Lead Product Designer

Technology is at the heart of Disney’s past, present, and future. Disney Entertainment and ESPN Product & Technology is a global organization of engineers, product developers, designers, technologists, data scientists, and more – all working to build and advance the technological backbone for Disney’s media business globally.

The team marries technology with creativity to build world-class products, enhance storytelling, and drive velocity, innovation, and scalability for our businesses. We are Storytellers and Innovators. Creators and Builders. Entertainers and Engineers. We work with every part of The Walt Disney Company’s media portfolio to advance the technological foundation and consumer media touch points serving millions of people around the world. 

Here are a few reasons why we think you’d love working here:

• Building the future of Disney’s media: Our Technologists are designing and building the products and platforms that will power our media, advertising, and distribution businesses for years to come.
• Reach, Scale & Impact: More than ever, Disney’s technology and products serve as a signature doorway for fans' connections with the company’s brands and stories. Disney+. Hulu. ESPN. ABC. ABC News…and many more. These products and brands – and the unmatched stories, storytellers, and events they carry – matter to millions of people globally. 
• Innovation: We develop and implement groundbreaking products and techniques that shape industry norms, and solve complex and distinctive technical problems.

Design is centrally responsible for the design supporting all consumer-facing and business products and tooling for the Disney Entertainment & ESPN portfolio, including sports, entertainment, enterprise, UX, creative services and design research.

About the Role

Disney’s technology organization is growing our team of passionate product designers on a mission to entertain, inform and inspire people around the globe through the power of unparalleled storytelling. As the group that develops Disney Plus, Hulu, ESPN+, and dozens of other Disney apps and enterprise products, we are builders with a relentless dedication to adding a little magic to people’s lives – whether they are streaming a Pixar movie or using the tools that power our business.

We are seeking an exceptional Lead Product Designer to fill a leadership IC role in our Ad Platforms team. As a key member of a growing design team driving high-priority initiatives, this person will have a unique opportunity to shape the future of Disney’s thriving streaming business. In addition to driving your own projects, you will work closely with cross-functional partners to define the roadmap, mentor other designers and uplevel the team’s design work. If you are passionate about shipping high-utility flows that are also high-craft, bringing simplicity to complex processes, leveraging AI for efficiency, and seeing your work have a direct impact on the bottom line, we’d love to hear from you.

This person will play a key part in shaping the strategy, design vision, and product capabilities in our evolving and growing advertising platform. Key initial areas of focus include campaign planning and creation, audience targeting and optimization, and growth of our self-service tooling functionality. In addition to shipping high-caliber work, we are equally committed to a design culture that is inspiring, collaborative, and fun – and this person will have leadership opportunities to improve how we work.

Key Responsibilities

Lead Product Designers at Disney are resourceful problem solvers and IC leaders who collaborate with engineering, product management, and stakeholder leadership throughout the design process – in service of shipping impactful work. In this role, you will work independently to drive complex projects, identify new opportunities for impact, and ship work that sets the standard for the organization.

Specifically, the person in this role will be expected to:

• Take the lead and deliver projects of broad and/or ambiguous scope.
• Play a role in setting goals and direction for the team, while building influential partnerships with cross functional peers.
• Solve foggy design problems, leveraging expert product thinking, interaction design, craft and prototyping – while introducing new patterns and standards when needed.
• Succinctly and effectively communicate their work, and represent their product team to executive leadership or in cross functional forums.
• Actively mentor junior designers, strengthen culture, and participate in design-team-wide initiatives like recruiting, process improvement, standards development.

Qualifications

As an applicant to this role, we ask that your portfolio demonstrates:

• 7+ years of relevant industry experience.
• Experience shipping high-utility mobile or desktop applications, simplifying complex user flows, or delivering new product innovation that disrupted conventions.
• Standout product thinking, interaction design, and craft skills.
• Deep understanding of user-centered design principles and best practices.
• Self-motivated problem solving with the ability to lead complex projects independently.
• Ability to communicate complex concepts clearly and persuasively, and to collaborate effectively with sr leaders and stakeholders.
• Hunger for innovation, fluidity with ideas, eagerness to challenge the status quo.
• Strong interest in and aptitude for leveraging data to inform design, and learning new technologies.
• Strong work ethic, are a self-starter, adaptable, and inspire those around you.
• Motivated to design solutions that solve business problems and deliver impact.
• Expert knowledge of Figma and/or other design tools.
• BA/BS or equivalent experience required.

The hiring range for this position in Glendale, CA is $138,900 to $186,200 per year, in New York, NY is $145,400 to $195,000 per year, and in San Francisco, CA is $152,100 to $203,900 per year. 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.