Executive Director – Strategy & Operations

Executive Director – Strategy & Operations

Requirements

• Minimum 10 years of experience in strategy, consumer insights, or research/ analytics role for a consumer-facing business.
• 5+ years of management experience leading cross-functional project teams.
• Bachelor’s degree from a top university.
• Proficiency in data analysis tools and software.
• Proficiency with Excel and PowerPoint.
• Familiarity with wide range of research methodologies (e.g., focus groups, quant surveys, user testing, etc.)
• Excellent verbal and written communications skills, with strong ability to present complex information effectively.
• Strong leadership, team management, and interpersonal skills are required.
• Ability to manage internal and external stakeholders as well as third-parties.
• Excellent ability to manage multiple projects and hit aggressive deadlines.
• High quality, consistent deliverables.

Responsibilities

• Lead the identification and research to support growth opportunities across the Studios segment and COO WBD areas of responsibility, in partnership with SVP Strategy & Operations.
• Develop strategy presentations to establish overall vision, insights, and business cases for Studios growth opportunities for the next 5-10 years.
• Gather research and insights as input to the development of new creative concepts for Global Experiences, in close collaboration with Experiences Leadership vision and strategy.
• Formulate comprehensive research plans and performance tracking for growth projects, with a focus on executive-level audience (C-Suite) reporting.
• Foster strong relationships and serve as liaison for key stakeholders across the Studios and the company.
• Responsible for developing and vetting the market size for potential Experiences, articulating the addressable market size, attendance and per cap assumptions in the business cases and providing supporting analysis via consumer research and market studies.
• Manage external consultants who provide market assessments, feasibility reports, and competitive benchmarking in partnership with BU leadership.
• The Executive Director will run, as needed, multiple rounds of consumer research, including focus groups, quant surveys, user testing, etc. and be integral the launch of the new experiences.
• Lead development of strategic plans, including materials creation, communication and coordination with Senior Studios executives.
• Partner closely with BU teams to develop research-supported assumptions for business cases and new investments / projects.
• Proactively monitor and advise on key industry trends that impact Studios business units (Motion Pictures, TV, Games, Consumer Products, Global Experiences) and key growth areas, including but not limited to new experiences, retail-tainment, innovative technologies, short form content, AI, etc.
• Lead development of market trend materials for Board-level strategy presentations, partnering with BU research teams.
• Demonstrate deep technical and strategic understanding of the business unit and what is needed to drive successful future growth.
• Attend industry events, as needed, for themed experiences, such as IAAPA, to track industry trends and build external market knowledge and expertise.
• Track the performance of Experiences on a regular basis with consumer surveys and reporting KPIs to the Global Experience Executive team.
• Work with BU teams to develop KPIs and analyze business performance effectively, providing input and recommendations to leadership based on best practice and industry experience.
• Develop dashboards with technology teams to track business performance in real time and deliver key insights and data driven recommendations to senior stakeholders.
• Partner with Technology and Finance teams to create new reporting capabilities that summarize Global Experience Business activities and metrics. This will include consolidating external data and internal data as input to future strategy and planning.
• Lead research projects with research vendors.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in media and entertainment industry preferred.
• Experience in multinational, complex organizations preferred.