Sr. Manager, Content Strategy (Polaris)

The Senior Manager, Content Strategy (Polaris) is responsible for overseeing the full scope of editorial activities for Polaris as a component of the Disney Digital Network. Polaris is the Disney owned brand focusing on gaming and nerd culture. Unlike other gaming brands, Polaris focuses on the diverse demographics that enjoy nerd culture today, including men and women of many backgrounds in the target age bracket (13-25).
Key areas of focus include building content strategy, development of specific ideas to fit the strategy, execution of the content, managing distribution across AVOD and SVOD channels, and measurement of success against established KPIs. The role will oversee a dedicated team of editorial staff, as well as partner with other functions within the Disney Digital Network to build revenue and grow audience. As such, enthusiasm, collaboration, hard work, and leadership are essential for success in this position. The Senior Manager also serves as a key stakeholder in the development and implementation of native and custom advertising programs in partnership with the Co/Op (Branded Entertainment) team.
Responsibilities

• Set the editorial voice and manage the editorial team to execute the overall content strategy.
• Plan and assign the content calendar, with a focus on both short-term (day-to-day editorial) and long-term (tent poles in the gaming and nerd culture calendar).
• Establish deadlines and monitor production schedules.
• Determine pace and allocation of publishing activities across all distributed channels, particularly balancing the needs platforms that require high-volume, constant streams of content versus platforms that require low-volume, high-quality allocations of content.
• Work with senior leadership to develop solutions to how Polaris can fit within the broader Disney portfolio of nerd culture brands.
• Collaborate with product, design, and audience partners to ensure timely and high quality delivery of content that delight men and women of ages 13-25, and support our overall business strategy.
• Partner with the Disney Digital Network Co/Op team to build sponsorship programs that can appeal to potential advertisers.
• Define and own go-to-market strategies and execution of new and expanded content verticals and editorial features that focus on similar demographics.
• Communicate and evangelize editorial vision and capabilities to internal and external partners at all levels.
• Define, monitor, and report key performance indicators and maintain a balance of data and editorially driven publishing strategy.
• Forge relationships and programs with Licensing, Disney Store, Publishing and retail partners where relevant.

Basic Qualifications

• Success in building high-performance teams, motivating and fostering a collaborative, results-driven cross-disciplinary team.
• Familiarity with back-end publishing and platform tools (i.e. WordPress), analytics tools (i.e. FB Insights, YouTube Analytics, Chartbeat), and building audiences on O&O sites, newsletters and/or apps
• Customer-focused mindset and an ability to define clear market-driven product requirements informed by data.
• Must develop, enhance, and maintain relationships with editorial and creative talent across TWDC and externally.
• Resourceful production background, particularly in relation to production with video game content and live-streaming platforms.
• Demonstrated ability to juggle scope and resources to meet deadlines consistently.
• Must have a strong background in gaming and nerd culture, particularly the more recent iterations seen in online video platforms such as YouTube and Twitch.
• Must be an analytical, critical thinker, and a reliable decision-maker.
• Must have a deep understanding of social media, with demonstrated experience using social data to drive overall editorial strategy.
• Ability to translate social conversations into high performing editorial.
• Experience developing and executing native advertising programs in partnership with sales team and clients.