Director, Operating Participants - Business Development

About the Role and Team:  

The Operating Participant team is a highly visible real estate leasing and management organization charged with assessing long-term retail, dining, and entertainment growth strategies, expansion opportunities, and reinvestment decisions that drive new and existing partnerships across Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resorts.

The Director, Business Development is responsible for developing long‑range tenanting strategy, identifying and capitalizing on emerging industry, consumer, and financial trends, and structuring complex, value‑added partnership agreements across domestic portfolios. They will serve as a strategic thought partner to senior executives to shape the evolution of retail, restaurant, and mixed-use experiences across our properties. This role requires exceptional judgment, executive presence, and the ability to balance creative vision with rigorous commercial and financial evaluation.

What You Will Do:

• Provide strategic direction, direct leadership and personal mentoring for a team of highly talented individuals, including senior managers and operating participant managers
• Lead the development and execution of multi‑year operating participant strategies, aligning tenant mix, partnership models, and capital deployment with broader Disney Experiences segment objectives
• Serve as a strategic advisor to executive leadership, providing insight into market dynamics, portfolio performance, growth opportunities, and risk considerations
• Anticipate and translate macro‑economic, consumer behavior, and experiential retail trends into actionable partnership strategies and leasing approaches
• Guide strategic decision‑making related to redevelopment, selective reinvestment, expansion, and acquisition opportunities across operating participant assets
• Maintain deep expertise in retail, food & beverage, entertainment, and mixed‑use trends, including emerging concepts, evolving guest expectations, and new experiential formats.
• Leverage internal and external data to evaluate portfolio performance, tenant health, and long‑term relevance of existing and prospective partners
• Commission and interpret market, submarket, and competitive analyses to inform tenant strategy, pricing, and positioning decisions
• Lead financial underwriting and valuation for new deals, redevelopments, and renewals, including revenue projections, ROI analysis, sensitivity modeling, and risk assessment
• Structure and negotiate complex partnership agreements, including rent models, percentage rent structures, capital contributions, incentives, term structures, and performance provisions.
• Partner closely with Finance, Legal, Construction, and Account Management to ensure financial, operational, and contractual alignment throughout deal lifecycle.
• Collaborate across project conception, design, permitting, construction, and opening to ensure commercial intent is preserved through execution
• Work in close partnership with Operating Participant Account Management on short‑ and long‑term planning for new and existing agreements, including performance optimization and reinvestment strategies

Basic Qualifications:

• 10+ years of progressive experience in business development, real estate, strategy, or consulting, with a strong preference for high‑profile retail, restaurant, entertainment, and/or mixed‑use environments
• Demonstrated ability to set and lead long‑range business strategies, translating market, consumer, and financial insights into actionable partnership and portfolio decisions.
• Proven expertise in financial underwriting, valuation, and deal structuring, including ROI analysis, sensitivity modeling, risk assessment, and negotiation of complex commercial terms
• Extensive experience structuring and negotiating major partnership agreements, with comfort navigating complex legal, financial, and operational considerations
• Executive presence with a demonstrated ability to influence senior leaders, align cross‑functional partners, and drive decisions in a matrixed organization.
• Strong industry perspective and intellectual curiosity; recognized as a student of retail, food & beverage, and experiential trends, with a point of view on where the industry is headed
• Proven track record of leading, mentoring, and developing high‑performing teams, fostering collaboration, inclusion, and accountability
• Exceptional verbal, written, and presentation skills, with the ability to clearly communicate complex strategies and financial concepts to diverse audiences
• Domestic travel required

Education:

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience

License:

Current Broker or Real Estate License Preferred

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