Distribution Operations Mgr

Department/Group Overview:

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.

Content Platforms & Operations is responsible for the development and ongoing advancement of the technical and operational functions driving the worldwide distribution and monetization of Disney’s linear networks and theatrical content. This includes Disney’s media supply chain and storage, network and theatrical distribution operations, media localization, network transmission and origination, and more. The global team also plays a critical role as the primary collaboration point for Product & Technology with Disney’s EMEA, APAC, and LATAM regional business teams.

Job Summary:

The Distribution Operations Manager is an individual contributor responsible for managing assigned day-to-day delivery workflows for Current and Catalog episodic, feature, bonus, short-form, and localization assets across Disney+, Hulu, EST, and other global distribution platforms. The role ensures that orders, source materials, localized assets, and delivery packages are accurately scoped, tracked, validated, and completed in accordance with platform specifications, client requirements, budget parameters, SLAs, and launch timelines.

Working within established processes and escalation paths, this role independently plans and prioritizes routine-to-moderately complex assignments, coordinates dependencies across internal teams and external vendors, and drives issues through resolution. The Distribution Operations Manager identifies delivery risks early, provides clear status and impact assessments, recommends practical next steps, and escalates exceptions or decisions that fall outside defined procedures.

The ideal candidate combines operational discipline, technical curiosity, and strong attention to detail with a service-oriented, collaborative mindset. This role applies functional knowledge and data to improve execution, strengthen vendor and stakeholder accountability, reduce recurring defects and delays, and support consistent, high-quality delivery outcomes across global territories.

• Manage assigned delivery workflows from order initiation through asset receipt, source curation, localization, validation, delivery, and rejection remediation; maintain accurate status, documentation, and system records throughout.
• Coordinate with Programming, Studio Operations, Mastering, Localization, internal clients, and vendors to confirm scope, priorities, handoffs, SLAs, and asset-readiness milestones.
• Triage operational and technical issues of moderate scope, gather facts, assess launch impact, drive follow-up actions, and escalate material risks or exceptions through established channels.
• Monitor delivery, quality, vendor, and budget indicators to identify trends, recommend targeted workflow improvements, and support implementation of approved process or tooling changes.

Responsibilities and Duties of the Role:

• Title Operations & Delivery Execution:
• Manage an assigned portfolio of titles and assets from order initiation through source curation, localization, validation, delivery, and rejection remediation. Apply platform specifications and workflow standards; maintain accurate systems and documentation; prioritize competing deadlines; and drive routine-to-moderately complex issues to resolution, escalating exceptions as needed.
• Cross-Functional Stakeholder & Vendor Coordination
• Serve as the day-to-day operational contact for assigned work. Align internal teams, clients, and vendors on scope, priorities, dependencies, handoffs, SLAs, and recovery actions; communicate concise status, risks, impacts, and next steps.
• Continuous Workflow Optimization
• Identify recurring delays, defects, and handoff gaps; document root causes; recommend practical improvements to SOPs, templates, and tools; and support testing, implementation, and adoption of approved changes.
• Operational Reporting, Metrics & Data Analysis
• Maintain reliable operational data and reporting. Monitor on-time delivery, right-first-time quality, rejection trends, volumes, vendor performance, and budget indicators; surface actionable trends and support corrective actions.

Required Education, Experience/Skills/Training:

• Bachelor’s Degree and minimum 5 years of experience in digital distribution, streaming operations, studio post-production/localization servicing, or a similar content operations function.
• Solid working knowledge of digital content supply-chain and servicing workflows, including order management, asset readiness, source curation, validation, delivery, and rejection remediation.
• Working knowledge of EST/VOD and streaming specifications, file and packaging formats, deliverables, SLAs, and quality metrics.
• General understanding of A/V technical formats, including IMF, UHD, HDR, Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, and ProRes, as well as localization requirements for international dub and subtitle assets.
• Demonstrated ability to independently manage multiple assignments within established processes, prioritize competing deadlines, and deliver accurate results under time pressure.
• Experience triaging issues of moderate complexity, evaluating delivery or launch impact, coordinating resolution, and escalating exceptions with clear recommendations.
• Experience coordinating across internal stakeholders, clients, and vendor partners and driving follow-through against agreed commitments.
• Strong analytical, organizational, project-management, problem-solving, and written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to translate detailed operational information into concise status and risk updates.
• Ability to adapt, maintain accuracy, and collaborate effectively in a fast-paced environment.

Preferred requirements include:

• Bachelor's degree in Film, Media, Post-Production, Operations, or a related field, and/or equivalent professional experience.
• Experience servicing global content delivery for streaming or digital transactional platforms.
• Knowledge of localization workflows, including global dubbing and subtitling servicing.
• Experience using order-management, asset-management, supply-chain, or delivery-tracking systems and dashboards to monitor SLAs, KPIs, vendor performance, rejection trends, and budget indicators.
• Familiarity with Disney internal systems, such as Wonderland and DOT/ADOPT.
• Experience documenting SOPs, participating in user-acceptance testing, or supporting implementation of workflow and tooling changes.

PAY TRANSPARENCY

The hiring range for this position in Glendale, CA is $97,000.00 - $118,400.00 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.

This position is with Disney Entertainment & Sports LLC, which is part of a business we call Disney Entertainment and ESPN Product & Technology.

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Disney Entertainment & Sports LLC is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or protected veteran status. Disney champions a business environment where ideas and decisions from all people help us grow, innovate, create the best stories and be relevant in a constantly evolving world.

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The Walt Disney Company and its Affiliated Companies are Equal Employment Opportunity employers and welcome all job seekers including individuals with disabilities and veterans with disabilities. If you have a disability and believe you need a reasonable accommodation in order to search for a job opening or apply for a position, visit the Disney candidate disability accommodations FAQs. We will only respond to those requests that are related to the accessibility of the online application system due to a disability.

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