Senior Manager-Marketing Strategy, Sports and Water Parks

Job ID 10139947 Location Celebration, Florida, United States Business Walt Disney World Resort Date posted Jan. 13, 2026

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Job Summary:

“It takes people to make the dream a reality." Walt was on to something when he said that, and it continues to ring true today. No matter the stage in your career, being part of Walt Disney World Resort (WDW) means being a member of a team where you help to bring innovation to life through unsurpassed products, services, and most importantly, remarkable experiences. As a Cast Member, you are the connection to our legacy and the backbone of our thriving organization.

A runDisney race is anything but ordinary. From virtual events to a full on-site marathon; Disney characters, live entertainment and a commemorative Disney finisher medal all await our Guests. At runDisney, every mile is magic!

At ESPN Wide World of Sports, we are celebrating youth and amateur sport athletes everyday. As an emerging epicenter for global youth sports, we are building programs and creating experiences that our Guests will never forget. Built around competition, teamwork, and drive this is where Champions are made, and teams become family.

Our Water parks provide a fantastic complement to a full vacation experience at WDW. With magic in every drop, we have the opportunity to share a unique experience through the Disney quality and theming that no other water park can provide.

Walt Disney World Marketing Strategy is a critical part of the Commercial Strategy organization and leads the development of consumer insight-driven marketing strategies to achieve planned revenue, attendance, and managing the return on our marketing investment.

As the Sr. Manager, Marketing Strategy for Sports and Water Parks, you will lead the Walt Disney World marketing efforts to drive on-site and virtual runDisney attendance, Sports event participation, and Water Parks visitation. You will lead a team that will focus in each business area. The Sr. Manager effectively leads and navigates complex Commercial Marketing efforts, managing a high volume of tasks and multiple scale marketing programs while leading a large team with significant budgets. As part of the Commercial Strategy organization, you will also help support short and long-term strategic needs and opportunities, helping shape product, experience and commercial activations with a cross-functional team. This role requires solid executive interaction and the ability to mobilize multiple areas across the site to meet strategic goals. This leader should be able to navigate change and ambiguity with courage, flexibility and optimism. The Sr. Manager leads and develops individual contributors and leaders of leaders.

You will report to the Director of Marketing Strategy.

Responsibilities:

Deliver on-site and virtual runDisney attendance, Sports event participation, and Water Parks visitation.
Lead development of multilayered and innovative marketing strategies to drive annual business results by developing distinctive product positioning and go-to-market (GTM) initiatives that reflect strategic planning, critical thinking, analytics, and commercial impact
Leverage business and marketing analytics, consumer insights to inform KPIs, strategies and evaluate opportunities for each of the Sports and Water Parks brands, in addition to informing and influencing senior leaders
Lead and supervise development and execution of commercial marketing plans (GTM, ICP, Commercial Mktg Plans) to deliver business goals.
Inspire, grow and nurture a team of marketing professionals across different levels of experience while collaborating with world-class internal partners
Be positioned as the marketing lead for the sports business and water parks and represent with confidence in front of executive leadership and across the organization
Establish and maintain an understanding of our positioning and differentiators for the Sports and Water Parks while keeping pace with the leisure travel industry
Serve as lead liaison with the business development team, the marketing disciplines and the wider marketing strategy organization including centers of expertise
Oversee the social media strategy for Sports and Water Parks
Provide overall creative, media and promotional feedback to ensure flawless execution of tactics
Cultivate an environment of creativity, innovation, and activation
Manage annual / quarterly budget planning in addition to ensuring the delivery of projects within allocated budget and time frame

Basic Qualifications:

7+ years in Marketing Strategy, Commercial Strategy, Brand Management or related roles
5+ years with direct leadership experience
Broad and comprehensive understanding of marketing model, theories, execution, business drivers, and tourism industry (or consumer products)
Deep subject matter expertise of the consumer journey to help inform and shape key marketing/commercial strategies to drive business goals
Strong commercial sensibility and familiarity with distribution dynamics
Proficient in understanding and guiding the creative and media planning process
Knowledge of content creation and various platforms
Expertise in crafting strategies based on consumer insights and data analysis
Strong presentation and communication skills with a unique ability to create strategic and compelling visual stories for all levels of leadership
Ability to influence at all levels of leadership both internally and externally
Demonstrated leadership skills with a deep track record of developing teams and nurturing relationships
Skilled at situational analysis, problem solving and ability to anticipate outcomes and needs
Excellent partnership and collaboration skills
Superior professionalism
P&L experience

Preferred Qualifications:

Previous work experience in other business leadership roles
Professional experience in the travel, lodging and sports industry

Required Education:

Bachelor's Degree in Marketing, Business, Communications, or equivalent

Preferred Education

Master's Degree in Marketing, Business, Communications, or equivalent

Additional Information:

This position is located in Celebration, FL

Benefits and Perks: Disney offers a rewards package to help you live your best life. This includes health and savings benefits, educational opportunities and special extras that only Disney can provide. Learn more about our benefits and perks at https://jobs.disneycareers.com/benefits

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About Walt Disney World Resort:

Since opening in 1971, Walt Disney World Resort has played an important role in many childhood and family memories. Today, hundreds of millions of guests from around the globe visit this magical place to enjoy a Disney vacation. Through a combination of creativity, innovation and technology, the resort immerses guests in classic Disney tales and new kinds of family entertainment. Drawing from a rich heritage of storytelling, Walt Disney World Resort cast members bring Disney magic to life through unmatched attention to detail and superior guest service.

About The Walt Disney Company:

The Walt Disney Company, together with its subsidiaries and affiliates, is a leading diversified international family entertainment and media enterprise that includes three core business segments: Disney Entertainment, ESPN, and Disney Experiences. From humble beginnings as a cartoon studio in the 1920s to its preeminent name in the entertainment industry today, Disney proudly continues its legacy of creating world-class stories and experiences for every member of the family. Disney’s stories, characters and experiences reach consumers and guests from every corner of the globe. With operations in more than 40 countries, our employees and cast members work together to create entertainment experiences that are both universally and locally cherished.

This position is with Disney Destinations, LLC, which is part of a business we call Walt Disney World Resort.

Disney Destinations, LLC is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, military or veteran status, medical condition, genetic information or disability, or any other basis prohibited by federal, state or local law. Disney champions a business environment where ideas and decisions from all people help us grow, innovate, create the best stories and be relevant in a constantly evolving world.

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Explore this Location Celebration, FL

The picture-perfect community of Celebration, 25 minutes southwest of Orlando, is a place like no other. Founded by The Walt Disney Company in the 1990s and named one of Forbes Magazine’s prettiest neighborhoods in America, Celebration features an idyllic downtown with architecture inspired by traditional Southern towns.