Director, Consumer Strategy & Business Development - 12 months FTC

Disney+ is The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) video entertainment service, offering premium branded content alongside a broad general entertainment library, appealing to families and adults alike. The service consists of long form and short form video built around six key content brands (Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic and Star) with an appealing and easy to use interface accessed across multiple platforms (e.g. smart TVs, mobile devices). 

The Consumer Strategy & Business Development (CS&BD) team is responsible for Disney’s Direct-To-Consumer strategy across Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), including driving the growth and long-term evolution of Disney+ in the region, exploring new market entries and developing innovative ways to expand and enhance the Disney+ experience for consumers. It also plays a key role in shaping our DTC content proposition, including building new content partnerships and leading local content acquisitions for Disney+.

In addition to its DTC responsibilities, this team also leads various cross-business projects within the Disney’s Entertainment and ESPN segments, optimizing our overall performance in the region.

Working closely with both EMEA business leads and global US based teams, the CS&BD team provides invaluable support and direction in driving long term growth and delivering global strategic goals. The team’s activities and accomplishments contribute to the growth and success in EMEA of The Walt Disney Company (TWDC)
 

Key areas of responsibility include: 

 Organic Development 

• Evolution of our commercial offer, introduction of new product features, launching in new markets,…)Lead strategic & financial analysis of growth opportunities for Disney+ in EMEA (evolution of our commercial offer, introduction of new product features, launching in new markets,…)
• Review business plans prepared by local Country Managers, assessing their alignment with our strategy and contribution to operational and financial goals

Strategy & Planning  

• Drive the preparation of the annual strategic business review and financial 5 year plan in EMEA, including leading specific DTC workstreams, coordinating with all relevant Regional and US/Global stakeholders
• Monitor key market trends – across consumer behaviour and competitors, extracting meaningful insights that inform key decisions in our business

Partnerships & Licensing  

• Evaluate potential commercial partnerships, assessing strategic fit and financial & operational impacts –
• o    Collaborations with other streaming services 
• o    Distribution of Disney+ through wholesale partners (e.g., Pay TV/ Telecom operators, Consumer Brands)
• Evaluate opportunities to establish strategic partnerships with external content producers (e.g. linear TV channels)
• Evaluate opportunities to license external content and rights (e.g., films and series from external producers, sports rights,…)

Professional Experience

• Significant experience in a Strategy role in the Media & Entertainment sector OR within a top tier Management/Strategy consultancy firm with projects in the media sector
• Understanding of streaming/DTC business, experience in commercial negotiations and/or long-range planning is preferable
• Experience of working closely with senior leadership across multiple markets 
• Demonstrable track record of delivery and an ability to lead, plan and execute projects to an extremely high standard and to demanding deadlines 
• Experience in managing and developing team members 

Personal Skills & Attributes 

• Proactive, self-motivated and autonomous, with a positive ‘can do’ attitude 
• Very clear & structured thinker, intellectually rigorous and with strong analytical skills  
• Strong relationship building skills (and ability to use them to engage several internal stakeholders across multiple geographies and functions) 
• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, with ability to clearly articulate business strategies/ priorities to all levels of the organization  
• Used to work in fast moving environments. Capable of driving different projects in parallel and being agile around changing needs whilst meeting project deadlines 
• Fluent in English.