Director of Strategy

ABOUT US

Storyland Studios is an experience design and production management firm with offices in the US and Europe. We imagine, design and create immersive experiences and environments that lift the Spirit.

From our shared background at Walt Disney Imagineering, we learned the art, craft and science of experience design—of telling stories in space. Our team of over 100 veteran Imagineers, strategists, marketers, artists, animators, designers, and developers craft connected stories and create truly immersive experiences.

We’re a fun-loving family that loves what we do and leads with our heart. We serve the themed-entertainment and attraction market through the Storyland Studios brand and Christian-based cause organizations through our sister brand, PlainJoe.

We care about the life and development of our people and want to come alongside you to care for you in your pursuits.

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Storyland Studios is an equal opportunity employer. We value and celebrate people and honor their individual stories. We believe differences broaden our perspective, strengthen our team and enable us to produce a better product. We do not discriminate based on age, race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, disability, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, or any other protected status in accordance with applicable law.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

Build Strategic Stories
At Storyland, we create experiences and destinations that lift the Spirit. But it’s not all design magic or pie-in-the-sky creative. We seek to develop projects that are also highly marketable and destined for profitability. The director of strategy is vital in helping our clients to determine project feasibility and analyze opportunities. You ensure that investors, developers, and stakeholders have well-laid, guest-centric, data-driven foundations before creative teams start to design the story from BlueSky to reality.

Curiously pursue insights
The director of strategy loves questions. You see them as a fundamental tool for insight archeology—each question dusts off another layer, uncovering artifacts of storytelling gold. You bring a systematic approach to research, from desktop data and analytics to in-field observation and guest experience. You don't just ask questions. You know how to distill and clarify insights from all the information you gather to make your recommendations human-centered and business-savvy.

Play Matchmaker
This role requires you to have your fingers on the pulse of what’s happening and what’s next. This grasp of what's current enables you to discover, select, pair up and extend various IP candidates with experiences that fit their brands, expand their market share and add significant value to destinations, resorts, and experiences of all kinds. This role is not only responsible for helping to identify those partnerships. This role is key in helping to support negotiations where needed and cast vision around brand extension opportunities for clients and IP holders alike.

Speak C-Suite
The Director of Strategy is a master consultant, presenter, and influencer. You are the bridge between the left and the right brain of the creative Themed Entertainment and Destination business. You’re just as comfortable speaking about concepts, BlueSky, and schematics with the creatives as you are speaking about CAPEX, ROI and ROX in the boardroom. You know how to translate the right brain into words that CFO’s and investors need to hear. You understand the concerns of what drives the business forward and can present solutions and findings in such a way as to speak the right words to the right room at the right time.

WHAT SUCCESS WILL LOOK LIKE

You will be accountable for our strategic storytelling and research

• Exhibit flexibility, kindness, and a willingness to learn. Yep, that’s the top of the list!
• You’ll partner closely with our Chief Strategy Officer to tackle consultative contract scopes of work, and strategic phases of larger projects, something we call “Strategic Storytelling”.
• Brief creative teams and project leaders on strategic parameters of a project to ensure the story starts on a strategic foundation.
• Collaborate with the broader creative team, executive producers and project managers to shape the creative strategies to enhance the guest experience or better integrate and extend partnering IP.
• You won’t mind helping our business development team more accurately answer RFP’s and join in on high-stakes business development calls to help them “sell while solving”.
• You demonstrate an ability to work on multiple projects concurrently, with confidence to multi-task and delegate as required.
• Build relationships across the studio in the UK and abroad to become a trusted voice and to share trends, knowledge and industry news.
• Strong client interactions that produce confidence in the studio.
• You will sit on the operations team as the leader of our strategic planning unit; you will be called on by a variety of studio members to help facilitate resolutions to roadblocks in strategic and creative process.
• Meets regularly with the Chief Strategy Officer as an ally in helping to grow the strategic storytelling capabilities of Storyland.
• Support the development of homegrown IP and identify opportunities for the IP of our clients to grow market share, and extend in innovative ways.
• Lead and manage project related conversations with regard to licensing agreements, go-to-market strategies and various kinds of partnerships.
• You’ll work to determine metrics for ROX on specific projects and help the studio to sharpen its methodology and thinking.
• On consultative projects, you will manage the project from end-to-end, from client engagement through project management around scope, schedule and budget.
• You’ll become a value collaborator to the creative team and a strategic mentor to others on the team.
• Help to build out a strategic planning function within the studio and duplicate yourself.

WHAT YOU’LL BRING TO THE PARTY

Skills and Qualifications

• You have a minimum of 10 years’ doing design strategy, consultancy services, IP strategy or location-based leisure entertainment management.
• You’re a graduate of a business, psychology, design, or architecture school Bonus points for an advanced business degree or commensurate experience showcasing your business acumen.
• You have the ability to provide advice and recommendations in an informed and confident manner.
• You have a strong understanding of the theme park business, and the operations of place-based experiences and attractions.
• You’re insatiably curious. Your curiosity drives compelling insights that empower problem solving.
• You’re adept at benchmarking, desk-based research, observational studies, creating and guiding focus groups, drafting and fielding experience and performance surveys, and conducting stakeholder interviews.
• You’re a pro at group facilitation and a master jedi of active listening.
• You're a leader. You inspire and cultivate confidence in those you work alongside.
• During your career, you have not just lived in concept land. You have extensive experience consulting on projects that were activated and grown.
• You’ve got a solid history of successfully forming stakeholder and partner teams.
• While you can carry a lot on your own, you enjoy having a pack and work well on team.
• Discretion and confidentiality are your friends.
• Strong knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite, including Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
• Outstanding organizational skills; persistent, tactful and enthusiastic.
• You have exceptional written and verbal communication skills. Bonus points for a sense of humor!
• You have an EQ that matches or supersedes your IQ — we hire just as much, if not more, based on values than strictly intellect or ability. If you’re humble, hungry, and servant-hearted—you’ve found your people!
• You see feedback as a means to growth, rather than criticism.
• You love this whole themed entertainment industry thing!
• You’ll be comfortable working in proximity to our cause and Christian faith-based projects which we do through our sister studio, PlainJoe – though the focus of this position is themed entertainment.
• You’re fluent in English—equally able to write or present. Bonus points for fluency in an extra language.

We're offering highly competitive pay + the following benefits

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Benefits:

• Casual dress
• Company pension
• Flexitime
• Sick pay
• Unlimited paid holidays
• Work from home

Schedule:

• Flexitime
• Monday to Friday

Education:

• Bachelor's (preferred)

Willingness to travel:

• 50% (preferred)

Work Location: Remote

Expected start date: 02/05/2023