Culture and Trend Forecasting Manager

About the Role:

This individual will play a crucial role in identifying, analyzing and articulating Disney cultural & creative signals and broader consumer/industry trends into actionable, relevant, consumer-centric opportunity spaces across all categories for the Disney Parks Retail organization.

This role will report to the Senior Manager - Retail Innovation & Design. 

What You Will Do:

Identify Cultural Research

• Track signals and identify trends within Disney Park culture
• Utilize social listening platforms to explore patterns, ownable trends and opportunities for products and experiences.
• Curate and synthesize primary and secondary data and research to identify new ownable spaces across the business
• Synthesize cultural and consumer trends into concise POVs that inform the innovation pipeline, overall organization and, long-term planning.
• Partner with insights and platform partners to continuously refine and expand the tools and methodologies used.
• Understanding emergent behaviors driven by cultural and societal shifts and the ability to delineate and communicate a range of possible futures and make them impactful for multiple areas of the business
• Knows where to find the Visionaries whose behavior and attitudes today can provide an indication of where societies are heading in the future
• Drive Consumer Centricity
• Partner with consumer insights team on primary research needs when required
• Utilize social listening platforms to analyze specific conversations and audiences to identify new retail opportunity spaces from specific consumers
• Create design muses that drive consumer alignment

Inspire Product/Design

• Explore and identify how broad, evolving culture and emerging consumer trends translate into relevant product needs
• Provide consumer-centric creative and cultural support to merchandise, design and creative teams via research deep dives, POVs and trend direction
• Identify and translate relevant creative trends for cross-category development
• Act as thought partner to product design, merchandising and creative with consumer POVs to help shape products with a consumer-centric, future-focused approach
• Ensure insights not only inspire great creative but ladder back broader STEEP factors
• Help with the creation of regular culture and trend reporting for the broader organization, helping teams stay fluent in fast-changing cultural conversations.

Required Qualifications & Skills:

(Portfolio Required to Apply)

• Proven ability to track and translate cultural signal and trends into actionable opportunities via multiple formats (video, images, presentations, writing)

• Naturally curious with a deep passion understanding how cultural shifts, human behavior, and design impact retail

• Knowledge of Disney parks, experiences and IP

• Experience with trend and research services

• Strong analytical and strategic thinking skills with the ability to distill ambiguity into clarity.

• Deep understanding of modern culture, media behaviors, and consumer mindsets—especially in the Gen Z and Millennial cohorts.

• Proven experience of research, analysis, writing, and creating compelling trend content.

• 3+ years of experience trend forecasting, consumer insights at a retailor or trend platform

• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Communications, Design Strategy, Data Science, Cultural Studies, Journalism, Anthropology, Sociology, or related field; advanced degree a plus.

• Proven track record of applying cultural and consumer insight to influence creative development and strategic decision-making.

• Keen eye for design and products with ability to create compelling mood boards

• Skilled at combining research and field observations and utilizing a variety of tools and sources to track emerging lifestyle shifts

• Deep understanding of trend and insights research and methodologies

• Strong fluency with social listening tools (e.g., Meltwater, Sprinklr, etc..), research platforms (Kantar, Mintel, WGSN),

• Demonstrable ability to interpret and present consumer and trends research which results in relevant insights to drive consumer knowledge and product creation.

Preferred Qualifications & Skills:

• Proven knowledge working in the consumer trends across various industries such as fashion, toys, consumables, collectible, etc.
• Proficiency in adobe creative suite, keynote and powerpoint

Additional Information:

This position will be located in Kissimmee, FL.

Benefits and Perks: Disney offers a rewards package to help you live your best life. This includes health and savings benefits, educational opportunities and special extras that only Disney can provide. Learn more about our benefits and perks at https://jobs.disneycareers.com/benefits