Sr. Product Manager II - Santa Monica, CA, USA

Job Posting Title:

Sr. Product Manager II

Req ID:

10092550

Job Description:

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.

As a member of the Product Management team, you will have the opportunity to dive deep into the business capabilities and learn the processes behind how Disney's top tier content is planned to how it is delivered to consumers and everything in between. Your responsibilities include gathering & prioritizing business requirements and translating that into product specifications. Working in a cross-functional team environment with design, engineering, infrastructure, QA, and other product managers, you will help reimagine the product for the future business of The Walt Disney Company, with focus on maximizing automation, driving operational improvements, and supporting the acceleration of our content businesses.  

Job Summary:

The Content Platforms’ Content Monetization Team is looking for a Sr. Product Manager II 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 Product Manager, you will have the opportunity to dive deep into the business capabilities and learn the Disney processes. As a lead on the team, you will deliver strategic technical solutions by gathering & prioritizing business requirements and translating that into product specifications and innovative solutions. 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:

• Own product management for a distinct Product/Platform in Content Sales and Content Costs accounting domain
• Support definition of Product Strategy in Content Sales & Content Costs accounting core capabilities (i.e. linear & performance/subscriber base deals, billing schedule, invoicing, payments, revenue recognition, amortization, recording sub-ledger, posting to the general ledger SAP, and business intelligence/reporting)
• Influences the product strategy/roadmap and communicates to business partners and senior leadership around initiatives
• 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
• Elicit, analyze, document, and organize platform requirements into a clear, concise, and actionable product backlog that delivers prioritized incremental business value throughout its lifecycle.
• Partner and coordinate with peer Product Managers, Architecture, Engineering, QA, and Program Management to deliver strategic technical solutions.
• Support User Acceptance Testing, defining and executing product release strategies with end users, technology leads, and fellow product managers.
• Solve complex problems, taking a broad perspective to identify innovative solutions.
• Exhibit natural and intuitive user empathy
• Make thoughtful, well documented assumptions
• Assist in process alignment and standardization
• 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

Required Education, Experience/Skills/Training:

    

 Minimum Qualification

• Bachelor’s degree required, preferably in technology related fields, such as Information Systems, Computer Science, or similar field
• 7+ years 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
• Experienced in communicating and translating product features across all functional areas (Design, Engineering, Marketing, QA, Change Management, and Project Management)
• 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 financial/accounting capabilities
• Exhibits appreciation and experience in incorporating data science and analytics in holistic product solutions
• Strong understanding of financial systems, processes, and enhancements
• Established expertise in financial operations, financial controls, financial reporting, and financial systems
• Understanding of general ledger, hierarchies, and data structures

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
• Prior work experience in financial/accounting in content exploitation
• 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

The hiring range for this position in Santa Monica, CA is $149,300 to $200,200 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.

Job Posting Segment:

Disney Entertainment & ESPN Technology

Job Posting Primary Business:

Content Operations

Primary Job Posting Category:

Product Management

Employment Type:

Full time

Primary City, State, Region, Postal Code:

Santa Monica, CA, USA

Alternate City, State, Region, Postal Code:

Date Posted:

2024-06-10