Disney Parks & Resorts Digital (DPRD) is the digital media arm of The Walt Disney Company’s Parks and Resorts segment. Through our award-winning digital experiences, we provide magical connections and enhancements to travel destinations such as the Walt Disney World® Resort in Florida, the Disneyland® Resort in California, the Shanghai Disney Resort, and Hong Kong Disneyland Resort. At DPRD, we also design and create Digital Experiences for Disney Cruise Line, Adventures by Disney and Disney Vacation Club.
The Disney Parks and Resorts Digital team has responsibility for the end-to-end, digital-plus-physical Guest experience for all digital-led initiatives globally, across the Attractions & Entertainment, Food & Beverage, Resorts & Transportation and Merchandise lines of business. The team is responsible for concept development, defining and executing these initiatives in collaboration with Operations Integration, Site Operations, Technology, Consumer Insights, Walt Disney Imagineering, Finance and Human Resources. Additionally, the team also builds all digital experiences to grow e-Commerce (both consumer direct and digital travel trade) for Marketing & Sales globally.
Digital-led initiatives are those where the digital capability, whether powered through PC, tablet, mobile, wearables, Magic Band, virtual assistants, or even a Guest’s personal technology, are the key driver of end-to-end digital-plus-physical experience for both our Guests and Cast. As our physical and digital worlds continue to converge, the team will work with Site Leadership, Ops Integration, Technology and Walt Disney Imagineering to prioritize these digital-led initiatives that take best advantage of digital tools and technologies and create the greatest impact on the overall Guest experience.
Responsibilities:
This position will be part of theInnovation in Production (IIP) program, where we identify and evaluate emerging innovations from startups/venture capital firms/technology companies that could compliment & rapidly accelerate our Digital Guest and e-Commerce Experiences.
The Innovation Manager rolecalls for a high degree of dexterity in working with a wide range of different stakeholders across functional areas and digital products. The ideal candidate will have a passion for innovation, an understanding of digital product solutions and writing requirements for them, experience partnering and negotiating with companies ranging from startups to Fortune 50, and ability to multi-task across a wide range of projects. The position will require occasional domestic and/or international travel.A successful candidate will be highly analytical, able to work extremely effectively in a matrix organization, and adept at synthesizing a variety of technologies and capabilities into high quality, simple products and applications that guests love.
Innovation Manager Scope:
- Create requirements documentation, conduct industry research, build financial models where applicable, and conduct general coordination of building out the product for guest-facing tests
- Work with development teams to ensure they have a deep understanding of the product objectives and priority, and helping the teams translate the product concepts into user stories, epics and other appropriate product deliverables (e.g., project briefs, scope/requirement documents, Guest prioritized needs, etc.)
- Partner with key stakeholders (pricing, revenue management, marketing, sales, operations, etc.) to build and manage scope expectations as well as across other product lines/destinations/brands within DPRD to ensure a seamless Guest experience across touch points
Basic Qualifications:
- 4+ years experience working in the mobile app, data science, or conversation platform industry
- Champion the digital experience, advocating on the guest’s behalf, and working diligently to create a first-class experience for Disney guests
- Proven analytical and quantitative skills; ability to use hard data and metrics to back up assumptions and develop project business cases
- Proven ability to collaborate with and achieve actionable results through others, plus the ability to build strong and sustainable relationships, and the capability to interact within all levels of the organization
- Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, with an ability to communicate and influence decision making with all levels in the organization (business, executive, technical)
- Demonstrated passion for innovation and emerging digital technologies
- Demonstrated ability to learn quickly in order to understand our rapidly evolving product, business, IP and guest needs
- Demonstrated ability to drive innovation
- Experience evaluating technology solutions for fit and viability against use cases as well as evaluating the companies for viability
- Financial acumen including but not limited to make vs buy and basic NPV/IRR driven by revenue increases and cost reductions.
- Ability to influence people over whom you do not have direct authority
- Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to very effectively present a compelling vision and story at an executive level within and outside of Disney
- Ability to communicate and rally teams and individuals around a vision
- Ability to build relationships and collaborate with a wide range of stakeholders from different backgrounds and functions
- Excellent collaboration, negotiation and interpersonal skills
- Ability to package, pitch and sell innovative thinking
- Able to co-create and empower others.
- Ability to think strategically and drive ideas into action, with a positive outlook
- Ability to travel domestically and internationally from time to time
Preferred Qualifications:
- VC or startup/entrepreneurial experience in selecting, supporting and building startups is a plus
Required Education
- Bachelor’s degree required
Preferred Education
- MBA strongly preferred
If interested, please apply here.
