Senior Manager, Menu Planning & Development

About the Role & Team

Walt Disney Imagineering is the creative force that imagines, designs, and brings to life all Disney theme parks, resorts, attractions, and cruise ships worldwide. Working across a spectrum of disciplines that range from creative and conceptual to scientific and technical, Imagineers blend an innovative mixture of storytelling, art, science, and technology to create immersive experiences, memorable destinations, and innovative entertainment for families around the globe.

Nearly every project at Walt Disney Imagineering includes a first-of-its-kind. Innovation is in our DNA, and Imagineers constantly push the boundaries of technology and invent new goals as well as the solutions to achieve them. As Imagineers, one of our greatest rewards is knowing that the experiences and environments we create inspire others. The diversity of expertise at Imagineering makes us uniquely capable of influencing positive changes in our communities and around the world. And knowing that we have helped make a difference is incredibly fulfilling and inspiring for all of us.

The Senior Manager, Menu Planning & Development will lead the evolution of the WDI “product” view of global experience strategy—translating business priorities, consumer needs, and creative ambition into a forward-looking menu plan that defines what Disney builds next. This role is focused on new experience strategy, operating at the intersection of strategic analysis, creative vision, and innovation. This role will help to define the future of Disney experiences and advancing value attribution through a partnership with WDI R&D, Live Entertainment, and other segment stakeholders.

You will report to the Menu Planning Executive.

This is a full-time role.

What You Will Do:

• Develop menu plan strategies that connect business objectives, audience insights, and experience solutions, influencing new concepts and formats.

• Define scalable experience typologies aligned to consumer needs, capacity opportunities, and portfolio strategy, while evolving the menu as a framework to guide long-term investment.

• Identify and test new experience formats through hypothesis-driven pilots with a path from single-site validation to global scalability, while prioritizing scalability, modularity, and cost-efficiency.

• Translate complex inputs into decision frameworks aimed at evolving into a more holistic value framework that incorporates guest experience, design performance, ops productivity, and financial return.

• Develop concepts for new formats and experience categories that enable continuous guest engagement across digital and physical environments.

• Partner across WDI to integrate emerging technologies and storytelling capabilities into scalable experience formats, while leveraging Disney’s unique IP, creative, and technical capabilities.

• Drive transformative Menu opportunities and strategies that can throttle based on demand and capacity models.

• Analyze new formats aimed at key consumer growth audiences, including a range of products from traditional and non-traditional experience models.

• Lead strategic initiatives that inform DX leadership decisions and global portfolio priorities

• Align with cross-functional partners (Operations, Finance, Commercial, Global Business Development) to drive enterprise-level outcomes and connect insights and opportunities to scale globally.

• Measure and recommend the potential impact and performance of new development while summarizing multiple sophisticated inputs into clear strategies and clear paths for decisions.

• Provide analytical guidance on menu programming scope and new experience opportunities to site portfolio leadership to guide decision making.

Required Qualifications & Skills:

• 7+ years of experience in strategic planning, portfolio/program management, or new experience development

• Demonstrated ability to lead complex, cross-functional initiatives in a global or matrixed environment

• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills

• Proven ability to balance creative ambition with operational and financial considerations

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with experience design, themed entertainment, digital platforms, or innovation-driven environments

• Familiarity with integrating emerging technologies or new business models into guest-facing experiences

• Understanding of the WDI creative development process and Disney Parks organization

Required Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in business, Strategy, Finance, or related field

Preferred Education:

• Master of Business Administration or equivalent graduate degree

Additional Information: 

Benefits and Perks: Disney offers a rewards package to help you live your best life. This includes health and savings benefits, educational opportunities and special extras that only Disney can provide. Learn more about our benefits and perks at https://jobs.disneycareers.com/benefits.   

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The hiring range for this position in Glendale, CA is $139,200 to $186,600 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.