About the Team

The Strategic Development team designs and evolves the compliance architecture of the International Labor Standards (ILS) group to meet multi-regulatory human rights due diligence (HRDD) requirements across jurisdictions.  Serving as a centralized hub to enable effective compliance execution, the team leads compliance strategy & program design, regulatory readiness, operating model evolution, technology & platform strategy, and enterprise enablement.

Strategic Development collaborates closely with global compliance operations, regional management, enterprise technology, legal, policy, and business leaders to ensure the compliance system is scalable, HRDD-ready, and risk-aligned.

Position Overview

The Manager, ILS Operations & Technology Enablement leads the department’s operational excellence and technology enablement portfolio within Strategic Development and develops the team responsible for delivering this mandate.

This leadership role leads a team responsible for:

• Business ownership of the ILS Program compliance platform

• Cohesive technology and data governance alignment across the department’s compliance ecosystem

• Workflow modernization and performance optimization initiatives

• Implementation of an HRDD-ready compliance operating model

• Centralized standards for platform governance and operational execution

Key Responsibilities

1. Compliance Technology Strategy & Platform Governance

This role centralizes operational and technology standards to prevent duplication, siloed builds, and architectural misalignment.

• Serve as the accountable business owner for the ILS Program compliance platform and partner with Enterprise Technology to define system requirements

• Establish governance standards for backlog prioritization, feature approval, sustainment planning, data governance, and documentation

• Ensure platform evolution aligns with the department’s broader technology strategy

• Identify fragmentation risks across compliance platforms and escalate alignment recommendations

• Participate in cross-functional governance forums to promote ecosystem integration

• Define principles for system interoperability, data consistency, and user experience coherence

• Support the definition of a departmental multi-year technology roadmap aligned to regulatory obligations and operating model design

2. Automation & AI Integration

• Identify high-impact automation and AI use cases within compliance operations

• Develop pilots and business cases for workflow automation and risk-based decision support

• Establish guardrails for responsible AI use in compliance decision environments

• Measure impact of automation on cost, cycle time, and risk mitigation

3. Data Governance & Analytics Enablement

• Define business data ownership and data quality standards for compliance platforms

• Partner with enterprise data teams to integrate compliance data into corporate data architecture

• Establish KPI dashboards and operational metrics (e.g., cycle time, control effectiveness, exception rates, risk distribution)

• Ensure traceability between regulatory requirements, controls, and system outputs

4. Operational Excellence & Workflow Modernization

This role builds and institutionalizes a centralized operational excellence capability.

• Lead structured workflow modernization initiatives across compliance execution

• Establish process design standards and documentation norms for the department

• Reduce manual workload and operational inefficiencies through disciplined process engineering

• Introduce performance dashboards to drive accountability and continuous improvement

• Promote consistent execution standards across regions and regulatory programs

5. Transformation & Cross-Regulatory Operating Model Enablement

• Lead technology-enabled transformation initiatives aligned to the department’s integrated operating model

• Translate structural and governance decisions into system and workflow implications

• Ensure platform capabilities support role clarity, decision rights, and cross-functional integration

• Support operating model implementation by embedding process and technology coherence

6. Financial & Strategic Planning Support

• Develop business cases for platform and workflow investments

• Propose annual OKRs and performance targets for team

• Support Strategic Development team budget planning with spend forecasts and ROI modeling

• Provide data-driven justifications for technology and optimization initiatives

7. Team Leadership & Capability Development

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of operational specialists to deploy technology-enabled solutions

• Establish clear performance expectations aligned to departmental strategy

• Build technical and strategic capability across platform ownership, workflow design, and analytics

• Create succession depth and development pathways for direct reports

• Foster a culture of structured problem-solving, performance discipline, and continuous improvement

• Model cross-functional collaboration and professional maturity in politically complex environments

Experience Required

• 8+ years in compliance operations, enterprise transformation, or technology-enabled operational roles

• 3+ years of people management experience with demonstrated team development impact

• Demonstrated experience leading cross-functional transformation initiatives

• Experience serving as business owner for enterprise platforms

• Experience delivering measurable operational performance improvements

• Experience building business cases for technology investment

Preferred:

• Exposure to global regulatory compliance environments (e.g., UFLPA, EUDR, CSDDD)

• Familiarity with governance and risk frameworks (e.g., COSO ERM, ISO 37301, IIA Three Lines)

Skills & Competencies

• Strategy & Transformation: Program and project leadership; change implementation sequencing; operating model enhancement support; cross-functional alignment

• Technical & Functional: Process mapping and workflow engineering; platform governance and system requirements definition; data governance and KPI design; risk and control integration; regulatory requirement translation into system logic; automation and AI enablement strategy

• Analytical: Ability to identify structural inefficiencies and root causes; strong quantitative and data interpretation capability; business case modeling and cost-benefit analysis; systems thinking across multi-regulatory environment

• Leadership & Influence: ability to work cross-functionally across compliance, legal, technology, and business teams; clear executive communication and structured presentation skills; ability to operate in ambiguous, evolving regulatory environments; strong stakeholder management and prioritization capability

• Team & People Development: Talent development and coaching; delegation with accountability; performance management; capability building in technical teams; constructive feedback and succession planning

Education                                                                                                          

Bachelor’s degree in international studies, political science, public policy, economics, business administration, sustainability, supply chain management, information systems, or related field; advanced degree preferred    

Additional Information

This position is an on-site role requiring a minimum of four days per week in the office, with Glendale, CA as the preferred location; other U.S. locations with Disney offices may be considered on a case-by-case basis for exceptionally qualified candidates.

The hiring range for this position in California is $126,800.00 - $170,000.00 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.