Principal AI-ML Product Manager

The Disney Decision Science + Integration (DDSI) is a consulting team that supports clients across The Walt Disney Company, including Disney Experiences (Parks & Resorts worldwide, Cruise Line, Consumer Products, etc.), Disney Entertainment (ABC, The Walt Disney Studios, Disney Theatrical, Disney Streaming Services, etc.), ESPN, and Corporate Finance. Key partners to the DDSI organization include Marketing, Finance, Business Development, Research, and Operations. We develop, analyze, and execute strategies and improve the value proposition for our Guests, Cast Members, and Shareholders. The team leverages technology, data analytics, optimization, statistical and econometric modeling to explore opportunities, shape business decisions and drive business value. 

We are seeking a Principal AI/ML Product Manager to fill a role that combines strategic product definition with operational excellence. Supporting DDSI’s broader AI strategy, you will be responsible for translating the high-level vision into an actionable product definitions at a holistic level, from individual product strategy to specific features and design decisions.  This role will work hand in hand with our technical DevOps, MLOps, and AI-Ops teams. A key part of your mandate is to own the "HOW" of our product management practice—defining the methods, tools, and processes we use. You will be a hands-on leader in aligning technical capabilities with business use cases, ensuring that what we build is valuable, scalable, and delivered with rigor.

Responsibilities:

• Define and Own the Product Management Framework: Establish and own the operational playbook for the DDSI AI Ecosystem product management, including selecting and managing tools, creating templates for ideation, scoping, and requirements, and standardizing best practices.

• Translate Strategy into Action: In collaboration across DDSI, translate the high-level AI Ecosystem strategy into a detailed technical solution and feature definitions building product specific strategies to achieve business value and to support engineering team execution.

• Drive Problem-Solution Fit Documentation: Lead the creation and standardization of key product artifacts, most critically the technical problem-solution fit documentation, ensuring clarity and precision in what we are building and why.

• Lead Cross-Functional Alignment: Drive the process of ensuring tight alignment across DDSI AI platform strategy and AI solution strategy.  This includes owning solution design patterns at scale across DDSI, ensuring DDSI can go from concept to solution with modular, scalable, solution designs.

• Support the Product Development Lifecycle: Act as a key product partner to the DevOps team throughout the development lifecycle, clarifying requirements, providing context, and ensuring the final deliverables align with the strategic intent.

Basic Qualifications:

• 10 years of experience in product management, technical program management, or a related field within a technology-driven organization.

• Demonstrated experience establishing product management processes, frameworks, or operating in a Product Operations (Product Ops) capacity.

• Proven ability to translate high-level business or product strategy into detailed technical requirements and actionable sub component workstreams for engineering teams.

• Exceptional collaboration and communication skills, with a track record of driving alignment in a complex, matrixed environment.

• Strong technical acumen, with the ability to lead discussions on solution architecture, DevOps, and platform capabilities with technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in a role focused on strategic planning, methodology, or a Center of Excellence.

• Product management experience for AI/ML, MLOps, or large-scale developer-focused platforms.

• Deep familiarity with Agile development methodologies and DevOps principles.

• Experience working directly with enterprise architects to define solution blueprints.

• Familiarity with cloud platforms (AWS preferred) and services-oriented architecture.

• Familiarity with Disney business domain knowledge.

Education

Required Education:

• Bachelor’s degree and/or equivalent work experience

Preferred Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in Statistics, Mathematics, Engineering, Economics, Data Mining, Analytics, Computer Science, Finance, or other quantitative field, or equivalent experience.
• Master's Degree or equivalent experience