Principal Design Operations Manager

About The Role & Team

On any given day at Disney Entertainment & ESPN Product & 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.

We are looking for a Principal Design Operations Program Manager to join our Product Design team. In this role, you will develop a systematic approach to research, analyze human needs, motivations, and trends, and provide valuable insights to guide near-to-long-term strategic planning. You will report to the Senior Manager of Design Operations and collaborate closely with teams across the organization.

A few reasons why we believe you’d love working here:

• Impact – We are shaping the future of Disney Entertainment. Our design and research drive innovation across our entire portfolio, from ESPN to Marvel and beyond, creating magical experiences for audiences worldwide.

• Collaboration – Our team includes the industry's most talented designers, UX engineers, design operations experts, and leaders, all working together to push the boundaries of creativity and user experience.

• Innovation – We pioneer groundbreaking products and techniques that redefine industry standards, transforming how audiences engage with sports, entertainment, and news.
   

What You Will Do

Our mission in Design Operations is to create the frameworks that support our design organization and partner with the broader business to ensure the success of our team. You will help us define the long-term vision for Design Operations, advocate for our entire Design organization and act as a thought leader educating others on the value of Design and Design operations.

We work closely with finance, HR, recruiting, communications, legal, and beyond to ensure we run our team as efficiently and thoughtfully as possible. This role will focus across all parts of our business but as a near term focus,, will support the development of our talent and performance cycle for our designers, design education programming and recruiting partnerships.

We are looking for candidates who are:

• Experienced in Design Operations Leadership: You are a key operational leader within the team as an IC who has experience scaling solutions for design teams. You share your expertise and work closely with leaders across the organization. You lead efforts that routinely have a positive impact on the broader team and discipline through mentoring, culture, expertise or sharing knowledge.

• Strategic Problem Solvers: You are comfortable leading large-scale, complex initiatives that require a deeper understanding of the people, problems and are clear on outcomes. You are the type to actively seek out feedback on everything you touch and are able to conceptualize, develop, manage and prioritize completely independently.

• Focused on Execution and Impact: You can define and drive strategic programs that prioritize impact and efficiency. You have a proven ability to scale and streamline large workstreams and contribute to best practices to the ops discipline. You execute flawlessly on strategic goals, program management and XFN partnerships. You understand that timing is an important component, not driven by urgency alone.

• Strong Relationship Builders: Sought after as an expert for programs, knowledge and skillset across teams. You maintain broad-reaching relationships well beyond your core area and have a clear understanding of how other teams are operating and develop relationships that are mutually beneficial. You have excellent communication skills and are able to drive recommendations and POV with the utmost clarity and tone.

Required Qualifications & Skills

• Bachelor’s degree in relevant field or equivalent experience is required.

• 10+ years of relevant experience.

• Strong set of case studies showcasing a range of projects demonstrating your operations process, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Have design operations roles in previous positions.

• Possess a broad and comprehensive understanding of product design and background working with executive leadership.

• Identified and implemented program-level strategies, driven cross-team initiatives, and inspired teams to push the boundaries of what’s possible.

• Can communicate complex concepts clearly and persuasively across different audiences and varying levels of the organization.