Principal Product Designer

Disney Entertainment & ESPN Technology

On any given day at Disney Entertainment & ESPN Technology, we’re reimagining ways to create magical viewing experiences for the world’s most beloved stories while also transforming Disney’s media business for the future. Whether that’s evolving our streaming and digital products in new and immersive ways, powering worldwide advertising and distribution to maximize flexibility and efficiency, or delivering Disney’s unmatched entertainment and sports content, every day is a moment to make a difference to partners and to hundreds of millions of people around the world.

A few reasons why we think you’d love working for Disney Entertainment & ESPN Technology

• Building the future of Disney’s media business: DE&E Technologists are designing and building the infrastructure that will power Disney’s media, advertising, and distribution businesses for years to come.
• Reach & Scale: The products and platforms this group builds and operates delight millions of consumers every minute of every day – from Disney+ and Hulu, to ABC News and Entertainment, to ESPN and ESPN+, and much more.
• Innovation: We develop and execute groundbreaking products and techniques that shape industry norms and enhance how audiences experience sports, entertainment & news.

Summary

The Disney Entertainment & ESPN (DE&E) Technology Design team thinks beyond what is possible today. They discover, disrupt, and chart a course to where our fans and consumers will be next. Design brings the Disney magic to life by building digital customer experiences via the entire portfolio of both consumer-facing products and internal products and tooling. This includes Sports, Entertainment, News, Streaming and Enterprise Products and Experiences.

As a seasoned design leader, the Principal Product Designer will play a pivotal role in influencing the strategic direction of Disney+ through exceptional design acumen and organizational impact. The purpose of this role is to lead and elevate the design organization, driving the development of innovative and user-centric products while setting industry standards.

The Principal Product Designer will contribute significantly to the company's design culture, innovation, and long-term business success. This role requires a blend of strategic thinking, design expertise, leadership skills, and a commitment to fostering a positive and inclusive design culture.

Design Leadership and Fundamentals:

● Drive organizational progress as a trusted influencer among Design, Product, and Tech leadership.

● Set industry standards in interface design, constantly raising the bar and contributing to tools and techniques.

Content Strategy Expertise:

● Demonstrate expertise in guiding projects on design and product strategy.

● Drive competitive analysis, problem definition, and articulation of the product vision.

Delivery Leadership:

● Lead a large domain, fostering meaningful relationships across functions and codifying best practices.

● Orchestrate shipping strategy for complex projects, ensuring efficiency in design workflows.

Interaction Design Mastery:

● Inspire and elevate designers in interaction design and prototype use.

● Contribute to design systems with technical, business, and interaction design leadership.

Presentation and Advocacy:

● Expertly present to large audiences, focusing on platform design, cross-brand systems thinking, and brand expression.

● Advocate for design as a discipline and represent "capital D" Design as a strategic function.

Research and Strategy Impact:

● Utilize qualitative and quantitative research to affect company strategy.

● Guide landscape analysis, hypothesis development, and user testing, fostering a culture of inquiry.

Team Culture and Inclusivity:

● Build and document value-driven behaviors, promoting a healthy,value-driven culture.

● Collaborate inclusively, stewarding complex collaborative events and fostering cross-functional culture initiatives.

Communication Clarity:

● Deliver clarity in complex project descriptions, design critiques, and documentation.

● Keep teams informed, seek feedback, deliver bad news with empathy, and mentor communicators for effective communication.

Advocacy and Vision Definition:

● Advocate for the betterment of design practice and represent Design as a strategic function.

● Play a central role in defining and communicating the vision for the entire product experience.

Basic Qualifications

● 10+ years of focused practice in product design or a related field.

● Proven experience as a design leader with a track record of driving organizational progress.

● Expertise in design fundamentals, content strategy, and interaction design.

● Strong leadership skills with a focus on delivery, collaboration, and inclusivity.

● Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to advocate for design at various levels.

● Mastery in research, strategy impact, and fostering a culture of inquiry.

● Visionary thinking with the ability to define and communicate a cohesive vision for the product experience.

Preferred Qualifications

● Proven experience in a senior design leadership role, influencing product strategy and driving organizational impact.

Required Education  

● Bachelor’s degree in Design, HCI, or experience in a related field.

The hiring range for this position in Santa Monica, CA is $167,700.00 - $224,900.00 per year and in New York, NY is $175,800 - $235,700 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.