Manager, Strategic Insights

The Walt Disney Company; Burbank (CA); On-site; USD 116,000 - 155,000; Full time

Job summary

Disney Cruise Line - The Walt Disney Company in Burbank is seeking a Manager, Strategic Insights to lead cross-functional research that informs growth across Studio, Parks, Retail, and SVOD/DTC. The role emphasizes synthesis of consumer data, guiding flagship tracking and ad hoc studies to shape strategic initiatives.

This hybrid position requires collaborating with strategy teams and executive leadership to deliver actionable insights across global markets.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in a related field.
• Ability to lead and influence through data-driven storytelling.
• Experience integrating insights from multiple data sources.
• Strong analytical and quantitative skills.
• Experience with survey data and behavioral/financial data alignment.
• Excellent project management and organizational skills.
• Experience in global/US markets and cross-functional settings.

Responsibilities

• Drive the primary study on understanding customers across categories, domestically and internationally.
• Lead custom insights/research projects supporting high-profile strategic initiatives.
• Work with insights and finance to track entertainment behavior and performance across sectors.
• Conduct analyses to answer key exec questions and translate insights into models and brand strategies.
• Guide two direct reports and mentor other junior team members.

Skills

Data-driven storytelling

Analytical skills

Cross-functional collaboration

Excel/Sheets

PowerPoint/Keynote

Project management

Global market experience

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

Excel

Sheets

PowerPoint/Keynote

Job description

Manager, Strategic Insights

The Manager, Strategic Insights reports to the Director, Strategic Insights. The Strategic Insights team is a part of the broader Enterprise Research & Analytics team and focuses on insights/analytics based on consumer behaviors/spending to identify growth opportunities that span multiple segments of the company, domestically and internationally.

This person will play a key role in critical research including flagship global tracking and ad hoc studies leveraged across lines of business to fuel growth. This involves working closely with strategy teams and all parts of the business (Studio, Parks, Retail, SVOD/DTC, etc.) to conceive, design and deliver insights that guide both short and long-term strategic initiatives.

Integration and interpretation of data, mining and synthesis, and compelling communication skills are critical to the success of this role in working with partners and solving business challenges. You will need to handle multiple assignments at once, across varied lines of business, and across global markets.

This is a hybrid role located in Burbank. Currently in-office days are Monday – Thursday but are subject to change if the needs of the business change.

Responsibilities

• Play a key role in driving the primary study in the company that focuses on understanding our customers across all categories of entertainment – domestically and internationally. As part of this, identifying ways to evolve the study to service changing business needs and capture relevant changing consumer behaviors.
• Leading custom insights/research projects that support some of the highest profile strategic initiatives in the company.
• Working with other insights and finance teams to track changes in entertainment behavior and track Disney performance across key sectors.
• Conduct analyses to answer key business questions from Executive Leadership and ensure consumer insights are effectively used and integrated into modeling/scenario planning and brand strategies
• Guide the work of two direct reports and influence or mentor other junior members of the team.

Basic Qualifications

• 5+ years of relevant experience in a related field (e.g. strategic consulting, market research, business analytics, strategic planning, new product development, etc.)
• Demonstrated ability to influence others via data-driven story telling and collaboration
• Ability to interpret and integrate insights from multiple data sources into a cohesive narrative
• Strong analytical skills
• Experience calibrating survey data to actual behavioral/financial data
• Exceptional project management skills – highly organized and planful with a strong sense of personal accountability/ownership
• Extensive experience in quantitative, qualitative research and statistical techniques, both in the US and globally
• Demonstrated expertise in use of Excel (can maintain complex spreadsheets) or Sheets and presentation software such as PowerPoint or Keynote
• Ability to partner and work well with multiple levels of the organization globally and navigate prioritization
• Strong attention to detail while keeping business goals in mind
• Driven, innovative and resilient in the face of ambiguity
• Comfortable sharing a point of view and advocating for consumers with executives in the room

Required Education

• Minimum of a bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience – relevant areas include Behavioral Economics, Psychology, Sociology, Cultural Anthropology, Business Economics, Financial Planning, Data Science, Cognitive Science, Neuropsychology, etc.

The hiring range for this position in Burbank, CA is $115,500 - $154,800 per year. The base payactually 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.