Senior Product Design and Development Manager

Job ID 10101223 Location London, United Kingdom Business Disney Experiences Date posted Oct. 01, 2024

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"There are so many opportunities to grow and learn within Disney! There is never a dull moment at work."

Diana, Principal Counsel

Job Summary:

About the Role & Team

Set and lead the product design direction for relevant areas of responsibility, ensuring output meets overarching product strategy and commercial goals.

This role will require you to be onsite 4 days a week.

What You Will Do

Lead, run, and develop team, ensuring consistent, appropriate direction and feedback is given to grow and develop each individual
Encouraging the team to be globally aware of current product trends that can be interpreted through a Disney lens
Work closely with the softlines, operations, creative, commercial, senior management and product creation teams regionally across all relevant categories and franchises to deliver commercial results and strategy
Focus on integration across EMEA, strategically aligning teams, policies, systems and processes as the highest priority, championing EMEA as a global centre of excellence, raising regional creativity by supporting and leading pitch creation, regional briefing, trend analysis, asset usage across franchise and innovation
Demonstrate and operate with an in-depth understanding of the EMEA markets’, understanding market segmentation, country specifics, and franchise diversity, elevating product accordingly and lead and encourage to deliver outstanding product ideation driving commercial strategy and business growth
Achieve the earned revenue targets and exceed targeted KPIs on quality and on time approvals
Coordinate comp shops, and lead internal trend and design workshops and franchise ideation sessions across category/franchise and market segmentation, providing creative and design support to the markets collaborating and exploring untapped categories
Service the global strategic brand pillars regionally to leverage and bring together diverse teams, knowledge, geographies and creative talent, identifying new product opportunities, which will inspire the business to produce first class conceptual designs and pitch to prospective/existing partners
Work with creative and operations on availability of style guides, to ensure licensees are provided appropriate creative assets for product creation, developing new assets as required via the creative teams and against the specific needs of the category
Coordinate, in tandem with operations, regional brand management approvals and build and maintain a process and framework for approval timelines
Be responsible for calenderisation, in line with the business brief and KPIs, with particular attention to design development timelines and deliverables with regional partners
Manage across accounts from concept through to final approved product and to assess pre and post quality delivery mitigating risk and ensuring product is fit for purpose, fit for partner and viable to go to market, giving feedback to team accordingly
Reporting and analysis of product approvals with full visibility of the critical path and calendars to management, providing requested information when required
We will be offering creative input and trend direction to inspire licensees/retailers and help drive quality product

Required Qualifications & Skills

Proven commercial design experience related to relevant category, essential, with demonstrable experience in briefing and managing external/internal designers and/or agencies
Excellent leadership skills with a strong ability to network successfully with multiple internal and external customers, driving the commercial strategy to achieve success
A strong sense for global home and stationery trend and can support a highly skilled team
Accountable for the achievement of the earned revenue for select account and driving initiatives to exceed targeted KPIs on quality and on time approvals
Experience within a similar role within a consumer products commercialisation environment, essential
An advanced knowledge of trends within the industry of relevant category and the broader world of design with working knowledge of common manufacturing techniques and their application in production
An ability to communicate design ideas using CAD drawing, computer techniques and/or third party design resources
Understanding of fabric, colour, and product design
Tried experience of crafting prototypes or models

The Perks

25 days annual leave
Private medical insurance & dental care
Free Park Entry: You will have the opportunity to enter any of our parks with your family and friends for free
Disney Discounts: you are entitled to discounts on designated Disney products, resort F&B and ticketing
Excellent parental and guardian leave
Employee Resource Groups – WOMEN @ Disney, Disney DIVERSITY, Disney PRIDE, ENABLED, and our Mental Health & Wellbeing Group, TRUST.

The Walt Disney Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We strive to be a diverse workforce that is representative of our audiences, and where all can thrive and belong. Disney is committed to forming a team that includes and respects a variety of voices, identities, backgrounds, experiences and perspectives.

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.

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About Disney Experiences:

Disney Experiences brings the magic of Disney stories and franchises to life through theme parks, resorts, cruise ships, unique vacation experiences, products and more around the world. Disney shines in the travel industry with six resort destinations in the United States, Europe and Asia; a top-rated cruise line; a popular vacation ownership program; and an award-winning guided family adventure business. Plus, Disney's global consumer products operations include the world's leading licensing business; the world's largest children's publishing brands; one of the world's largest licensors of games across all platforms; and Disney store locations around the world and on the web.

About The Walt Disney Company:

The Walt Disney Company, together with its subsidiaries and affiliates, is a leading diversified international family entertainment and media enterprise that includes three core business segments: Disney Entertainment, ESPN, and Disney Experiences. From humble beginnings as a cartoon studio in the 1920s to its preeminent name in the entertainment industry today, Disney proudly continues its legacy of creating world-class stories and experiences for every member of the family. Disney’s stories, characters and experiences reach consumers and guests from every corner of the globe. With operations in more than 40 countries, our employees and cast members work together to create entertainment experiences that are both universally and locally cherished.

This position is with The Walt Disney Company Limited, which is part of a business we call Disney Experiences.

The Walt Disney Company Limited is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, colour, religion or belief, sex, nationality, ethnic or national origin, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marital or civil partner status, disability or pregnancy or maternity. Disney fosters a business culture where ideas and decisions from all people help us grow, innovate, create the best stories and be relevant in a rapidly changing world.

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Explore this Location EMEA

Disney EMEA aims to drive growth, innovation and brand affinity across an extremely diverse collection of countries with a team of over 6,000 employees operating in 59 markets with offices in 29 countries.