Business Operations Manager (National Geographic Content)

The Walt Disney Company•Washington, DC

About The Position

The Business Operations Manager supports the National Geographic Content (NGC) organization by helping maintain and improve internal business systems, workflows, and cross-department operational processes. In this way, they play a crucial, behind-the-scenes role in enabling the creation, production, and distribution of National Geographic’s award-winning streaming programs and editorial content. Working within the Editorial Operations department, this role reports to the Senior Manager, Digital Strategy and Experiences and is dedicated to business-facing workflows and internal technologies (e.g., Airtable, Microsoft 365, enterprise content and planning tools). The Manager assists with optimizing and documenting workflows, analyzing operational challenges, supporting system adoption, coordinating updates and enhancements, and ensuring that content teams use appropriate technologies and data flows for cross-functional initiatives, with a focus on internal operations rather than consumer-facing product ownership. The Manager works closely with NGC’s content production and operations leads across streaming, video, and editorial to understand and resolve operational challenges. The role also partners with Disney’s enterprise and business technology departments to stay aligned with corporate technology roadmaps, leverage approved tools and capabilities, communicate NGC’s operational needs, and resolve impediments to this alignment. This role serves as a connective layer across teams where business workflow ownership, system coordination, or prioritization is currently fragmented. The ideal candidate marries an intuitive understanding of content-creation and post-production workflows with deep technical expertise and a firm grasp of enterprise systems, change management, and operational coordination. They inspire trust in the way they navigate and communicate technological change.

Requirements

Minimum of 6 years of relevant experience in business operations, workflow analysis, or cross-functional program coordination in a large or mid-sized organization
Familiarity with workflow tools, project management systems, and enterprise platforms (e.g., Airtable, Asana, Smartsheet, Jira, Confluence, Microsoft 365, or comparable business operations tools)
Strong analytical, documentation, and organizational skills, with attention to detail and deadlines
Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience

Nice To Haves

Experience working in media, content production, post-production, or technology-driven environments with a passion for emerging technologies
An empathetic, relationship-oriented communicator who earns trust across diverse teams and disciplines
A “technical translator” who communicates clearly with both technical and non-technical partners
Experience influencing cross-functional teams and navigating enterprise technology environments without direct authority and without owning engineering delivery
Bachelor’s degree with credentials in project/program management, business administration, technology management (PMP, MBA or MS in Information Systems, Technology Management, or similar accreditations) or similar fields. Equivalent professional experience is also welcome.

Responsibilities

Operational Support & Planning Document and analyze existing business workflows and internal tools to identify gaps, redundancies, risks, or opportunities for improvement
Provide recommendations for workflow and tooling enhancements that improve efficiency, clarity, and cross-team alignment
Define, document, and coordinate operational processes across content, production, and business teams, partnering with Disney Technology teams on implementation planning and execution support
Lead business-side planning and coordination for workflow transformation or technology initiatives (e.g., creating and maintaining a Data Lake), focusing on business requirements, readiness, adoption, and ongoing operational use
Cross-Functional Coordination Liaise with operations leads across content groups to support smooth, business-as-usual execution (e.g., magazine features, TV series, branded franchises)
Support cross-segment initiatives by defining shared workflows, intake processes, requirements, and handoffs across editorial, studio, streaming, marketing, social media, and sales teams
Help clarify ownership, prioritization, and escalation paths for initiatives that span multiple teams, systems, or distribution channels
Workflow & Systems Coordination Maintain up-to-date documentation and inventories of NGC’s internal business systems, workflows, and points of integration
Serve as a coordination point for business-facing enterprise systems (e.g., Airtable, planning, scheduling, metadata, and reporting tools), without owning technical architecture or engineering delivery
Support system transitions or replacements (e.g., scheduling, planning, or tracking systems) by gathering requirements, communicating impacts, and supporting readiness across affected teams
Promote consistent usage patterns, governance, and adoption of shared tools across teams that lack dedicated operations support
Change Management Support organizational change initiatives related to process improvements, system transitions, and new tooling
Develop and support change-management approaches to promote adoption, clarity, and operational continuity, including scheduling and leading training sessions
Coordinate training, documentation, and communications tied to new or evolving business tools and workflow
Data & Reporting Collect, analyze, and report operational metrics related to workflow health, system usage, and delivery timelines
Lead centralized reporting initiatives for business-side data (e.g., data lake)
Prepare and distribute regular updates on systems, tools, workflow changes, and operational impacts
Vendor & Partner Management Maintain relationships with external vendors and service providers supporting business workflows and reporting
Coordinate vendor onboarding, training sessions, and ongoing engagement in partnership with Technology and Procurement teams
Serve as a day-to-day liaison with internal partners in Disney’s Enterprise Technology division to support adoption of approved tools and develop a repeatable engagement model for collaboration between NGC and Enterprise Technology
Risk, Compliance & Security Help ensure that operational processes and workflows align with company policies, industry standards, and security protocols
Partner with Disney’s Sensitive Information Protection, Legal, Privacy, and Technology teams to support compliant use of systems, tools, and data
Flag potential risks related to system changes, access, data handling, or workflow dependencies and coordinate with appropriate stakeholders to address them