Sr Mgr-Product Design

The Walt Disney Company; Glendale (CA); On-site; USD 141,000 - 189,000; Full time

Job summary

The Walt Disney Company in California seeks a Senior Manager, Product Design to lead the Ornaments and Collectibles category across Disney brands, translating strategy into inspiring product direction and developing design talent.

You will guide a multidisciplinary team from concept through development, collaborate with stakeholders, and ensure storytelling, color, materials, and feasibility meet guest expectations. Travel may be required.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of product design and development experience, including leading products, projects, teams, or people.
• Experience leading hardlines categories, incl. toys, dolls, plush, souvenirs, ornaments, and collectibles.
• Advanced design leadership and knowledge of product development, manufacturing, and execution across teams.
• Leadership to guide a team, categories, resources, and execution through complexity and change.
• Ability to influence stakeholders and solve complex creative and operational challenges.

Responsibilities

• Lead Product Design across the team and categories from concept to production.
• Oversee development to ensure high-quality execution meeting timing and cost targets.
• Create guest-focused products and assortments with design deliverables and assets.
• Translate consumer, market, and trend insights into category and team direction.
• Drive innovation across the team and categories.
• Ensure storytelling, character execution, color, materials, form, function, quality, and feasibility.

Skills

Product design leadership

Hardlines experience

Team leadership

Stakeholder influence

Portfolio presentation

Education

Bachelor's degree in design

Job description

Job Requirements

At Disney Experiences , we bring the magic of Disney stories and franchises to life through theme parks, resorts, cruise ships, unique vacation experiences, products, and more around the world. Within Disney Experiences, the Parks Product Development & Retail division’s Hardlines Merchandising & Product Design team creates guest-focused products and experiences across toys, dolls, plush, souvenirs, ornaments, collectibles, and other product categories found worldwide through Disney Parks and Resorts, Disney Store, and flexible business models.

About the Role

The Senior Manager, Product Design is responsible for leading talented designers and guiding the Ornaments and Collectibles categories across Disney brands. This role transforms category strategy into inspiring product direction, develops people and creative capability, and partners with stakeholders to bring compelling, innovative, guest-focused products from concept through development and execution.

What You’ll Do

Product Design, Development & Innovation

• Lead Product Design across the team and assigned categories while executing product designs from concept through production.
• Oversee product development and lead the team to deliver consistent, high-quality execution that meets timing and cost targets.
• Guide the team in creating guest-focused products and assortments while also producing design deliverables, including concepts, presentations, specifications, and development assets.
• Translate consumer, market, and trend insights into category and team direction.
• Drive and inspire innovation across the team and assigned categories.
• Ensure products deliver excellence in storytelling, character execution, color, materials, form, function, quality, feasibility, and value.

People, Priorities & Operations

• Develop team capability through coaching, feedback, performance management, and development planning.
• Establish team and category priorities and hold the team accountable for commitments.
• Manage team operations, budgets, resources, calendars, and schedules to enable consistent execution.
• Allocate internal and external resources, balance workloads, and address dependencies across assigned categories.
• Improve workflows, reduce friction, and strengthen team and category effectiveness.

Collaboration & Future Readiness

• Align the team, categories, and cross-functional stakeholders while navigating competing priorities.
• Influence decisions, solve complex creative and operational challenges, and remove barriers to progress.
• Integrate AI-enabled and advanced digital technologies into team workflows to improve execution and effectiveness.
• Create clarity through change and maintain momentum toward shared goals.

What You’ll Bring

• 8+ years of product design and development experience, including experience leading products, projects, teams, or people.
• Experience leading hardlines categories, including toys, dolls, plush, souvenirs, ornaments, and collectibles, and translating strategy into team and product outcomes.
• Advanced design leadership and deep knowledge of product development, manufacturing, and execution across teams and categories.
• People leadership and the ability to guide a team, categories, resources, and execution through complexity and change.
• Ability to influence stakeholders and solve complex creative and operational challenges.
• Strong written, verbal, presentation, and interpersonal communication skills, with the ability to create clarity and alignment across teams and stakeholders.
• Curiosity, adaptability, and the ability to integrate AI-enabled and advanced digital technologies into evolving team workflows.
• A portfolio demonstrating design leadership, creative range, storytelling, and product problem solving.
• A Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Design, Product Design, Toy Design, Graphic Design, Fashion Design, Illustration, Fine Arts, Digital Arts, or a related design field.
• Ability to travel domestically and internationally.

Disclaimer

PAY TRANSPARENCY

The hiring range for this position in California is $ $141,300.00-$189,400.00. 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.

This position is with Disney Global Product Dev & Creative, which is part of a business we call Disney Consumer Products.

Disney Global Product Dev & Creative is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or protected veteran status. Disney champions a business environment where ideas and decisions from all people help us grow, innovate, create the best stories and be relevant in a constantly evolving world.

DISABILITY ACCOMMODATION FOR EMPLOYMENT APPLICATIONS

The Walt Disney Company and its Affiliated Companies are Equal Employment Opportunity employers and welcome all job seekers including individuals with disabilities and veterans with disabilities. If you have a disability and believe you need a reasonable accommodation in order to search for a job opening or apply for a position, visit the Disney candidate disability accommodations FAQs (https://support.disneycareers.com/hc/en-us/sections/32131060143380-Candidate-Disability-Accommodations-FAQs) . We will only respond to those requests that are related to the accessibility of the online application system due to a disability.

Having technical issues? View the FAQs for help. (https://support.disneycareers.com/hc/en-us)

The Walt Disney Company and its Affiliated Companies are Equal Employment Opportunity employers and welcome all job seekers including individuals with disabilities and veterans with disabilities. If you have a disability and believe you need a reasonable accommodation in order to search for a job opening or apply for a position, email [e-mail] with your request. This email address is not for general employment inquiries or correspondence. We will only respond to those requests that are related to the accessibility of the online application system due to a disability.