Principal Product Designer (AR/VR/XR)

The Walt Disney Company • Santa Monica, CA

1d • Onsite

About The Position

Disney Entertainment and ESPN Product & Technology is a global organization building and advancing the technological backbone for Disney’s media business globally, marrying technology with creativity to build world-class products, enhance storytelling, and drive velocity, innovation, and scalability. They work across The Walt Disney Company’s media portfolio, including Disney+, Hulu, ESPN, ABC, and ABC News, to power media, advertising, and distribution businesses. Disney Streaming Product Design focuses on redefining how audiences experience entertainment across platforms, constantly exploring new ways stories are watched, interacted with, or felt. The role is for a Principal Product Designer for Emerging Experiences (XR/VR) to lead the next generation of immersive storytelling at Disney+. This individual will partner with product, engineering, and content teams to design and deliver magical, intuitive, and strategically grounded spatial experiences. It is a high-impact design leadership role focused on creating clarity from ambiguity, translating emerging tech into human-centered design, and mentoring a curious and experimental team. The designer will help define the design vision for XR and spatial computing across the Disney portfolio, guiding user discovery, interaction, and immersion in three-dimensional environments. The ideal candidate will have deep product strategy instincts, exceptional interaction design craft, strong leadership experience, and a passion for blending world-class usability with new interface and interaction paradigms, while also partnering strategically with PMs and building trust with executive leaders.

Requirements

• 10+ years of experience designing for consumer products or platforms, with at least 2 years exploring XR/VR/AR or spatial interfaces.
• Bachelor’s degree and/or equivalent work experience.
• Proven ability to lead design strategy and execution from concept to launch in cross-functional environments.
• A portfolio demonstrating strong UX systems thinking, visual excellence, and interaction design across screen-based and emerging interfaces.
• Experience guiding or managing teams of mid-to-senior designers.
• Expert knowledge of user-centered design, prototyping, and storytelling techniques.
• Deep understanding of design for 3D environments, spatial ergonomics, or immersive interaction paradigms.
• Strong communication and presentation skills, with the ability to drive alignment across disciplines.
• Comfort navigating ambiguity and turning new technology opportunities into human experiences.
• Passion for innovation, experimentation, and building what’s next.

Responsibilities

• Lead and inspire a small team of designers through early-phase generative research, concept discovery, rapid prototyping, and iterative design for XR and spatial computing experiences.
• Define the product strategy and user experience vision for Disney+ on XR platforms, collaborating with PM, Engineering, and Research partners.
• Translate abstract product concepts into spatial systems, gestures, and storytelling-driven interfaces.
• Drive alignment across product, engineering, and executive stakeholders through storytelling, clear design documentation, and product vision presentations.
• Establish high standards of visual and interaction design craft that can evolve with emerging technologies.
• Champion accessibility, inclusivity, and user comfort in immersive environments.
• Mentor designers and foster a culture of confidence, accountability, and continuous learning.
• Partner with the DesignOps and Design Systems teams to evolve shared tools, processes, and libraries for immersive design.
• Stay close to users through research and experimentation, helping define what “watching” means in 3D, spatial, and mixed-reality contexts.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Principal
• Number of Employees: 1,001-5,000 employees