Vice President, Human Resources

Vice President, Human Resources at The Walt Disney Company

Burbank, CA | posted: January 10, 2024

About the job

The Vice President, Human Resources (HR) serves as a strategic HR leader for The Walt Disney Studios across diverse parts of our business (e.g., Production Services, Technology, Theatrical Distribution, Studio Operations, Disney Music Group, Disney Theatrical Group, Labor Relations, Integrated Planning & Franchise Management, and RISE). This role reports to the Senior Vice President and Head of HR for The Walt Disney Studios and will be located in Burbank, CA.

At The Walt Disney Studios, you will be at the heart of our Creative entertainment business with some of the most iconic brands in the industry. As a member of the Studio HR team, you will work with world-class leaders driving the strategies that keep The Walt Disney Studios at the leading edge of entertainment and be a part of enabling the greatest storytellers in the world to create memories for millions of families around the globe.

The right candidate for this role will demonstrate excitement for creativity and innovation and a combination of strong business acumen and significant Human Resource (HR) functional knowledge to guide the development of HR strategies to support the success of assigned business groups. Their connection to HR, deep understanding of the business, and focus on an inclusive, people-oriented culture enables them to:

• Enhance the people experience by championing for employees’ development and belonging
• Foster leadership success by consulting and coaching leaders on how to grow talent in meaningful ways
• Drive business results by being a strategic thought partner that evokes transformational change

This position requires an individual who can act as a senior consultant to the business, build and execute a strong integrated HR strategy, as well as manage and develop the teams that support each client’s unique business needs, culture, and objectives. This individual will work hand in hand with HR specialty partners and centers of excellence to craft and implement collective HR work. This leader must cultivate an inclusive culture where there is diversity of thought to drive innovative ideas and where team members can demonstrate their best abilities and deliver meaningful results.

As part of the HR executive team, this role requires an experienced perspective based on business and organizational transformation, active collaboration, agility, technical excellence, and the ability to successfully partner with and advise senior business leaders and functional HR leads.

Responsibilities:

This role will be responsible for TWDC enterprise, cross-business, and Studio specific initiatives that require deep HRBP and Organizational Transformation experience including the ability to consult, coach, and influence senior executives, lead complex business initiatives, and collaboratively partner at all levels to:

• Identify and evaluate gaps between “current” and “future” performance to develop business-focused solutions that sustainably improve enterprise-wide effectiveness.
• Develop strategies for optimizing people, processes, systems, and culture to accelerate business performance.
• Design and implement change and transition strategies to enable business growth.

This senior level executive will work with business leaders and their teams in collaboration with the broader HR function to provide the following services:

• People partnership - Gain trust and ensure individuals feel respected, valued and have a sense of well-being. Coach business leaders on employee communication, development and performance management to promote engagement and a culture of continuous growth and development.
• Strategy Development- Leverage workforce insights and deep understanding of the commercial side of business to develop organizational & people strategies that influence decision making and drive business goals.
• Organization Development - Assess the effectiveness of the organization’s structure and processes and provide guidance and tools to help leaders and employees through the resulting changes.
  • Organization Effectiveness: Assess organizational performance and define talent gaps and propose HR solutions.
  • Talent Management: Create and execute a talent management approach focused on forecasting, staffing, on-boarding, development, performance management, career / succession planning, talent movement and retention to fuel current and future business growth.
  • Change Management: Develop and implement change management strategies to achieve desired business results that are sustainable over time.
• Inclusion & Belonging - Understand the impact decisions have on individuals and effectively demonstrate DEI skills to foster a sense of belonging for all.

Develop and grow a team of HR Business Partners who are seen as credible and proactive partners to the business leaders and employees given how they perform their work. Be a role model for these qualities.

• Credible Partner - Build strong relationships and be a true advisor to employees at all levels.
• Early Engager- Proactively seek opportunities to impact business strategies.
• Storyteller & Influencer - Convey relatable messages and spark action in others, utilizing data to enhance the business case.
• Versatile - Demonstrate agility and adaptability to meet the needs of the business and employees.
• Innovative & Creative - Have a deep understanding of the business and both, introduce and be open to, new ideas that advance the work and experiences.
• Technology Advocate - Utilize technology to enhance the employee experience.
• Inclusive- Demonstrate commitment to DEI priorities and foster an environment of respect, appreciation, belonging and openness.
• Collaborative- Work effectively with others to strengthen individual and team goals.
• Resilient - Be self-aware when situations become challenging and effectively rebound in difficult times.
• Balance strategy and execution – develop strategies for the business with an operational mindset to drive to execution.

Develop collaborative partnerships with HR specialty partners and centers of excellence.

• Develop partnerships with HR functional teams (e.g., Compensation, Learning, DEI, Talent Acquisition) to deliver integrated solutions to HR-related needs.
• Proactively integrate HR functional partners into client strategies and projects, providing critical coaching and context to enable partners to make effective contributions.
• Maintain collaborative relationships with other business segment HR partners to share and leverage best practices.
• Develop a high performing HR culture where team members can demonstrate their best abilities.
• Identify and adopt the creation and utilization of relevant tools and best practices.

At Disney, we want leaders who lead so that people chose to follow; We are looking for a leader who embodies the following leadership guiding principles:

• Captivate the Audience – Tell compelling stories. Disney leaders are authentic and connect with people through the power of story. They think globally with relentless customer focus. They maintain a clear vision for success in order to lead strategically and begin with the end in mind.
• Inspire Optimism – Motivate, develop and collaborate. Disney leaders consistently reinforce why success is possible. They build effective teams with strong relationships, maintain humility, invest in top talent and show appreciation. They demonstrate confidence, act decisively, expect excellence and drive results to realize shared success.
• Innovate with Courage – Invent our future, respect our past. Disney leaders set a tone of accountability while taking informed risks and using failures to learn. They are curious and inspire creativity. They identify disruptors, drive necessary change and seek to do the impossible while respecting Disney’s rich history, so that it’s iconic and newly created brands realize new heights.
• Act with Integrity and Inclusion – Do the right thing. Disney leaders are truthful, trustworthy, and reliable. They make a point to publicly appreciate differences and go out of their way to help others belong. Maintaining a respectful candor at all times, they proactively involve multiple perspectives when making critical decisions, act with sound judgment and treat everyone fairly to ensure Disney standards are upheld.

Other Experience/Education requirements:

• 15 + Years of HR generalist or related experience, ideally as a senior HR executive for a multi-functional, multi-line-of-business organization;
• 8 + Years in leading and developing staff professionals;
• Proven ability to proactively translate changing business objectives to effective HR strategies;
• Relevant experience driving complex org design, talent and change strategies to effectively align the organization and talent to deliver on new business objectives;
• Demonstrated ability to independently develop, drive and contribute to overall strategy and business plans in a rapidly developing/changing environment;
• Strong knowledge and experience with HR Business Partner (generalist), Talent Acquisition/Planning, Learning and Development, Employee Relations, Organizational Development, Change Management, and Diversity & Inclusion functions;
• Demonstrated ability to develop, monitor and respond to HR and company metrics;
• Models excellent judgment and demonstrates the courage to take smart risks that improve business performance;
• Highly collaborative, and builds strong, trusting relationships in order to align various stakeholders and to influence decision-makers to think strategically and critically and to drive positive transformational change throughout the organization
• Possesses a high degree of emotional intelligence, empathy, intellectual energy, outstanding interpersonal, conflict-resolution, coaching and listening skills
• Knowledge of employment and labor law required;
• Master’s Degree with emphasis Human Resource Management, Organization Development or Business preferred.

The hiring range for this position in California is $276,480 to $337,900 per year. The base pay actually offered will take into account internal equity and also 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/or other benefits, dependent on the level and position offered.