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: 

1.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. 

2.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.  

3.Innovation: We develop and implement groundbreaking products and techniques that shape industry norms, and solve complex and distinctive technical problems. 

Design is centrally responsible for the design supporting all consumer-facing and business products and tooling for the Disney Entertainment & ESPN portfolio, including sports, entertainment, enterprise, UX, creative services and design research. 

About the Role

Disney’s technology organization is growing our team of passionate product designers on a mission to entertain, inform and inspire people around the globe through the power of unparalleled storytelling. As the group that develops Disney Plus, Hulu, ESPN+, and dozens of other Disney apps and enterprise products, we are builders with a relentless dedication to adding a little magic to people’s lives – whether they are streaming a Pixar movie or using the tools that power our business.

We are seeking an exceptional Product Design Manager to fill a leadership role in our Ad Platforms team. As a key member of a growing design team driving high-priority initiatives, this person will have a unique opportunity to shape the future of Disney’s thriving streaming business. In addition to supporting a team of product designers, you will work closely with cross-functional partners to shape strategy, define the roadmap, and uplevel UX. If you are passionate about building high-performing design teams, shipping high-utility flows that are also high-craft, leveraging AI to power more efficient tooling, and seeing your team’s work have a direct impact on the bottom line, we’d love to hear from you. 

This person will play a key part in shaping, leading and supporting the design team that is evolving and growing Disney’s advertising platform. Key initial areas of focus include campaign planning and creation, audience targeting and optimization, and growth of our self-service tooling functionality. In addition to building world-class teams and shipping high-caliber work, we are equally committed to a design culture that is inspiring, collaborative, and fun – and this person will have opportunities to improve how we work. 

Key Responsibilities

Product Design Managers at Disney are resourceful leaders and skilled operators who build high-impact design teams via coaching, mentorship, inspiration, and partnership. They proactively shape their team of direct reports, put them in position to succeed and grow, and institute operations to keep things running smoothly. They develop strong partnerships with cross-functional partners, providing strategic product direction and exerting influence in defining goals for their product area – in service of impact.   

Specifically, the person in this role will be expected to:

• Support and inspire a design team to successfully deliver projects of broad and/or ambiguous scope, and execute design work if needed.
• Help build a world-class design culture, hold a high bar for design quality, leverage AI tools to uplevel their team’s output and impact.  
• Play a role in setting goals and direction for the team, while building influential partnerships with cross-functional peers.
• Succinctly and effectively communicate their team’s work, and represent their team to executive leadership or in cross-functional forums.
• Actively mentor designers, strengthen culture, and independently drive initiatives like recruiting, process improvement, standards development.

Qualifications

As an applicant to this role, we ask that your portfolio demonstrates:

• 3+ years experience building or leading high-caliber teams of full-time designers
• 8+ years of product design experience
• Bachelor’s Degree required
• Ability to cultivate a positive, impact-focused environment for outstanding designers, and continually raise the bar for quality and innovation
• Clearly articulate your team's design decisions to internal partners
• Demonstrated experience and expertise in high-level product design strategy
• Ability to communicate complex concepts clearly and persuasively, and to collaborate effectively with Sr leaders and stakeholders 
• Strong interest in and aptitude for leveraging data to inform design, learning new technologies, and leveraging AI for design
• Motivated to empower a team to create design solutions that solve business problems and deliver impact
• Hunger for innovation, fluidity with ideas, eagerness to challenge the status quo
• Deep understanding of user-centered design principles and best practices
• Proven leadership and mentorship competencies
• Add to an inclusive design culture and attract world-class talent
• Enjoy and are energized by mentoring others as well as helping others achieve their potential
• Self-motivated, with the ability to lead teams operating in complex areas independently
• Strong work ethic, are a self-starter, adaptable, and inspire those around you
• Fantastic communicator

Compensation

The hiring range for this position in San Francisco, CA is $170,500 to $228,600 per year and in New York, NY is $163,100 to $208,700 and in Los Angeles, CA is $155,700 to $208,700 . 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.