About the position
On any given day at Disney Entertainment & ESPN Technology, we're reimagining ways to create magical viewing experiences for the world's most beloved stories while also transforming Disney's media business for the future. Whether that's evolving our streaming and digital products in new and immersive ways, powering worldwide advertising and distribution to maximize flexibility and efficiency, or delivering Disney's unmatched entertainment and sports content, every day is a moment to make a difference to partners and to hundreds of millions of people around the world. Building the scalable future of Disney's Sports and Entertainment ESPN business: DE&E Designers are creating and building the foundation for our digital future through thoughtful solutions that meet the needs of partners across the organization. The products and platforms this group builds and operates delight millions of consumers every minute of every day - ESPN Digital Products, ESPN Streaming, ESPN Fantasy, and more. We develop and execute groundbreaking products and techniques that shape industry norms and enhance how audiences experience sports, entertainment & news.
Responsibilities
- Lead design systems efforts for the ESPN Core Design Systems team, supervising the work of at least 1-2 other designers
- Partner with designers, engineers, and PMs across multiple teams to align on system usage, adoption, and evolution.
- Design and maintain reusable components, patterns, and documentation in Figma (or similar tools), enabling efficient, cohesive product experiences.
- Champion design system governance, establishing processes for contribution, feedback, and versioning.
- Work with accessibility experts to ensure every component and pattern meets WCAG and inclusive design standards.
- Act as a thought leader on design craft, systems thinking, and the unique demands of sports user experiences.
- Mentor and guide designers on both system usage and contribution best practices.
- Be the voice in the room that always puts the user first
Requirements
- MUST be a sports enthusiast
- Bachelor's degree required, MBA or technical degree preferred
- Minimum 7 years in Product Design at a technology company
- Minimum 1 year(s) of experience leading other designers either as a project lead or people manager
- Passion for evolving the design practice; it's people, processes and tools
- Deep understanding of typography, motion, color theory, and interaction patterns in modern digital products.
- Consulting skills to help stakeholders & partners uncover goals, constraints & dependencies; and then guide them to optimal solutions
- Experience designing for native apps, web, and responsive platforms at scale.
- A strong portfolio demonstrating both personal and team-based work
- A deep arsenal of design tools (Figma, Sketch, InVision, Framer, Mural, Keynote)
- Proficiency in user-centered design thinking methodologies
- Outstanding visual design aesthetics combined usable experiences that address problems
- Be able to communicate directly with Product Managers, Stakeholders, and Developers to translate their visions and constraints, into beautiful, functional products that will delight our users
- Excellent prioritization and documentation skills
Nice-to-haves
- Proven experience in a senior design leadership role, influencing product and technical strategy while driving organizational impact.
Benefits
- 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.
