Talent Manager (Adventures & Expeditions)

For nearly two decades, Adventures by Disney has been a leading travel brand, offering over 40 guided-group adventures across land, river, and expedition cruises. Disney-trained Adventure Guides ensure hassle-free vacations with masterful storytelling, in-depth knowledge, and attention to detail, fostering lasting connections with each destination. The heart of every Adventures by Disney vacation lies in the authenticity, immersion in cultures, insider access, and curated activities.

Building on a legacy of over 135 years, National Geographic Explorers have ventured across continents, remote cultures, ocean depths, and towering mountains. National Geographic Expeditions extends this legacy, allowing travelers to embrace their inner explorer and witness the wonders of the world up close and in depth. With Signature Land, Expedition Cruise, River Cruise, or Private Jet options, National Geographic Expeditions provides unparalleled access to the world with knowledgeable Experts. Additionally, every trip booked supports the global nonprofit National Geographic Society, contributing to the work of National Geographic Explorers worldwide in protecting and illuminating our world through exploration, research, and education.

The Talent Manager supporting Adventures & Expeditions (A&E) is responsible for scouting, casting, and working with Disney and National Geographic explorers, executives, experts, Imagineers, photographers, and filmmakers, located throughout the world.  Responsibilities include prospecting for and cultivating relationships with on-trip talent, scheduling on-trip talent, working on lecture programming, briefing them for their trip and following up after their trip, handing various aspects of the administration needed for our talent function and talent marketing.

You should have a thorough understanding of the responsibilities listed above, have the desire to partner and consult with other lines of business, and maintain quality and standards set forth by the Company.  You will also work closely with key partners in Contingent Workforce Management, Trip Development, Operations, Marketing, Nat Geo Partners across Disney and the NG Explorer Engagement Team at National Geographic Society.

The Talent Manager will report to the Senior Manager, Business Integration, Talent and Strategy and sits in Celebration, FL.

What You Will Do/Responsibilities:

• Talent Prospecting and Relationship Management

  • Prospect high-quality talent whose area of expertise aligns to enrich the guest experience on Land, River Cruise, Expedition Cruise, and Private Jet travel experiences, as well as ad-hoc requests for ambassadors and guest speakers.  Participate in interviews or meet & greets as needed.   

  • Develop a strong relationship with talent including regular check-ins, keeping them up to date on A&E developments and inviting them to in person connections with our team.

• Talent Scheduling, Pre-Trip Briefing and Post-Trip Follow-Up

  • Assign talent to Land, River Cruise, Expedition Cruise, and Private Jet travel experiences. Prepare talent for their role. 

  • Communicate with talent pre-trip to set expectations, ensure the relevance of the talent’s lectures/talks to the travel experience, and ensure that talent have what they need to be successful. Follow-up with talent after their travel experience to hear any feedback.

• Talent Administration

  • Keep talent information for NGE current on spreadsheets and databases to track talent assignments, geographies, and skills.  Manage portal for talent with up-to-date information on NG Society and NG Partners’ activities and priorities, talent responsibilities and trip-specific expectations.  Initiate talent background checks and statements of work (contracts).

• Talent Marketing

  • Act as subject matter expert or consultant whenever Marketing and Public Relations needs input on talent-related marketing assets such as catalogs, expert biographies, and email templates.  Keep talent listings current on the website including acquiring media (including field photos, interviews, and videos) from talent who are willing to contribute these to NGE.

You Will Have/Required Qualifications:

• 2+ years of talent development or operations experience.

• Experience accessing and booking talent across different industries.

• Wanderlust for travel and knowledge of the hospitality industry.

• Ability to identify issues and problem solve without supervision. Ability to work on assigned projects independently. Experience as a self-starter who can work in a fast-paced, ever-changing environment with a variety of partners.

• Ability to address conflict and provide feedback professionally. Attention to detail and accuracy is critical. 

• Demonstrated excellent written and verbal communication. Communicate information in a clear and simple manner to people around the world whose first language may not be English.

• The ability to navigate a large corporate structure and associated processes. Demonstrated experience with coordinating complex logistics as well as strong implementation skills.

• Motivate and mentor a diverse workforce.

• Proven planning and project management skills. The ability to handle multiple, high-priority projects, meet deadlines and produce deliverables in a timely manner is essential. Experience managing budgets preferred.

• Experience maintaining an open and positive perspective that reflects confident professionalism and an unconditional dedication to providing consistently superior products and services.

• Experience managing and interacting with individuals, vendors and clients in remote locations.

• Experience working in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, common internet browsers and MAC OS.

• Must be flexible and willing to travel on short notice – scope and frequency will vary.

Preferred Qualifications:

• 2+ years’ experience working in the Travel industry (domestic and intl). Knowledge of Travel Industry Talent preferred.

• Familiar with hiring Talent including Talent contracts and background checks.

• Processes a background using databases and training platforms.

• Familiarity with Adventures by Disney and National Geographic Expeditions products and business model

Required Education:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience.

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.