Manager, Operating Participants

Job Summary:

The Operating Participants & Real Estate team is composed of 20+ professionals located in Orlando at the Walt Disney World Resort (WDW) and Anaheim at the Disneyland Resort (DLR) and is responsible for the strategy, tenanting and oversight of third parties that operate on our resort property as tenants, including retailers, restaurants, hotels and service providers.  It also identifies and executes strategic real estate transactions in and around WDW property.  Overall, the Operating Participants team manages over 200 accounts that deliver operating income contribution to the sites.  From a strategic perspective, the Operating Participants team leverages third-party brand strength and operational expertise to expand the diversity of complementary offerings at our Resorts, driving length of stay, capturing broader guest demographics on property and generating incremental guest visits from local residents. 
 
We are seeking a Manager, Operating Participants – Account Management with experience managing contractual relationships to support the WDW team. Reporting to the Director, Operating Participants – Account Management, this role is based in Orlando.  

Responsibilities:  

• Manage a varied portfolio of existing, large scale Operating Participant Tenants in alignment with organizational priorities and business needs  

• Responsible for understanding Tenant obligations and ensuring lease compliance and adherence to Disney Standards for Operating Participant hotels, retail, restaurant, recreation, cart & kiosk, and service provider operations  

• Partners with internal and external stakeholders to negotiate lease amendments and other related agreements  

• Leverage strong networking and relationship-building skills with internal and external partners to build consensus and drive work  

• Drive business performance and recommendations for the assigned portfolio in alignment to segment and organizational goals, priorities and metrics  

• Partner with internal and external stakeholders to develop new and enhanced Operating Participant business opportunities  

• Interact with internal and external executives in areas related to operational performance, lease negotiations and enforcement, financial discussions, etc.  

• Work independently to drive strategy focused on four main areas:  
  Drive business performance of your portfolio  
  Streamline effective processes  
  Prioritize work to achieve key priorities and goals  
  Ensure OP Tenants deliver on product and service excellence  

Basic Qualifications:  

• Minimum 5+ years of commercial lease management and negotiation experience with national operators  

• Operational management expertise in retail, food & beverage, hotel and/or real estate management and development experience  

• Subject Matter Expert of lease agreements and other legal agreements and terms  

• Subject Matter Expert on lease enforcement efforts  

• Strong negotiation skills, specifically negotiation of lease agreement deal terms, both for new leases and renewal of existing leases  

• Proven capability to manage and drive strategy, problem solving, and the development of practical business solutions  

• Proven self-starter; motivated 

• Proven ability to communicate in a highly organized, persuasive, confident and credible manner when dealing with executive level partners (internally and externally) 

• Demonstrated success as an effective leader/partner/collaborator 

• Demonstrated skills in developing and maintaining effective business relationships 

• Demonstrated skills/experience with successful Project Management 

• Ability to work in a flexible environment with competing priorities – should have strong multi-tasking abilities 

• Solid financial acumen; ability to manage/forecast business trends; understanding of financial statements (P&L, Cash Flow)
• Ability to influence Tenants and internal stakeholders 

• Demonstrated ability to work well in a fast-paced, dynamic environment 

• Demonstrated proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, PowerPoint, Excel) 

Required Education:  

• Bachelor’s Degree in Business or related field  

Preferred Education:  

• Master’s Degree in Business or related field  

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