Senior Manager, CX Innovation - Project Hire

JOB SUMMARY:

The Senior Manager, CX Innovation, is responsible for developing and advancing innovative guest experiences across Universal Orlando Resort, Universal Studios Hollywood & New Ventures, with potential to expand globally. This role blends guest insights, consumer experience strategy, research and development, and experimentation to uncover friction points, test innovative concepts, and build experiences that increase engagement and conversion. The Senior Manager will also partner cross-functionally across Digital & Technology and Marketing & Sales to identify journey gaps, define digital opportunities, and accelerate innovation.

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES:

• CX Innovation
• Define innovation strategies that improve the guest journey – from initial exploration and planning through consideration and booking.
• Champion a Build / Measure / Learn Innovation framework to enable rapid concept validation, iteration, and when appropriate, scalable delivery.
• Identify opportunities across Incremental, Adjacent and Disruptive innovation categories, supporting both short-term enhancements and long-term transformation opportunities.
• Define digital opportunities by mapping guest needs, micromoments, and aligning solutions with broader ecosystem strategies.
• Establish and track OKRs to ensure innovation initiatives are aligned with guest needs, business priorities, and measurable experience outcomes.
• Experience Strategy & Research
• Lead guest insight discovery initiatives to understand friction points, behavior patterns, and guest needs within the Explore and Plan phases of the consumer journey.
• Embed into key Value Streams to influence product roadmaps and ensure consumer experience priorities are prioritized.
• Launch experiments and prototypes to validate ideas aimed at improving guest confidence and simplifying complex decisions.
• Define Pivot or Preserve moments based on data/insights to guide prioritization and reduce risk.
• Contribute to future-state journey mapping and vision concepts that span across Universal’s growing destination.
• Leadership
• Manage a CX Innovation specialist to drive optimizations and experience enhancements, while balancing responsibilities and prioritization.
• Inspire, lead and grow team members by leaning into the UDX culture, helping to solve/eliminate barriers and empowering them to learn and stretch.
• Partner with departmental leaders to establish a culture of experimentation, curiosity, and continuous learning.
• Celebrates team wins and share a positive vision of the future that permeates our daily words and actions.
• Performance Metrics
• Deliver against KPIs to achieve OCF goals, Brand Equity Measures, TSAT
• Understand and actively participate in Environmental, Health & Safety responsibilities by following established UDX policy, procedures, training, and team member involvement activities.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

EDUCATION:

• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing or Communications required.
• MBA strongly preferred.
  
  

EXPERIENCE:

• 7 years of digital strategy, innovation, or consumer experience development preferably in the travel, entertainment, or retail industry.
• Very strong analytical, planning, and critical decision-making skills.
• Demonstrated experience influencing product and content decisions across Web & App platforms.
• Out-of-the-box thinker with experience devising and informing content delivery strategies and tactics across the brand’s websites, CRM initiatives, social media, mobile app, online retail channels, sales, and trade partners.
• In-depth understanding of marketing analytics, consumer and brand research and ability to turn data into insights to drive engagement, conversion, and loyalty.
• A passion for and experience with new technology and media channels, a natural trend spotter for new technologies that play roles in consumer’s lives.
• Cross-functional expertise and the ability to be proactive and thrive in a fast-paced, complex, and highly collaborative environment.
• Experience presenting to and working with senior executives.
• Ability to effectively manage change and conflicts, and problem solve in a highly collaborative environment.
• Strong leadership experience. Ability to inspire and motivate a team of highly intelligent and driven individuals.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience connecting business strategy and communication strategy to consumer needs and expectations.
• Mastery of basic marketing principles, such as target segmentation, category, value proposition, positioning, and brand strategy.
  
  

Your talent, skills and experience will be rewarded with a competitive compensation package.

Universal is not accepting unsolicited assistance from search firms for this employment opportunity. All resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at Universal Orlando via-email, the Internet or in any form and/or method without a valid written Statement of Work in place for this position from Universal Orlando HR/Recruitment will be deemed the sole property of Universal Orlando. No fee will be paid in the event the candidate is hired by Universal Orlando as a result of the referral or through other means.

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