Lead Technical Program Manager

The Walt Disney Company • Santa Monica, CA

1d • Hybrid

About The Position

Disney Entertainment & ESPN Product & Technology is seeking a Lead Technical Program Manager to join their Business Operations team. This global organization focuses on building and advancing the technological backbone for Disney’s media business. The team combines technology with creativity to develop world-class products, enhance storytelling, and drive innovation and scalability. Technologists in this group design and build products and platforms powering media, advertising, and distribution businesses. The technology and products developed serve as a key connection point for fans with Disney’s brands and stories, impacting millions globally through platforms like Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN. The team is known for developing and implementing groundbreaking products and techniques that shape industry norms and solve complex technical problems. The Business Operations team specifically guides technology strategy, research, and manages the day-to-day operations of the Product & Technology organization, including project and portfolio management, resource allocation, process management, technical incident management, and administrative support.

Requirements

• 7+ years of relevant experience
• Proven ability to facilitate effective communication across disparate teams
• Evidence of strong planning, delivery, and problem-solving skills
• Superb written and verbal communications, presentation skills, and meeting facilitation skills (especially when working with senior leadership)
• BA/BS or equivalent experience required

Nice To Haves

• Typically has 5 or more years of progressively complex related experience as a Scrum Lead, with hands-on experience with Agile/Scrum developing software applications in a highly-technical domain
• Typically has 5 or more years of experience managing formal application software development projects
• Formal project management certifications
• Experience working in a media technology environment
• Advertising technology domain knowledge, or demonstrated aptitude for learning a technology-based engineering domain

Responsibilities

• Accountable for driving execution and delivery of a set of software development deliverables from start to finish.
• Define, optimize, and manage Agile project management ceremonies and processes for large project teams.
• Leverage experience with Agile and Scrum to lead teams to successful delivery.
• Lead delivery teams through the identification and management of risks and the resolution of issues, and escalating to management as appropriate.
• Facilitate team ceremonies.
• Facilitate meetings/workshops with groups of people beyond the immediate delivery team.
• Facilitate the team through the resolution of complex issues.
• Drive workshop/meeting to conclusion and/or actionable outcome.
• Ensure group participation.
• Identify scope of inputs and outputs as dependencies for technical teams, resolve gaps and create program milestones that ensure work is sequenced across teams.
• Identify risks; drive resolutions and communicate prioritized mitigation plans to stakeholders.
• Monitor & adjust plans to respond to unplanned changes, ensuring programs are progressing to meet business goals.
• Monitor and report on team metrics around delivery.
• Quickly solve complex problems in a challenging, dynamic environment with minimal direction.
• Provide frequent and transparent communication to the business and technical senior management, delivery teams and stakeholders regarding initiative health, issues, and risks.
• Demonstrate solid proficiency of technical project/program domain and able to confidently discuss with project team, partner teams, and stakeholders.
• Clearly articulate technical risks without the aid of engineering support.
• Analyze and facilitate decisions around technical challenges with some direction.
• Effectively communicate complex and/or difficult information to both technical and non-technical audiences, including Executives.
• Interact with internal and external peers, initiative stakeholders, and managers to exchange complex information.
• Influence key decision-makers / stakeholders towards new business processes and technical solutions that best serve the Company.

Benefits

• 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.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior