Project Hire/Internal Assignment Lead Technical Project Manager

Disney - Los Angeles, CA

Full-time - Mid Level

Los Angeles, CA

Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries

About the position

At Disney Parks, Experiences and Products Technology & Digital, we are dedicated to creating world-class immersive digital experiences for our premier vacation brands, including Disney's Parks & Resorts, Disney Cruise Line, Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa, and Disney Vacation Club. The Technology & Digital team plays a crucial role in managing the end-to-end digital and physical Guest experience across various business lines, including Attractions & Entertainment, Food & Beverage, Resorts & Transportation, and Merchandise. This position of Lead Technical Program/Project Manager is pivotal in identifying, planning, and coordinating a set of related projects within a program, ensuring their interdependencies are managed effectively to support specific business strategies across the Commerce Technology Portfolio and Program. This role is part of the 3PO Team, which is responsible for program/project technical project management, project financial management, and program strategy. The Lead Technical Program/Project Manager will partner with Technology, Product, and Design teams to plan and deliver against our strategic objectives. This is a 24-month Project Hire/Internal Assignment and is a hybrid role based in Orlando, FL. The successful candidate will drive program/project deliverables, develop strategic planning and prioritization for S/VP portfolios, and establish deliverables for key finance milestones. They will also facilitate evaluation and alignment on the delivery of rationalized and prioritized S/VP program input to forecasts, identifying risks and opportunities while providing actionable recommendations to executives. In addition, the Lead Technical Program/Project Manager will produce monthly expense and capital forecasts, maintain a continuous view of resource demand and capacity, and liaise with various stakeholders to communicate financials and objectives. They will be responsible for program/project planning, execution, and communication, ensuring timely completion of tasks and maintaining program schedules. This role requires strong business relationships to define strategic plans and product roadmaps, as well as the ability to conduct program meetings at leadership levels and manage project change control processes. The ideal candidate will have a comprehensive understanding of program/project management practices and the ability to influence negotiations effectively.

Responsibilities

• Drives Program/Project deliverables
• Develops strategic planning and prioritization for S/VP portfolios with their leader(s) and Finance
• Establishes and refines deliverables for key finance milestones
• Facilitates evaluation and alignment on the delivery of rationalized and prioritized S/VP program input to forecasts
• Identifies risks and opportunities, taking a proactive approach to problem solve
• Produces monthly expense and capital forecasts
• Researches and provides cause of change for variances
• Maintains a continuous view of resource demand and capacity across the program
• Ability to liaison / translate financials and objectives for T&D leaders
• Recommends prioritization and rationalization decision-making with leaders
• Fosters & evolves partnerships and communication with leaders, Finance, and other related teams
• Establishes & maintains an area's Technology and Digital roadmap
• Engages with a diverse set of team members and executive partners
• Partners with Technology & Digital leaders on product capabilities
• Identifies, plans, and coordinates a set of related projects within a program
• Develops and implements long-term goals and objectives
• Participates in the annual budgeting and operating plan
• Builds strong business relationships to define strategic plans and product roadmaps
• Coordinates and facilitates delivery of program objectives
• Ensures timely completion of tasks, maintaining program schedule and target dates
• Leads and directs high-priority matrix projects
• Conducts program meetings at leadership and/or executive director levels
• Develops and manages a project change control process
• Identifies and evaluates the risks associated with program activities
• Prepares and executes program/project communication
• Ensures all program/project stakeholders receive orientation and appropriate training
• Communicates with clients and other stakeholders to gain support for the program
• Conducts regular program/project status meetings with all stakeholders
• Works collaboratively with development staff and support staff
• Creates program presentations and reports for executive leadership

Requirements

• 7+ years of Program/Project management experience (such as: Project Lead, SCRUM Master, Agile Coach) working with technical teams developing enterprise class solutions
• Technical project management expertise for a global or national brand(s)
• Hands-on experience with practices such as Agile, Lean, Kanban, Waterfall
• Ability to understand architectural and technical aspects of projects
• Excellent organizational, communication (written and verbal) and time management skills
• Experience with Agile Application Lifecycle Management and development tools like JIRA, Confluence Wiki
• Understanding of Agile technical practices, DevOps and testing concepts (CI/CD, TDD)
• Experience in coaching and mentoring teams on project management practices
• Experience with budget tracking and complex cost-benefit analysis
• Experience managing and prioritizing projects within the program
• Ability to influence negotiations to achieve a favorable outcome for both parties
• Demonstrated analysis/assessment capabilities; Self-motivated and dedicated to performing above expectations

Nice-to-haves

• Technical project management experience in software development
• Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification
• Agile Certifications (CSM; ACP; CSPO; SAFe; LeSS)