Manager, Product Design (Disney +)

Disney; Auburn (AL); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Disney’s Disney+ Product Design team is seeking a Product Design Manager to lead an award-winning group focused on crafting human-centered experiences that influence discovery and browsing of content across Disney+. You will shape design strategy, guide end-to-end development, and mentor designers to elevate craft, processes, and collaboration with product, engineering, and research teams.

You will own the vision for your group, align with business goals, and foster an inclusive design culture

Qualifications

• 3+ years experience building or leading teams of full-time designers.
• 7+ years of product design experience.
• Experience working within streaming content, browsing and discoverability in some capacity.
• Ability to cultivate a positive 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.
• A strong understanding of user-centered design principles and design thinking practices.
• Proven leadership and mentorship competencies.
• Add to an inclusive design culture and attract world-class talent.
• You enjoy and are energized by mentoring others as well as helping others achieve their potential.
• The ability to adapt department plans and priorities and drive business and viewer needs.
• You’re a fantastic communicator.

Responsibilities

• Set team values and manage individuals at different stages of development.
• Develop, codify, and evangelize best practices – primarily focusing on design excellence, team growth, and stakeholder management.
• Own the vision for your group, and its relationship with the department and business goals.
• Provide clarity when it’s needed, help your ICs work more effectively and encourage them to implement the most desirable design solution.
• Guide your team to develop processes for ensuring a high bar of quality.
• Set the strategy and vision for your area of ownership, offer a strong product and design voice with your cross-functional partners.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with product management, engineering, research, and data to ensure a smooth product development process.
• Recruit new designers and actively participate in the hiring process.
• Evangelize a culture of design thinking, continuous learning and constructive critique

Skills

Team leadership

Product design

Streaming content experience

Mentorship

Communication

Design strategy

User-centered design

Cross-functional collaboration

Hiring/recruiting

Job description

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.

What You’ll Love About Working Here

• 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.

Summary

Disney+ Product Design team is seeking a Product Design Manager who will be an outstanding addition to our team. You’ll lead an award‑winning design team, focused on crafting human‑centric experiences for the Disney+ that impact the discovery and browsing of content on our product. As a design leader, you will be encouraged to use your full range of product, interaction, systems, and design experience to raise the craft of the team and guide them through the end‑to‑end development cycle. As a Product Design Manager, you are expected to steer the organization on strategy across multiple areas of the product and align with business goals. You develop, document and open‑source best practice – primarily focusing on design excellence, team building, team growth, and stakeholder management. You will own the vision for a small group and understand the impact on individual growth, department growth, and the company goals. The right person for this role must have experience in developing data‑informed holistic strategies and future‑thinking experiences. You are also energized by mentoring and helping others achieve their potential. You inspire, empower and develop people. You will lead individuals and are accountable for their performance and results. You adapt to business plans and priorities to address user needs.

What You’ll Bring

• 3+ years experience building or leading teams of full‑time designers
• 7+ years of product design experience
• Experience working within streaming content, browsing and discoverability in some capacity
• Ability to cultivate a positive 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
• A strong understanding of user‑centered design principles and design thinking practices
• Proven leadership and mentorship competencies
• Add to an inclusive design culture and attract world‑class talent
• You enjoy and are energized by mentoring others as well as helping others achieve their potential
• The ability to adapt department plans and priorities and drive business and viewer needs
• You’re a fantastic communicator

What You’ll Do

• Set team values and manage individuals at different stages of development. This requires setting clear goals, managing project loads and allocating designers accordingly, ensuring deadlines are met, and setting up team members for overall success
• Develop, codify, and evangelize best practices – primarily focusing on design excellence, team growth, and stakeholder management
• Own the vision for your group, and its relationship with the department and business goals
• Provide clarity when it’s needed, help your ICs work more effectively and encourage them to implement the most desirable design solution
• Guide your team to develop processes for ensuring a high bar of quality
• Set the strategy and vision for your area of ownership, offer a strong product and design voice with your cross‑functional partners
• Collaborate cross‑functionally with product management, engineering, research, and data to ensure a smooth product development process
• Recruit new designers and actively participate in the hiring process
• Evangelize a culture of design thinking, continuous learning and constructive critique