Senior Principal Product Designer

Disney Entertainment & ESPN Product & Technology

Technology is at the heart of Disney’s past, present, and future. Disney Entertainment and ESPN Product & Technology is a global organization of engineers, product developers, designers, technologists, data scientists, and more – all working to build and advance the technological backbone for Disney’s media business globally.

The team marries technology with creativity to build world-class products, enhance storytelling, and drive velocity, innovation, and scalability for our businesses. We are Storytellers and Innovators. Creators and Builders. Entertainers and Engineers. We work with every part of The Walt Disney Company’s media portfolio to advance the technological foundation and consumer media touch points serving millions of people around the world. 

Here are a few reasons why we think you’d love working here:

• Building the future of Disney’s media: Our Technologists are designing and building the products and platforms that will power our media, advertising, and distribution businesses for years to come.

• Reach, Scale & Impact: More than ever, Disney’s technology and products serve as a signature doorway for fans' connections with the company’s brands and stories. Disney+. Hulu. ESPN. ABC. ABC News…and many more. These products and brands – and the unmatched stories, storytellers, and events they carry – matter to millions of people globally. 

• Innovation: We develop and implement groundbreaking products and techniques that shape industry norms, and solve complex and distinctive technical problems.

Design is centrally responsible for the design supporting all consumer-facing and business products and tooling for the Disney Entertainment & ESPN portfolio, including sports, entertainment, enterprise, UX, creative services and design research.

Job Summary:

As a seasoned design leader, the Sr Principal Product Designer will play a pivotal role in influencing the strategic direction of the company through exceptional design acumen and organizational impact. The purpose of this role is to lead and elevate the design organization, driving the development of innovative and user-centric products while setting industry standards.

The Senior Principal Product Designer will contribute significantly to the company's design culture, innovation, and long-term business success. This role requires a blend of strategic thinking, design expertise, leadership skills, and a commitment to fostering a positive and inclusive design culture.

Design Leadership and Fundamentals:

• Drive organizational progress as a trusted influencer among Design, Product, and Tech leadership.

• Set industry standards in interface design, constantly raising the bar and contributing to tools and techniques.

Content Strategy Expertise:

• Demonstrate expertise in guiding projects on design and product strategy.

• Drive competitive analysis, problem definition, and articulation of the product vision.

• Delivery Leadership:

• Lead a large domain, fostering meaningful relationships across functions and codifying best practices.

• Orchestrate shipping strategy for complex projects, ensuring efficiency in design workflows.

Interaction Design Mastery:

• Inspire and elevate designers in interaction design and prototype use.

• Contribute to design systems with technical, business, and interaction design leadership.

Presentation and Advocacy:

• Expertly present to large audiences, focusing on platform design, cross-brand systems thinking, and brand expression.

• Advocate for design as a discipline and represent "capital D" Design as a strategic function. Research and Strategy Impact:

• Utilize qualitative and quantitative research to affect company strategy.

• Guide landscape analysis, hypothesis development, and user testing, fostering a culture of inquiry.

Team Culture and Inclusivity:

• Build and document value-driven behaviors, promoting a healthy,value-driven culture.

• Collaborate inclusively, stewarding complex collaborative events and fostering cross-functional culture initiatives.

Communication Clarity:

• Deliver clarity in complex project descriptions, design critiques, and documentation.

• Keep teams informed, seek feedback, deliver bad news with empathy, and mentor communicators for effective communication.

Advocacy and Vision Definition:

• Advocate for the betterment of design practice and represent Design as a strategic function.

• Play a central role in defining and communicating the vision for the entire product experience.

Required Education, Experience/Skills/Training:

Basic Qualifications 

• 12+ years of focused practice in product design or a related field.

• Proven experience as a design leader with a track record of driving organizational progress.

• Expertise in design fundamentals, content strategy, and interaction design.

• Strong leadership skills with a focus on delivery, collaboration, and inclusivity.

• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to advocate for design at various levels.

• Mastery in research, strategy impact, and fostering a culture of inquiry.

• Visionary thinking with the ability to define and communicate a cohesive vision for the product experience.

Preferred Qualifications 

• Proven experience in a senior design leadership role, influencing product strategy and driving organizational impact.

Required Education  

• Bachelor’s degree in Design, HCI, or experience in a related field.

The hiring range for this position in San Francisco is $201,900 to $270,700 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.