Director, Product Strategy

Reports directly to the Vice President, Product Strategy, Park Operations and Planning, the Director, Product Strategy will lead a team that drives the strategic business approach to achieve incremental revenue and operating income growth by innovating product ideas and franchise integration for Hong Kong Disneyland (“HKDL”).  The incumbent will develop, integrate and deliver multi-Line of Business (“LoBs”) large scale products into the long-term site-wide product strategies.  This is a new role and a key expectation of the incumbent is to establish the operating model and common understanding of HKDL’s products across LoBs such as Merchandise, Entertainment and Food & Beverages (“F&B”).  

This role will work closely with key functional partners from areas including Marketing, Revenue Management & Analytics (“RMA”), Technology & Digital.  The incumbent will determine strategic plans, product concepts, business models, and trends to a variety of audiences.  Familiarity with product development, digital trends / technologies, and experience leading cross-functional teams will drive the success of this role. 

Roles and Responsibilities

Product Strategy

• Work closely with the Commercial, Operations and Technology teams to develop and drive annual and long-term product strategy that span multiple LoBs including innovating new or expanded F&B, Merchandise, Entertainment and Digital Product opportunities for the resort.

• Drives discrete special events products that align with HKDL strategies, meet consumer expectation, drive guest spending, while synergizing and advancing existing program strategies across all of our assets.

Product Development

• Oversee the development process of cross-LoB product from ideation, concept, business case, planning, operationalization, and evaluation.  Work with our commercial partners (RMA, finance, marketing and sales teams) to develop business model and operations plan to optimize business opportunities. 

• Be the subject matter expert of product experiences and strategy of delivery to meet consumer expectation.

• Play an active role in the Long-Range Planning process and hold regular forum to drive product development cycle.

Product Integration

• Ensure the connectivity of all HKDL products across all teams.  Provide a holistic experience to our Guests and ensure alignment with product strategy and business intent.

• Manage resort product, franchise activation, seasonal and special events calendar to align with HKDL business needs and seasonality.

• Guide the production, operationalization and launch of products to meet strategic business intent and business targets.

Event Management

• Lead the event management, planning and execution of all resort-initiated, resort-wide guest facing media events.

• Act as the owner of the execution and management of HKDL mega events.

Digital Guest Experience Integration

• Be the subject matter expert to facilitate a guest-centric view of our digital guest experience.

• Work with all partners to extend HKDL brand positioning in the digital space.

• In conjunction with Technology and Digital team, develop HKDL’s digital commercialization strategy to drive guests spending on site, drive mobile usages and education on special features to enhance guest experience in the Park.

Team Development

• Build and mentor a team of product strategists while building a team culture of inclusion, transparency and collaboration across teams.

• Set expectations with the team, maintain change control, and ensure fulfillment through the product lifecycle.

• Manage large-scale initiatives from conception, through launch, into post-launch analysis/tweaking across the cross-functional teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Business, or equivalent field. 

• Solid and progressive program management, product development, as well as leadership and people management experience.  Proficiency in use of project management and documentation tools will be required. 

• Deep expertise in consumer products, theme parks and / or resorts industries.  Experience with development and management of digital products is a plus.

• Experience in developing a strategy, executing against it and delivering measurable results.

• Strategic and analytical, persuasive and inclusive leader who has a track record of developing and supporting a highly skilled, collaborative and influential team.

• Outstanding leadership and collaboration capabilities within a matrix organization; proven ability to establish relationships, trust and credibility and follow through on decisions.

• Demonstrated ability to lead and drive work across cross-functional teams.

• Demonstrated ability to influence partners and senior leadership with a collaborative and solution-oriented approach.

• Demonstrated strong business acumen working with P&L and annual operating plans with details-oriented mindset, good at managing operational details if needed.

• Skillful and impactful communicator (verbal and written) with ability to deliver presentations to senior executives with poise, confidence and authentic style.  Fluency in English is a must.

• Open-minded team player with proven ability to prepare the organization to anticipate, predict and react to diverse needs of our consumers.

• Proactive problem solver with ability to establish relationships, trust and credibility.  Follow through on decisions and advance critical work in a highly collaborative manner.  Exceptional influencing and partnering skills with ability to integrate diverse and at times opposing points of view to desired resolution.

• Experience with delivery of projects with business impact.

• Manage, tracking, troubleshooting, and problem solving multiple projects simultaneously in a fast paced environment with multi-disciplinary teams.

• Demonstrated ability to make informed project/program tradeoffs.

• Possess unquestioned ethics and integrity.

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