Sr Product Manager

Disney Entertainment & ESPN Technology

On any given day at Disney Entertainment & ESPN Technology, we’re reimagining ways to create magical viewing experiences for the world’s most beloved stories while also transforming Disney’s media business for the future. Whether that’s evolving our streaming and digital products in new and immersive ways, powering worldwide advertising and distribution to maximize flexibility and efficiency, or delivering Disney’s unmatched entertainment and sports content, every day is a moment to make a difference to partners and to hundreds of millions of people around the world.

A few reasons why we think you’d love working for Disney Entertainment & ESPN Technology

• Building the future of Disney’s media business: DE&E Technologists are designing and building the infrastructure that will power Disney’s media, advertising, and distribution businesses for years to come.
• Reach & Scale: The products and platforms this group builds and operates delight millions of consumers every minute of every day – from Disney+ and Hulu, to ABC News and Entertainment, to ESPN and ESPN+, and much more.
• Innovation: We develop and execute groundbreaking products and techniques that shape industry norms and enhance how audiences experience sports, entertainment & news.

Content Operations is ultimately responsible for successfully delivering Disney’s entertainment and sports content to millions of people every day. This involves developing, operating, and managing a global content supply chain – the myriad of steps involved from taking a finalized TV show/movie, or live piece of content, from inside Disney to audiences around the globe, in their preferred language and format. This team also manages technology operations in Latin America, Europe and Asia Pacific

Ever wonder how the innovative storytelling from the world’s most beloved brands – Star Wars, Marvel, Pixar, ESPN, 20th Century, National Geographics, FX, Freeform, Disney Channels, ABC, and more -- makes it to viewers around the globe and beyond (yes, we also deliver content to the International Space Station)? Come join our growing team that builds global products, platforms and tools that deliver and monetize our company's unmatched collection of content, power our businesses and reflect the company's innovative spirit.

We are the Content Platforms team with a mission to “reimagine the technical ecosystem that empowers The Walt Disney Company to harness its unparalleled storytelling and distribute it around the world.” Content Platforms is part of the Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution (DMED) segment which is responsible for The Walt Disney Company’s direct-to-consumer businesses globally, including the ESPN+ sports streaming service, programmed in conjunction with ESPN; Disney+, the Disney-branded direct-to-consumer streaming service; global advertising sales and ad technology for all of Disney’s media properties, including ABC, ESPN, Freeform, FX Networks, National Geographic and the Disney Channels; Hotstar, the leading over-the-top streaming service in India; and the Company’s majority ownership stake in Hulu.

If you: 

• Enjoy working with teams of talented and passionate people 
• Have excellent communication skills 
• Demonstrate determination in finding solutions to complex puzzles 
• Have the curiosity and interests in how content goes from inception to consumers
• Employ positive thinking and are able to work constructively in a diverse team setting 
• Enjoy transforming business strategy into innovative products & platforms
• Value learning and being exposed to new experiences 
• Love working in a startup culture
• Find Media & Entertainment industry fascinating

then Content Platforms team is the place for you. We are growing and investing in innovative technology to deliver a state-of-the-art content pipeline. Come be a part of the magic that makes The Walt Disney Company one of the “World’s Most Admired Companies”.

Job Summary:

The Content Platforms’ Global Planning and Forecasting Team is looking for a Sr. Product Manager to support the day-to-day activities of the Product Lifecycle. This individual will have the opportunity to be a part of the team defining and launching products in support of the content planning capabilities.

As the Product Manager, you will have the opportunity to dive deep into the business capabilities and learn the Disney processes. Your responsibilities include gathering & prioritizing business requirements and translating that into product specifications. Working in a cross-functional team environment with design, engineering, infrastructure, and QA, you will help reimagine the product for the future business of The Walt Disney Company, with focus in maximizing automation, driving operational improvements, and support the acceleration of our Direct-to-Consumer business.  

Responsibilities and Duties of the Role:

• Collaborate with business partners and cross-functional teams to identify and clearly define business requirements
• Align business partners and cross-functional teams on product vision and strategy
• Exhibit natural and intuitive user empathy
• Can clearly articulate product strategy and manage business partners expectations accordingly
• Make thoughtful, well documented assumptions
• Assist in process alignment and standardization
• Own product management for a distinct Product/Platform
• Support definition of Product Strategy
• Define and align Product Roadmaps, clearly communicating the connection between vision, strategy, objectives, and roadmap
• Own definition of cost/benefit analysis and prepare lean business case
• Derive realistic product targets / KPIs (with help for complex products)
• Active use of product frameworks and tools to document information in a structured way (user journey maps, flow, information architecture, etc.)
• Lead business partner engagements to analyze the value proposition of business requests and provide alternative solutions, as needed to ensure we stay consistently focused on the product strategy
• Manage maintenance and prioritization of product backlog, ensuring transparent, well aligned & justified prioritization within your area of responsibility
• Guide team through selecting, crafting, and validating effective solutions for problems (with help for complex problems)
• Slice solutions to a viable minimum product that effectively solve prioritized requirements
• Key participant of daily scrum meetings, planning, reviews, and retrospectives
• Lead Retrospectives, as needed
• Define User Acceptance Test (UAT) Scripts development
• Own User Acceptance Testing (UAT), working in collaboration with Operations & Change Management
• Coordinate major product releases
• Own system processes, user guides, and training materials on product features where needed
• Collaborate, partner and coordinate with cross-functional teams (engineering, design, QA, and product leadership) to streamline product features and enhance business processes
• Partner with engineering and program managers to implement solutions aligned with the product strategy and Content Platforms strategic objectives
• Mentor junior product managers
• Support any other activities / duties to help achieve business objectives

Required Education, Experience/Skills/Training:

    

 Minimum Qualification

• Bachelor’s degree in technology related fields, such as Information Systems, Computer Science, or similar field
• 5+ year of product management experience, preferably in digital/mobile environment
• Demonstrate strong product understanding and platform familiarity
• Self-starter and can work independently under time constraints and meet deadlines
• Demonstrate strong presentation and ability to clearly communicate goals, status, and issues
• Demonstrate strong technical writing skills
• Demonstrate ability to derive actionable insights or alternative solutions through research
• Demonstrate ability to craft and validate problems
• Efficiently support experimentation execution and analysis, such as proof of concepts
• Demonstrate ability to define Product Roadmaps
• Demonstrate understanding of business modeling and analysis vis structured cost/benefit analysis
• Demonstrate understanding and ability to write and prioritize user stories
• Demonstrate ability to adjust and pivot as business strategy and product priorities shifts
• Experienced in leading and/or facilitating business workshops
• Exhibits a clear understanding of development process, methodologies, and tools
• Can provide informal guidance to junior team members
• Demonstrate in-depth knowledge and experience in product management for Title and Metadata Management
• Exhibits appreciation and experience in incorporating data science and analytics in holistic product solutions
• Experience conducting business partner discussions to define functional requirements, with a progression in complexity
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills – able to distill information accurately and convey it (verbally and/or written) to business partners and internal technology teams
• Demonstrated experience collaborating across functional teams
• Strong sense of ownership and accountability with impeccable follow-through
• Strong prioritization and organization skills with experience juggling time-sensitive requests from multiple business partners
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, dynamic and matrixed organization, executing on several initiatives concurrently while balancing competing priorities

Preferred Qualifications

• MBA or Masters in related technical field preferred
• Exposure or experience with Agile development tools, such as Jira and Confluence
• Prior work experience in Title (IP) and Metadata Management
• Knowledge of or experience in media & entertainment industry
• Enthusiasm and interests in Disney brands
• Understanding of media production workflows, digital video workflows, or consumer-facing video product features
• Expertise in the entertainment industry (having worked in a studio, production company, agency, distributor)
• Experience in metadata, master data and/or supply chain.

The hiring range for this position in Burbank, CA, is $136,100 to $182,400 per year. The base pay actually offered will take into account internal equity and also may vary depending on the candidate’s geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors. A bonus and/or long-term incentive units may be provided as part of the compensation package, in addition to the full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the level and position offered.