalties.
• Strong people leadership skills, with experience leading and developing high-performing teams.
• Proven management experience, including successfully leading teams through change and adapting processes to align with business goals.
• A natural communicator and adaptable team player with strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build and maintain long-lasting relationships with clients, colleagues, and senior management stakeholders.
• Detail-driven and highly organized, with an analytical mindset and strong numerical skills.
• Ability to work independently in a fast-paced environment, adapting to changing priorities while maintaining professionalism and poise.
• Experience with database query software such as Athena or SQL Developer.

If this sounds like you, then please share your story by filling out the application below. To get you in the right mood, have a listen here to songs by our talented creators, especially curated to get you in the right mood when looking for the next challenge! 

WHY CHOOSE US?

At Kobalt we’ve prioritized creators since we first started in 2000. Our music services and the technology we’ve built helps make the industry more fair and rewarding for artists. 

We’re trusted by some of the world’s biggest names like Doja Cat, Kali Uchis, Phoebe Bridgers and Sam Fender and songwriters such as Simon Aldred (Rag N Bone Man, Liam Gallagher, Celeste) and Clarence Coffee Jr. (Dua Lipa, Lizzo, The Snuts). 

We thrive on creativity and are committed to championing diversity. We’re dedicated to inclusiveness and provide all the resources and benefits you need to grow your career and reach your potential. We offer competitive compensation packages, professional development opportunities, and an entrepreneurial culture that makes working here not just fun, but also rewarding.

IMPORTANT NOTICE

Applicants must be eligible to work in the United States. A full DBS check on acceptance of offer. Kobalt is an equal opportunity employer encouraging diversity in the workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or any other status or characteristic protected by law.