Product Owner

Department Description

At Disney, we’re storytellers. We make the impossible, possible. The Walt Disney Company is a world-class entertainment and technological leader. Walt’s passion was to continuously envision new ways to move audiences around the world—a passion that remains our touchstone in an enterprise that stretches from theme parks, resorts and a cruise line to sports, news, movies and a variety of other businesses. Uniting each endeavor is a commitment to creating and delivering unforgettable experiences — and we’re constantly looking for new ways to enhance these exciting experiences.

The Enterprise Technology mission is to deliver technology solutions that align to business strategies while enabling enterprise efficiency and promoting cross-company collaborative innovation. Our group drives competitive advantage by enhancing our consumer experiences, enabling business growth, and advancing operational excellence.

Team Description:

The Corporate Technology group is part of the Products organization, responsible for delivering and supporting the technology that powers TWDC’s corporate functions, enterprise workflows, and service management platforms. Our scope spans the entire product lifecycle — from setting strategy and roadmaps to overseeing project delivery, engineering, and ongoing support. Through these efforts, we drive digital transformation across our business, workforce, and technology communities.

We partner with a diverse range of internal corporate teams — including Brand Management, Corporate Communications, Corporate Real Estate, Corporate Social Responsibility, Global Labor & Product Standards, Global Security, Investor Relations, Management Audit, Legal & Global Affairs, and Supply Chain Compliance, Trade Management, & Logistics. Additionally, these products extend to our segment partners, ensuring a cohesive and connected technology experience across the company.

Responsibilities of Role:

As a Product Owner within our Corporate Technology group, you will play a pivotal role leading the direction the execution across multiple enterprise products that power critical corporate functions. You’ll work with cross-functional teams — from developers and quality engineers to stakeholders and end-users — to define product roadmaps, gather requirements, and continuously refine and prioritize the backlog. By bridging business objectives with agile delivery, you’ll ensure our solutions meet the strategic goals and deliver meaningful value that advances our digital transformation efforts. This role calls for a forward-thinker who thrives on collaboration, champions innovation, and excels at translating complex needs into actionable product outcomes.

• Develop and Communicate Product Vision & Strategy

• Collaborate with leadership, product management, and stakeholders to define clear product objectives, strategies, and roadmaps that align with overarching business goals.

• Communicate product vision and objectives effectively to cross-functional teams and stakeholders, ensuring a shared understanding of desired outcomes.

• Balance tactical execution (refining user stories, participating in sprint ceremonies) with strategic oversight (defining roadmaps, gathering feedback from stakeholders).

• Backlog Ownership & Prioritization

• Manage the product backlog by refining user stories, defects, enablers, and other work items to maximize business value.

• Continuously prioritize and adjust backlog items to align with evolving business needs and strategic priorities.

• Stakeholder & Customer Engagement

• Identify key customers and stakeholder groups, building strong, collaborative relationships to establish effective feedback loops.

• Represent the voice of the customer, incorporating direct feedback into product requirements and feature priorities.

• Agile Delivery & Team Collaboration

• Serve as the primary contact for the agile delivery team(s), clarifying product goals, requirements, and priorities.

• Work closely with scrum masters, developers, quality engineers, and other team members to ensure successful sprint planning, execution, and review.

• Facilitate cross-functional communication, addressing questions and removing blockers to keep delivery on track.

• Remediate difficult problems and complex inquiries related to the development backlog and requirements to ensure successful agile team outcomes; on time, on budget and on function

• Identify and resolve complex issues and inquiries related to the development backlog and requirements, ensuring successful customer outcomes — on-time, on-budget, and on-function.

• User Story Definition & Acceptance Criteria

• Translate complex business requirements into clear, concise user stories with well-defined acceptance criteria.

• Ensure stories meet the “definition of ready” before sprint planning and adhere to the “definition of done” upon completion.

• Quality Assurance & Testing

• Collaborate with quality engineers to develop comprehensive test strategies, including automated and manual testing approaches.

• Participate in test case review and user acceptance testing to confirm that delivered solutions meet acceptance criteria and overall quality standards.

Implementation & Change Management

• Partner with business teams, training, and change management resources to plan and execute seamless product rollouts.

• Ensure end-users have the necessary support, documentation, and training to fully adopt and benefit from new product capabilities.

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Budget & Forecast Management

• Work closely with the Program Management Office (PMO) to plan and monitor product or project budgets

• Forecast resource needs, identify potential risks, and maintain transparency around budgeting considerations.

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Continuous Improvement & Problem-Solving

• Proactively identify and address complex issues or risks that could impede delivery, leveraging creative thinking and industry best practices to propose solutions.

• Encourage and drive process improvements within the team to optimize workflow, enhance collaboration, and boost product quality.

Mentorship & Thought Leadership 

• Act as a subject matter expert and mentor to less experienced product owners, providing guidance on best practices and agile methodologies.

• Contribute to the organization’s broader agile community, sharing insights and driving alignment on product management standards.

Compliance, Security, & Best Practices 

• Champion enterprise security and compliance requirements (e.g., Identity and Access Management, Records Information Management, Information Security Policy, etc.) to ensure products meet regulatory and corporate standards.

• Stay up-to-date with industry trends, emerging technologies, and best practices to inform product evolution.

Key Attributes:

Thinks Strategically

• Stays current on business trends and technological advances

• Uses knowledge of the company’s products and services to meet customer needs and financial targets

• Identifies key business opportunities and challenges

• Examines issues from a broad perspective, considering impact beyond immediate scope

Builds Relationships

• Acts as the voice of the customer by understanding their business strategies and aligning business needs with the product strategy and roadmap

• Interacts well with people who have different backgrounds and work styles

• Resolves conflicts effectively

• Service mindset with ability to facilitate “win-win” solutions, but not afraid to say “no”

• Manages the diverse needs of stakeholders

Communicates Effectively

• Conveys relevant information in a candid and timely manner

• Listens and asks questions to ensure understanding

• Tailors messages appropriately to the audience

• Effectively persuades others to support ideas and plans

Drives Results

• Keeps Commitments

• Uses technology to facilitate better results

• Analyzes problems and takes action to resolve

• Achieves high levels of customer satisfaction

• Is metrics and data driven

• Holds self and others accountable to high standards

• Manages projects and resources to produce desired outcomes

Inspires Creativity and Innovation

• Conceives creative ideas to solve problems or meet objectives

• Demonstrates a positive attitude with contagious enthusiasm

• Challenges the status quo

• Transfers ideas and success across boundaries

• Facilitates the exchange of ideas and creation of new ones

• Sets product vision and creates enduring excitement about what is possible

Champions Change

• Remains productive despite uncertainly

• Demonstrates flexibility in response to changes

• Supports new initiatives

Builds Teams

• Supports productivity and morale of the team

• Strengthens others through mentoring and feedback

Exhibits Professional Excellence

• Treats others with respect

• Earns the trust of colleagues, partners and customers

• Maintains composure under pressure

• Strives for self-improvement

• Leans from personal and organizational experiences

• Sets a good example for others

Must Haves:

• Minimum of 5 years of experience as a product owner or related role, managing complex products within an enterprise.

• Knowledge of ITIL v3 or later and ITSM best practices.

• Strong communication, writing, and executive presentation skills.

• Able to translate complex ideas into understandable requirements, value statements, and business outcomes

• Demonstrated experience leading small technology teams to deliver projects and business outcomes

• Experience with agile software development methodologies (PMI-ACP, CSPO, SAFe PO/PM, ICP-ACC, etc.).

Nice To Haves:

• Knowledge of ITIL v3 or later and ITSM best practices.

• Certifications in agile software development methodologies (PMI-ACP, CSPO, SAFe PO/PM, ICP-ACC, etc.).

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Software, Electrical or Electronics Engineering, or comparable field of study, and/or equivalent work experience.

• Preference for Master’s or advanced degree Computer Science, Information Systems, Software, Electrical or Electronics Engineering, Business, or comparable field of study in a related discipline.

#DISNEYTECH

The hiring range for this position in Seattle is $123,000 - $165,000 per year and in California is $117,500 - $157,500 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