Executive Director, Design

Executive Director, Product Design – Discovery & Browse

As Executive Director, Product Design – Discovery & Browse, you will own the end‑to‑end design mandate for Discovery & Browse across Disney+ and Hulu. This includes both platforms' browse surfaces, search experiences, personalization UX, and next‑generation AI‑powered discovery interactions.

• Design Vision & Strategy:
  Define and champion a unified but platform‑appropriate design vision for Discovery across Disney+ and Hulu one that serves the distinct tonal, audience, and brand requirements of each service while maintaining architectural coherence.
• Search & Browse Architecture:
  Lead design of Search, Browse, and navigation systems at scale including content taxonomy, metadata‑driven UX, and information architecture for catalogs of extraordinary breadth and diversity.
• AI‑Powered Discovery:
  Drive the design strategy for next‑generation discovery including AI discovery assistants, voice interfaces, conversational browsing, and ambient recommendation surfaces. Establish Disney Streaming as a leader in intelligent, low‑friction content discovery.
• Personalization UX:
  Partner with Personalization and Data Science teams to translate algorithmic recommendations into intuitive, subscriber‑trusting design experiences, ensuring personalization surfaces feel helpful, not intrusive.
• Radical Simplicity:
  Set and hold the bar for design simplicity and clarity ensuring that as the platforms grow in capability and catalog, the subscriber experience grows simpler, not more complex.
• Multi‑Platform Excellence:
  Oversee Discovery design consistency and quality across TV, mobile, web, and emerging device surfaces maintaining coherence while adapting to each platform's unique interaction model.
• Team Building & Talent:
  Recruit, develop, and retain a best‑in‑class Product Design team with specialized depth in streaming Discovery, Search, AI prototyping, and browse UX. Build the team that defines the standard for Discovery design in entertainment.
• Cross‑Functional Leadership:
  Serve as the design executive partner for Product Management, Engineering, Machine Learning, and Content teams ensuring design is embedded in Discovery strategy from the earliest stages.

• Bachelor’s Degree and/or equivalent work experience.
• Minimum 12 years of related work experience.
• Demonstrated experience leading Discovery and Browse design at Disney+, Hulu, or a closely comparable streaming or entertainment platform.
• Expert‑level background in designing large‑scale content discovery systems including search UX, browse taxonomy, genre and mood‑based navigation, and recommendation‑driven surface design.
• Direct experience leading design for AI‑powered features including voice discovery, natural language search, conversational recommendation interfaces, and AI‑assisted browsing.
• Experience navigating multi‑brand or multi‑audience design systems with the ability to maintain platform identity and audience appropriateness across a diverse content portfolio.
• Proven track record setting design direction, influencing at the VP level, building high‑performing design teams, and driving design outcomes on complex, cross‑functional products.
• Exceptional design sensibility with a demonstrated ability to bring clarity and elegance to complex discovery problems. A portfolio that shows restraint as a design principle, not an afterthought.
• Reputation for attracting senior design talent and building Discovery‑specialized teams with a network in entertainment technology and streaming design.

The hiring range for this position in San Francisco is  227,200 to  304,700 per year. The base pay will take into account internal equity and 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 other benefits, dependent on the level and position offered.