Senior Product Manager - Accounting/Finance

Technology is at the heart of Disney’s past, present, and future. Disney Entertainment and ESPN Product & Technology is a global organization of engineers, product developers, designers, technologists, data scientists, and more – all working to build and advance the technological backbone for Disney’s media business globally.

The team marries technology with creativity to build world-class products, enhance storytelling, and drive velocity, innovation, and scalability for our businesses. We are Storytellers and Innovators. Creators and Builders. Entertainers and Engineers. We work with every part of The Walt Disney Company’s media portfolio to advance the technological foundation and consumer media touch points serving millions of people around the world. 

Here are a few reasons why we think you’d love working here:

• Building the future of Disney’s media: Our Technologists are designing and building the products and platforms that will power our media, advertising, and distribution businesses for years to come.
• Reach, Scale & Impact: More than ever, Disney’s technology and products serve as a signature doorway for fans' connections with the company’s brands and stories. Disney+. Hulu. ESPN. ABC. ABC News…and many more. These products and brands – and the unmatched stories, storytellers, and events they carry – matter to millions of people globally. 
• Innovation: We develop and implement groundbreaking products and techniques that shape industry norms, and solve complex and distinctive technical problems.

Content Platforms & Operations is responsible for the development and ongoing advancement of the technical and operational functions driving the worldwide distribution and monetization of Disney’s linear networks and theatrical content. This includes Disney’s media supply chain and storage, network and theatrical distribution operations, media localization, network transmission and origination, and more. The global team also plays a critical role as the primary collaboration point for Product & Technology with Disney’s EMEA, APAC, and LATAM regional business teams.

Job Summary:

The Content Platforms’ Content Monetization 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 be a part of the team that will define and launch products in support of the monetization of The Walt Disney Company’s amazing content, including: Direct-to-Consumer (Disney+, Hulu, etc.) and Content Sales (licensing content to distribution partners). This area includes, but is not limited to, the products that enable billing & invoicing, talent payments, revenue recognition, content amortization, recording sub-ledger, and posting to the general ledger SAP.

As the Sr 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 supporting the acceleration of our Direct-to-Consumer business.  

Responsibilities:

• Contribute to the product roadmap for the Content Sales and Content Cost Accounting domain supporting continuous improvements for the front-of-house Accounting systems and integrations.
• Provide input to the product roadmap and anticipate cost savings, efficiency gains, and risk reduction impacts as well as other desirable product outcomes.
• Assist in quantifying project value and estimating development work.
• Collaborate with business partners and cross-functional teams to identify and clearly define business requirements.
• Oversee and contribute to the delivery of product enhancements from requirements definition to final QA and release.
• Collaborate with technical teams on delivering product enhancements and prioritizing defect fixes.
• Create and maintain documentation for technical configurations and solutions.
• Maintain regulatory compliance including but not limited to SOX standards and audits.
• Ensure product enhancements are successfully implemented and utilized by the business.
• Identify measurable product outcomes and evaluate product success based on the targeted objectives.
• Understand how the feature capabilities technically work – both front-end and back-end -- and articulate these capabilities to cross-functional technical and business users.
• Support feature launches with go-to-market plans, user acceptance testing, and regular communications to project stakeholders.
• Prepare summaries of work for all levels of leadership that will include written and presentation deck formats.
• Educate and align business partners and cross-functional teams on product vision and strategy.
• Drive process alignment and standardization.
• Manage maintenance and prioritization of product backlog, ensuring transparent, well aligned & justified prioritization within your area of responsibility.
• Key participant of daily scrum meetings, planning, reviews, and retrospectives.

Basic Qualifications:

• Minimum 5 years of product management experience, preferably in Media & Entrainment
• In-depth knowledge and experience in product management for financial/accounting capabilities
• Expertise in financial operations, financial controls, financial reporting, and financial systems
• Understanding of general ledger, hierarchies, and data structures
• Strong product understanding and platform familiarity
• Self-starter who can work independently under time constraints and meet deadlines
• Strong presentation and ability to clearly communicate goals, status, and issues
• Strong technical writing skills
• Ability to define Product Roadmaps
• Understanding of business modeling and analysis in relation to structured cost/benefit analysis
• Understanding and ability to write and prioritize user stories
• 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 the development process, methodologies, and tools
• Bachelor’s degree in technology related fields, such as Information Systems, Computer Science, or similar field or equivalent experience

Preferred Qualifications:

• Accounting qualification
• Experience in supporting financial quarterly close
• Experience with systems interfacing with ERPs such as SAP
• MBA or Masters in related technical field preferred
• Experience with SOX compliant applications
• Exposure or experience with Agile development tools, such as Jira and Confluence
• Enthusiasm and interests in Disney brands

The hiring range for this position in Glendale, CA is $138,900 - $186,200 per year based on a 40-hour work week. The amount of hours scheduled per week may vary based on business needs. 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.