Sr Manager – Communications – OTE & Disney Accelerator

Sr Manager – Communications – OTE & Disney Accelerator

Requirements

• Minimum of 7 years of experience in communications and public relations, with significant experience in both internal and external communications, and working in the technology and media industries.
• Experience building corporate narratives, developing and executing strategic communication plans, and coordinating events.
• Knowledge of, experience with, and passion for emerging technologies such as AI & XR.
• Strong ethics. Must be highly trustworthy and responsible with confidential information.
• Team-oriented – a willingness to take on jobs big and small and make everybody around them better.
• Experience working with technologists (product managers, engineers, designers) and making complex technology understandable to wider, non-technical audiences.
• Resilience: managing multi-stakeholder projects, thriving in a fast-changing landscape, and embracing change.
• Confidence to share an informed point of view and the emotional and professional intelligence to determine the most effective time and method to do so.
• Excellent oral/written communication skills are an absolute must.
• Exceptional organizational and project management skills in all aspects of job performance with strong attention to detail.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities, create documents quickly and communicate effectively under pressure of time constraints.
• Proactive self-starting mentality with strong creative thinking and the ability to take initiative with projects and anticipate issues of concern.
• Willingness and availability to work evenings and weekends as well as travel for work/production/events as needed.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a day-to-day lead point of contact for Disney’s Office of Technology Enablement and the Disney Accelerator Program, supporting the VP of Communications and the wider Communications team in all activities related to the communications needs of both groups.
• Work collaboratively as part of a multi-faceted, matrixed team that supports the communication strategy and execution – internally and externally.
• Craft compelling narratives, press releases, articles, and thought leadership to educate Disney employees on emerging technologies and showcasing Disney’s strategic XR & AI initiatives and The Disney Accelerator Program.
• Interact with senior executives and strategic operations teams at both OTE and Disney Accelerator to identify key goals and priorities, assist in preparing materials for executive speaking engagements, and advise and guide them in public/press interactions.
• Actively monitor media to identify trends, target press, and thought leadership opportunities to secure and manage stories with press, appearances in key strategic industry events.
• Identify, develop, and maintain tools for the Communications team to help establish and advance best practices in the corporate communications sector.
• As appropriate, serve as a spokesperson for the company.
• Work with the VP of Communications, OTE leaders and other partners (including legal, policy, corporate communications, and more) to create external and internal communications strategies and plans around AI and XR.
• Develop a strong, effective and daily collaboration with the OTE strategic operations & initiatives team to understand the key needs, priorities and strategies of the group, and determine how to best support them from a communications standpoint.
• Work with OTE team to keep key audiences internally aware and informed about AI & XR news, trends and resources.
• Work with the VP of Communications, OTE leaders and other partners (including Disney segment Comms teams, legal, more) to continuously evolve a year-round external and internal communications strategy that articulates Disney’s innovation and responsible engagement with emerging technologies such as XR and AI.
• Create external communications content and materials including press releases, blog posts, storytelling content, media pitches, talking points, and more.
• Manage the external communications review and approval process for OTE.
• Develop internal communications content for various channels, including intranet, email, messaging platforms, and more.
• Work closely with other Internal Communications leads both within the immediate team and across the Company.
• Work with senior leadership to track communication performance, trends, and opportunities.
• With the VP of Communications and other Communication team members to manage any Communications issues.
• Support year-round communications for the Disney Accelerator Program.
• Develop a strong, effective and regular collaboration with the Accelerator program administrators and leaders to understand the key needs, priorities and strategies, and how to best support them from a communications standpoint.
• Work with the VP of Communications, Disney Accelerator leaders, and other partners (including Disney segment Comms teams, legal, more) to create a year-round external and internal communications strategy that tells the story of Disney’s commitment to innovation through the Disney Accelerator.
• Proactively position Disney Accelerator as the premier corporate accelerator program, an innovation engine for Disney, and a program that is supporting the advancement of growth stage startups and adding value & innovation to Disney.
• As part of a cross-functional event team, drive the success of Disney Accelerator’s annual Demo Day, including supporting the development of narrative, script preparation and editing, coordination with participating companies, securing press attendance and managing stories with press before, during, and after the event.
• Create external communications content and materials including press releases, blog posts, storytelling content, media pitches, talking points, and more.
• Identify and manage targeted, effective external speaking opportunities for Disney Accelerator program leaders.
• Develop internal communications content for various channels, including intranet, email. Messaging platforms, and more.
• Work with senior leadership to track communication performance, trends, and opportunities.
• Coordinate with Disney Accelerator companies on all external communication around their role in the Program, as well as any topics, issues or opportunities that could reflect (positively or negatively) on Disney in public.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working in both a corporate environment and the media and technology startup world.
• Existing relationships with tech, business and trade press preferred.
• Experience and baseline proficiency with all or many of the following: Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, Media Encoder, Firefly, Keynote, Microsoft Word, Powerpoint, Excel, Teams, and coPilot, Google G Suite (including Gemini), Canva, Trello, Smartsheet.
• Video project management and/or production is a plus.