Disney Entertainment and ESPN Product & Technology

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:

1. 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.

2. 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. 

3. Innovation: We develop and implement groundbreaking products and techniques that shape industry norms, and solve complex and distinctive technical problems.

Content Platforms & Operations is responsible for the development and ongoing advancement of the technical and operational functions driving the worldwide distribution and monetization of Disney’s linear networks and theatrical content. This includes Disney’s media supply chain and storage, network and theatrical distribution operations, media localization, network transmission and origination, and more. The global team also plays a critical role as the primary collaboration point for Product & Technology with Disney’s EMEA, APAC, and LATAM regional business teams.

We are the Content Platforms team with a mission to “reimagine the technical ecosystem that empowers The Walt Disney Company to harness its unparalleled storytelling and distribute it around the world.” Content Platforms is part of DEEP&T which is responsible for The Walt Disney Company’s direct-to-consumer businesses globally, including the ESPN+ sports streaming service, programmed in conjunction with ESPN; Disney+, the Disney-branded direct-to-consumer streaming service; global advertising sales and ad technology for all of Disney’s media properties, including ABC, ESPN, Hulu, Freeform, FX Networks, National Geographic and the Disney Channels; and Hotstar, the leading over-the-top streaming service in India.

If you: 

• Enjoy working with teams of talented and passionate people 

• Have excellent communication skills 

• Demonstrate determination in finding solutions to complex puzzles 

• Have the curiosity and interests in how content goes from inception to consumers

• Employ positive thinking and are able to work constructively in a diverse team setting 

• Enjoy transforming business strategy into innovative products & platforms

• Value learning and being exposed to new experiences 

• Love working in a startup culture

• Find Media & Entertainment industry fascinating

then Content Platforms team is the place for you. We are growing and investing in innovative technology to launch a state-of-the-art content pipeline. Come be a part of the magic that makes The Walt Disney Company one of the “World’s Most Admired Companies”. 

Role Overview:

The Content Platforms’ Rights Management Team is looking for a Product Manager to support the day-to-day activities of the Product Lifecycle. This individual will have the opportunity be a part of the team that will define and launch products supporting the distribution of The Walt Disney Company’s amazing content, including: Direct-to-Consumer (Disney+, Hulu, etc.) Content Sales (licensing content to third party distribution partners), Transactional, Syndication, and Airlines. Rights Management is the practice of defining and managing the rights associated with media content, including who can use the content, in what format, where, when, and under what conditions. It ensures legal compliance, protects intellectual property, and enables content monetization across various channels. The Rights Management ecosystem is composed of several interconnected applications and platforms. Our primary Rights Management product is Rightsline and experience with this SaaS solution is preferred. Key product capabilities and concepts that the team supports include, but are not limited, to rights clearances, distribution rights-in and informational restrictions, exclusivity and holdbacks, carves, distribution rights-out, opportunity reporting, and conflict check.

As the Product Manager, you will have the opportunity to dive deep into the business capabilities and learn the Disney processes. Your responsibilities include gathering & prioritizing business requirements and translating that into product specifications. Working in a cross-functional team environment with design, engineering, infrastructure, and QA, you will help reimagine the product for the future business of The Walt Disney Company, with focus in maximizing automation, driving incremental revenue, operational improvements, and supporting the acceleration of our Direct-to-Consumer and Content Sales businesses.

Responsibilities:

Product Strategy & Vision

• Articulate product strategy and gain aligment from business stakeholders and cross-functional technical teams

• Create product roadmaps that clearly link vision, strategy, objectives, and execution.

• Provide end-to-end product management for a specific product or platform within the Rights Management domain.

• Collaborate with business partners to evaluate the value proposition of enhancement requests and propose alternative solutions when necessary, ensuring alignment with the overall product strategy.

Engagement & Collaboration

• Collaborate with business partners and cross-functional teams to identify and clearly define business requirements

• Assist in process alignment and standardization

• Work with engineering and program managers to deliver solutions that support product and Content Platforms' strategy.

• Work closely with cross-functional teams—including engineering, design, quality assurance, and product leadership—to optimize product features and improve business processes.

Product Execution & Delivery

• Manage maintenance and prioritization of product backlog, ensuring transparent, well-aligned, and justified prioritization within your area of responsibility

• Support the team in identifying, developing, and verifying appropriate solutions for issues, including assistance with complex problems when needed.

• Refine solutions into a practical minimum viable product that efficiently addresses the highest-priority requirements.

• Coordinate major product releases

• Participate in daily scrum meetings, planning, reviews, and retrospectives

Product Analysis & Decision-Making

• Make thoughtful, well-documented assumptions

• Own cost/benefit analysis and prepare lean business cases

• Define realistic product targets / KPIs / OKRs

• Leverage product frameworks and tools to document information in a structured way (user journey maps, flow, information architecture, etc.)

User Focus & Experience

• Exhibit natural and intuitive user empathy

• Constantly seek out ways to improve the user experience and streamline business operations

• Own system processes, user guides, and training materials for product features as needed

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience

• 5+ year of product management experience, preferably in digital media supply chain

• Demonstrate strong product understanding and platform familiarity

• Knowledge and experience in product management for content rights and availability

• Knowledge and experience in the first party, third party, and acquired content workflows for direct-to-consumer streaming service

• Self-starter and can work independently under time constraints

• Demonstrate strong presentation skills and ability to clearly communicate goals, status, and issues

• Demonstrate strong technical writing skills

• Demonstrate ability to derive actionable insights or alternative solutions through user research

• Demonstrate ability to craft and validate problems

• Efficiently support experimentation execution and analysis, such as proof of concepts

• Demonstrate ability to define Product Roadmaps

• Demonstrate understanding of business modeling and analysis vis structured cost/benefit analysis

• Demonstrate understanding and ability to write and prioritize user stories

• Demonstrate ability to adjust and pivot as business strategy and product priorities shifts

• Experienced in leading and/or facilitating business workshops

• Exhibits a clear understanding of development process, methodologies, and tools

• Can provide informal guidance to junior team members

• Exhibits appreciation and experience in incorporating data science and analytics in holistic product solutions

Preferred Qualifications

• MBA or Masters in related technical field preferred

• Exposure or experience with Agile development tools, such as Jira, Airtable, Confluence

• Prior work experience in financial/accounting in content exploitation

• Strong understanding of financial systems, processes, and enhancements

• Established expertise in financial operations, financial controls, financial reporting, and financial systems

• Understanding of general ledger, hierarchies, and data structures

• Experience utilizing AI/ML to automate business processes and drive monetization opportunities

• Familiarity with Rightsline

• Familiarity with Workato

• Knowledge of or experience in Media & Entertainment industry

• Enthusiasm and interests in Disney brands

• Understanding of media production workflows, digital video workflows, or consumer-facing video product features

#DISNEYTECH

The hiring range for this position in Glendale, CA is $141,900 to $190,300 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.