Technical Program Manager II

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. 

Job Summary:

The Business Operations team helps guide and articulate technology strategy and research, and is responsible for driving the day-to-day operation of the Product & Technology organization, including: project and portfolio management and tracking; organization-level capital, space, and resource management and allocation; process management; technical incident management; and our administrative and workplace experience support team.

The Technical Project Manager II role will be an integral part of the Production and Live Operations Program Management team supporting Media Management and Transmission Scheduling capital initiatives. DE&E Tech creates products, platforms, and innovations for The Walt Disney Company by driving the strategic development and use of technology, building scalable systems and products to empower our businesses and engage consumers. With global scale, local presence, and deep technological excellence, DE&E Tech helps The Walt Disney Company optimize technology, platforms, and resources, while bringing creative ideas to life and creating industry-shaping approaches.

This is a full time position within the DE&E Tech Global Program Management Organization. The Project Manager is responsible for managing small through large-scale, complex projects in the Software Engineering area from initiation through closure. These initiatives will involve daily hands-on management of technology activities utilizing Agile and Scrum based software development practices; and may include working with other technical teams to effectively deliver business solutions. This role requires a wide range of competencies, technical (PM) experience and communications skills. Responsible for managing projects using DE&E Tech processes, tools, and methodologies, which includes the development of the scope of work and the management of time, cost, risk, and communications.

Key Responsibilities:

• Leverage experience with Agile and SCRUM methodologies to lead project teams on a daily basis to the successful delivery of software development projects. Plan, coordinate and direct all activities associated with creating and maintaining project plans, communication plans, risks/issues, etc.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to define program scope, functional requirements, team deliverables, dependencies, time frames, and risks for the project or program.
• Estimate, manage and track the program financial forecasts and budgets.
• Lead agile ceremonies, such as daily stand-ups, sprint plannings, backlog refinements, retrospectives, and demos for multiple teams.
• Identify and manage project dependencies and critical path.
• Track and report slippages with workable mitigation plans.
• Build strong relationships across engineering, product and stakeholder teams.
• Coach teams on Agile efficiency, support their self-organization and agile methodology knowledge growth.
• Use data-driven approach, tools and techniques (i.e. Jira native Burndown Charts, Epic Reports, Version Reports) to maintain metrics that provide visibility for the team and use those metrics to identify team needs.
• Communicate delivery times and scope to other software engineering teams that depend on a timely delivery.
• Identify and manage issues and risks and drive decision making.
• Ability to work with minimal direction.

Basic Qualifications:

• 3+ years of experience managing software development projects
• Knowledge of Jira/Confluence supporting agile methodologies
• Hands-on experience with the software development life cycle
• CSM / CSP Certification preferred with thorough understanding of Scrum Agile Methodologies
• Desire to learn and take on additional responsibilities as appropriate
• Proximity to Los Angeles, Houston, New York City or Bristol is a plus
• BA/BS required

The hiring range for this position in New York, NY is $112,000 to $150,100 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.