Senior Technical Program Manager

Disney Entertainment & ESPN Product and Technology

On any given day at Disney Entertainment & ESPN Product & Technology (DEEP&T), 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.

• Building the future of Disney’s media business: DEEP&T 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.

Business Operations is responsible for global program and project management, capital and portfolio management, resource prioritization, tracking and communication of performance, administrative services, Annual Operating Plan & LRP Planning, Space Management, and other key functions critical to the operation of DEEP&T division. This position is part of the Global Program Management team which leads the execution of DEEP&T Technology programs, including scope, delivery schedules and budgets in addition to identifying dependencies, managing risks and quantifying business impact. This role collaborates with Identity Product, Program, and Engineering to understand and rationalize strategic roadmaps while providing easy to understand, transparent reporting to leadership during delivery.

Within the Business Operations organization, the Senior Technical Program Manager is responsible for running small through large-scale, complex technology programs in the Identity area from initiation through closure. These initiatives will involve daily hands-on management of technology activities applying Agile and Scrum based software development practices.

As a Senior Technical Program Manager, you’ll be responsible for partnering with Program and Engineering managers who deliver The Walt Disney Company’s world class Identity experience. You’ll also function as an interface between Product and other Engineering teams, participating in technical deliverable coordination, alignment, road mapping, and the overall seamless launch of best-in-class consumer applications. 

• You’ll build strong relationships with your engineering, product, and program team partners and promote synergy and transparent communication among them

• You’ll display initiative and take a proactive approach at finding ways to remove barriers to move a program forward

• You can stay focused under pressure, prioritizing multiple work streams in a deadline driven environment

• You are proactive in seeking and implementing improvements in our processes

• You have excellent verbal and written skills and the ability to communicate to all levels of leadership

This role requires a wide range of leadership competencies, technical (PM) experience, and communication skills and is responsible for leading programs using DEEP&T processes, tools and methodologies, which includes the development of the scope of work and the management of time, cost, risk, and communications.

What You Will Do:

• Accountable for leading planning, implementation, and launch of multiple technical product or software development programs from start to finish.

• Works with program partners to define scope and objectives and effectively communicate requirements to engineering teams.

• Identifies and aligns solution paths for competing requirements or priorities, while managing stakeholder preferences.

• Understands technical architecture and platform services and applies knowledge to program deliverable sequencing, dependency management, and risk mitigation.

• Facilitates technical meetings and decision making alongside your engineering and product partners, leading outcomes and following up on action items.

• Identifies program risks; analyzes and communicates prioritized mitigation plans to partners; anticipates problems and roadblocks before they occur.

• Communicates status, updates, and program summaries via presentations, e-mail and direct communication with key collaborators and leadership, explaining technical issues with precision and accuracy.

• Responsible for developing team dynamics, morale and motivation while building a culture where all members and points of view are respected.

What You Will Bring:

Basic Qualifications

• Minimum of 5+ years of technical program management experience working directly with an Engineering organization, leading large cross-discipline programs.

• 3+ years of hands-on experience with Agile/Scrum methodologies developing software applications, playing the role of scrum lead.

• Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field and/or equivalent work experience

• Experience working with product and design and other stakeholders to understand requirements, prioritize initiatives, and engage with engineering teams to drive deliverables forward.

• Extensive knowledge and experience with the software development lifecycle.

• Technical literacy to be able to facilitate technical discussions and absorb technical documentation.

Preferred Qualifications

• CSM / CSPO Certification or similar

Experience with:

• Streaming media software and digital technology

• Identity services and capabilities

• Implementing both Agile and Waterfall software development methodologies

• Tools such as Jira, Airtable, Teams, Miro, Google suite, and Confluence

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