Director, Strategy & Operations

Job Description

The Job

Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. seeks a Director, Strategy & Operations for the Data Services: Project & Product department.

The Director, Strategy & Operations is a key leadership role within the Emerging & Production Technologies and Data Services (EPTDS) department, a team focused on helping WarnerMedia create the next generation of content and fan experiences.

This role will be critical to the success of key departmental initiatives like Virtual Production and Data Strategy by working closely with the SVP to lead departmental strategy, planning, and management, as well as having direct oversight and budgetary authority over a variety of strategic initiatives. Through the planning and management functions of the role, the Director will also be responsible for reducing friction within the team by creating and overseeing department-wide processes.

This role will also liaise between key stakeholders, senior executives, Finance, Legal, and other departments to ensure all budget, contract, administrative, and project-related work are aligned with department and company goals.

The Daily

Production Technology Strategy – Drive analysis and thought leadership to help inform and develop EPTDS department strategy in support of the creation of next-generation content and fan experiences
• Work with the SVP on ongoing refinement of the department's objectives and key results
• Research and author strategic thought leadership to inform EPTDS team strategy and priorities
• Perform varied types of analysis covering topics including department operations, competitive benchmarking, proposed project ROI, etc.

Strategic Initiatives – Lead strategic initiatives that increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the Emerging & Production Technologies and Data Services department
• Identify areas for growth and innovation within EPTDS
• Directly oversee and manage budgets for key strategic initiatives
• Act as the primary representative of the EPTDS Department in a variety of meetings / forums
• Lead department-wide initiatives in support of WarnerMedia's larger Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and culture goals (e.g., people and culture, employee development, accountability, transparency, etc.)

EPTDS Operations – Establish and implement standardized processes for the department's operational and administrative activities to allow the teams to more effectively deliver on high-priority, high-value work
• Problem-solve for complex operational challenges and formulate potential solutions
• Build knowledge base and define best practices for operations management
• Create and identify process improvements to remove friction within the teams
• Work with key stakeholders (e.g., Finance, HR, Vendor Management, Talent Acquisition) to establish internal processes and tracking for talent recruiting, onboarding, and offboarding
• Collaborate with Finance and team VP leads to standardize a process for regular budget and invoice tracking and reporting on project spend
• Drive end-to-end contract management by collaborating cross-functionally with legal, vendor management, and team leads

Program Management – Establish and standardize a process to manage and track incoming and ongoing projects and ensure initiatives align with broader company objectives with measurable outcomes
• Work with the SVP and VP team leads to identify, track and report on major initiatives that will ladder to business unit and corporate priorities
• Develop a process to capture incoming project requests and requirements for the team
• Design and manage an efficient system for tracking departmental progress against projects
• Work with SVP and VP team leads to measure EPTDS-level objectives and key results (OKRs)
• Proactively identify risks, issues, and challenges to mitigate in an effective manner
• Prepare agendas and meeting materials, ensure smooth meeting management, capture and track action items

The Essentials
• Minimum 10 years of experience
• Bachelor's degree
• Extremely talented written and verbal communicator, the ability to communicate complex ideas concisely and effectively
• Outstanding record of professional achievement
• Ability to research and synthesize complex, and often technically sophisticated topics into concise and compelling thought leadership
• Highly analytical and quantitatively competent, including facility with detailed financials and economic modeling
• Ability to work collaboratively in a diverse team environment and with people at all levels in the organization
• Taking smart risks and creating new opportunities for the business.
• Taking ownership in the results of the work and empowering others for the same through actionable feedback.
• Working in a fashion that drives quick, simple and efficient results and is iterative and flexible with priorities.
• Using effective partnerships across the organization, communicating proactively, and incorporating other viewpoints in the approach to the work.

Jobcode: Reference SBJ-r7qwz9-3-144-84-155-42 in your application.