Senior Principal Commercialization Manager, Ad Platforms

Sr Principal Product Commercialization ManagerThe Commercialization team within Disney's Ad Platform sits at the intersection of product engineering, data science, and go-to-market strategy. As a Sr Principal Product Commercialization Manager, you will serve as the technical authority on Disney's advertising technology stack — translating deep expertise in programmatic infrastructure, AI-powered ad products, identity resolution, measurement science, and auction mechanics into market-facing strategy that drives advertiser adoption and competitive differentiation. This includes both Disney's programmatic platform and its emerging portfolio of AI products: agentic ad buying systems that optimize campaigns autonomously, and generative AI tools for dynamic creative production at scale.This is not a communications or content role. It requires the same technical literacy as a senior product manager: the ability to read a technical specification, participate meaningfully in engineering sprint reviews, evaluate ad tech vendor integrations (DSPs, SSPs, CDPs, clean rooms), assess build-vs-buy decisions on infrastructure, evaluate AI/ML model architecture and inference tradeoffs, and define product requirements informed by buyer technical constraints. The output is market-facing, but the qualification bar is firmly technical.You will be a primary bridge between Ad Platform Engineering and the market — shaping how Disney's advertising technology is understood, valued, and adopted by advertisers, agencies, and industry analysts. You will also serve as a key input into the product roadmap, bringing structured buyer intelligence and technical gap analysis back into the product development cycle.ResponsibilitiesDevelop and own the master positioning framework for core Ad Platform product areas — spanning both the programmatic infrastructure (OpenRTB standards, SSAI, audience segmentation, identity resolution, cross-screen measurement) and the emerging AI product portfolio (agentic ad buying, AI-powered campaign optimization, and generative creative production).Partner with Product Management and Engineering leadership to define Disney's technical differentiation across both programmatic and AI product lines — evaluating competitive ad tech and AI model architectures, and translating technical advantages into compelling, evidence-backed market narratives.Serve as the internal authority on competitive intelligence — tracking shifts in programmatic infrastructure (DSP/SSP integrations, identity graph approaches, clean room adoption) and AI-driven advertising capabilities (agentic buying platforms, generative creative tools, LLM-powered targeting and optimization) across key competitors.Commission and synthesize market research, win/loss analysis, and buyer technical requirement studies to identify unmet needs — feeding structured insights directly into product roadmap prioritization alongside Engineering and Product Management.Participate actively in product and engineering planning cycles — contributing buyer technical constraints, integration requirements, and market signal as direct inputs to feature scoping, acceptance criteria, and roadmap prioritization.Translate buyer integration requirements (e.g., DSP API compatibility, audience data onboarding, attribution methodology support) into structured product requirements for Engineering review.Evaluate ad tech industry standards (e.g., IAB Tech Lab frameworks, OpenRTB extensions, seller-defined audiences, Privacy Sandbox APIs) and AI model governance considerations, providing technical recommendations on which standards Disney should adopt, build toward, or influence.Assess AI product capabilities in partnership with Engineering and Data Science — understanding model architecture decisions (e.g., reinforcement learning for bid optimization, diffusion models for creative generation, LLM-based campaign planning agents) well enough to evaluate competitive positioning and define market-facing capability claims with technical accuracy.Establish a structured technical feedback loop between the field (sales, buyers, agency trading desks) and engineering — surfacing integration blockers, API limitations, AI workflow adoption barriers, and measurement gaps as prioritized, evidence-backed input to product development.Partner with Product Management to translate technical capabilities into differentiated, market-facing value propositions — including technical collateral (architecture overviews, integration guides, measurement methodology documentation) that enables sophisticated buyer conversations.Collaborate with sales GTM teams to develop and execute launch strategies for new ad platform products and features, including launch tiers, market segmentation, technical readiness criteria, and post-launch measurement.Define and track shared GTM success metrics — including product adoption, pipeline influence, and technical integration rates — using data to continuously refine market strategy.Develop the field readiness approach for assigned product areas, equipping sales teams with technically accurate messaging, integration documentation, product demos, and objection-handling frameworks for complex buyer environments.Establish a consistent field feedback loop to surface buyer technical objections, competitive integration pressures, and gaps in current platform capabilities — translating findings into actionable engineering input and positioning improvements.Partner with Ad Product, Research, Measurement Science, and Engineering teams to align in-market narratives with technical reality and ensure consistent articulation of Disney's advertising technology capabilities across all customer touchpoints.Represent Disney's Ad Platform as a technical authority at industry events, analyst briefings (e.g., Forrester, Gartner, MoffettNathanson), and standards body engagements (e.g., IAB Tech Lab) to shape category narratives in Streaming TV advertising.Serve as a senior mentor and standard-setter across the PM organization — mentoring Principal and Senior PMs, defining the technical rigor bar for positioning and go-to-market work, and shaping how the broader PM function evaluates and represents technical products.Advise senior product, engineering, and business leadership — including VP and EVP stakeholders — on where the advertising technology and AI market is headed, directly shaping investment priorities and strategic bets for the Ad Platform portfolio.Required Qualifications12+ years of product marketing experience in B2B technology products, with demonstrated ownership of positioning, messaging, and go-to-market strategy across a multi-product portfolio, and a track record operating as a recognized technical authority and executive advisor, not solely an individual product contributorBachelor's degree in a technical or quantitative field (Computer Science, Engineering, Economics, Statistics) or equivalent practical experience in an ad tech product or engineering environmentDeep technical fluency across both the programmatic advertising stack (OpenRTB auction mechanics, DSPs/SSPs, identity resolution, data clean rooms, cross-screen attribution modeling) and AI-powered advertising products (agentic campaign management, AI/ML-driven optimization, generative creative systems)Proven ability to participate as a technical contributor in product and engineering planning — reading technical specifications, evaluating integration requirements, and translating buyer technical constraints into structured product inputProven track record of leading successful product launches from strategy through post-launch measurement, including technical readiness criteria and field enablementExperience influencing product roadmap and engineering prioritization using structured market evidence, buyer technical requirements, and competitive technical analysisAbility to conduct or commission market research, win/loss analysis, and competitive technical assessments to inform product and technology strategyStrong executive communication skills with experience presenting technical strategy and market recommendations to senior engineering and business leadershipPreferred QualificationsMBA or Master's degree in a technical or business fieldHands-on experience with programmatic ad tech infrastructure: buying platforms, server-side ad insertion (SSAI), audience data onboarding, measurement and attribution systems, or CTV ad deliveryExperience working on or marketing AI-powered advertising products — including agentic buying systems, AI campaign optimization, or generative creative tools — with working knowledge of the underlying ML concepts (reinforcement learning, generative models, LLM-based agents)Familiarity with IAB Tech Lab standards, Privacy Sandbox APIs, seller-defined audience frameworks, or emerging AI/automation standards in digital advertisingExperience in connected TV, streaming media, or addressable television advertising