Design Manager, 6 Months Fixed Term Contract

About the Role & Team

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.

● 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.

What You Will do

This role requires a candidate with exceptional design and organization skills, with proven experience managing a team. They will be an integral member of the Design team within Content Operations, Disney Media & Entertainment & Distribution Technology EMEA and will collaborate with editorial, technical and product stakeholders on Disney brands including National Geographic, Disney, and STAR/FX. They will work on internal design tools and systems, bringing their expertise to improve the UX, visual design and flow of these products. They will be a positive and enthusiastic

partner, bringing fresh ideas and energy to the team. They will have great communication skills and understand the importance of building good relationships with the team of people around them. They will be proactive, disciplined, have great attention to detail, and extremely creative in every aspect of this role.

· To liaise with technical, editorial and product teams to successfully ideate, build, launch and operate digital products and systems.

· To lead, build and execute digital asset creation and delivery workflows, scoping out tasks, managing workloads, and meeting committed deadlines.

· To determine and evolve processes, workflow, scope and timings to optimize operational efficiencies.

· To approve the integrity and quality of all material delivered by third parties and internal suppliers.

· To be a caretaker and evangelist of all brands owned by The Walt Disney Company. Be an authoritative voice on how brand guidelines should be followed and applied to digital products. Develop new guidelines when required and ensure they’re understood by the intended audience.

· To proactively manage and mitigate project changes, contingencies and risks with all stakeholders.

· To manage and mentor junior designers in the team, helping them to develop new competencies and technical skills. Encourage them to work thoughtfully with a positive can-do attitude which will help to grow their confidence and their career.

· Work with a broad range of stakeholders to develop best possible solutions to every project and challenge.

· Liaise with colleagues across EMEA, UK and the US to understand the wider business and where collaborations and efficiencies can be made.

Required Qualifications & Skills

· 5+ years of product design experience
· Strong portfolio showcasing your work and design processes

· Proven experience of managing a team

· Exceptional design skills and expert knowledge of design software including Adobe Creative Suite and Figma

· Demonstrates outstanding creativity in portfolio of work · Solid understanding of front-end development, including HTML & CSS

· Solid knowledge of UI patterns & web standards

· Solid understanding of design methodologies

· Knowledge and experience of working with and developing design systems

· Experience working with and developing design guidelines

· Able to define and apply branding strategies for new digital products, ensuring they apply to all relevant formats

· Passionate about digital accessibility and user-centered design across all platforms

· Experience in digital production and project management

· Knowledge of CMS management

· Able to clearly set and juggle priorities according to business needs

· Works hard to find development opportunities for the team and support them to deliver

· Ability to look at the bigger picture and understand complex structures

· Strong self-starter with high standards and excellent attention to detail

· Excellent written and spoken English and Spanish is essential

Builds relationships & Communicates effectively

· Establishes critical alliances

· Engages colleagues across the organization to optimize performance

· Has a strong collaborative approach to work. Can build good working relationships with colleagues and team members.

· Manages the needs of diverse stakeholders

· Adaptability to cross-cultural communications and diversity in the workplace

· A storyteller at heart

· Excellent interpersonal, communication, organizational, verbal and written skills

Inspires Creativity & Innovation

· Creates an environment that encourages creative thinking

· Challenges the status quo with sensitivity and professionalism

· Demonstrates outstanding creativity in day-to-day problem-solving and approach to all tasks

Project Management Skills

· Agile Methodologies: Understanding of Agile principles and practices, including Scrum and Kanban, and how to implement them using Jira

· Issue Tracking: Expertise in tracking and managing issues, bugs, and tasks within Jira

· Reporting and dashboards: Ability to create and customize Jira dashboards and reports to provide insights into project progress and team performance

· Familiarity with other Atlassian tools like Confluence

Professional Excellence

· Pursues excellence with integrity

· Is positive, professional, tactful and a team-player

The Walt Disney Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We strive to be a diverse workforce that is representative of our audiences, and where all can thrive and belong. Disney is committed to forming a team that includes and respects a variety of voices, identities, backgrounds, experiences and perspectives.

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided the necessary accommodations to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive all benefits of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.