Business Operations (Biz Ops) is a newly established function at SPE that plays a critical role in driving the companys growth and achieving its strategic ambitions. The team is responsible for identifying and evaluating transformative opportunities ensuring they align with SPEs unique capabilities and partnering across the organization and with external stakeholders to bring these ideas to life. With a mandate to expand SPEs impact Biz Ops combines strategic thinking with practical execution serving as a key advisor to executive leadership.

As an engine for growth Biz Ops influences the companys strategic direction helps put the right resources and systems in place and shapes opportunities that leverage SPEs differentiated assets to create innovative partnerships for artists brands and platforms. The work requires a dynamic entrepreneurial mindset comfortable operating with incomplete information and the ability to manage cross-functional initiatives by maintaining clear consistent communication. Team members must be able to balance big picture vision with hands-on execution to maintain focus and ensure well-informed decision-making.

The VP Business Operations reports to the EVP Business Operations and will be responsible for the following key areas:

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Strategic Vision and Planning: Work closely with Strategy Business and Corporate colleagues to develop and execute comprehensive growth plans for SPEs core businesses (Motion Picture SPT SPNI Crunchyroll and Alamo Drafthouse/Experiences) ensuring alignment with the companys overall vision and objectives.
  • Collaborate with members of company and divisional leadership to evaluate existing plans (and performance) in comparison to opportunities in the marketplace.
  • Drive refinements shifts and transformations to ensure optimal allocation of resources against the most attractive risk-adjusted strategic bets.
• Business Formation: Identify and develop new profit streams by advancing/evolving existing businesses or supporting the companys expansion into new ones.
  • Evaluate and implement sourcing deal-making financing development production/execution and monetization strategies that align to the companys existing capabilities and resources or make the case for adding new ones.
  • Build robust financial and business cases/plans for new initiatives including revenue projections cost analysis and risk assessments.
  • Collaborate with key creative business operating and financial stakeholders to determine key risks and opportunities related to the overall effort and execution of it.
  • Identify and recruit and/or work with Corporate Development to acquire top talent and other assets to support the execution of strategic initiatives and enhance business operations.
• Market Analysis and Opportunity Identification: Conduct in-depth market assessments to identify growth opportunities competitive dynamics and emerging trends in the media and entertainment industry.
  • Promote a culture of critical thinking and curiosity through pursuit (and collection) of key market intelligence and performance data.
  • Leverage this information and perspective across all SPE businesses to analyze audience behavior content consumption patterns and technological advancements to inform decision-making.

• Partnership and Alliance Building: Identify and cultivate high-impact strategic and commercial partnerships with key industry players including talent IP owners networks streaming platforms consumer brands and technology providers.
  • Evaluate connectivity and points of overlap with our existing businesses enabling effective integration and positive-sum collaboration across SPE.
  • Prioritize arrangements that can lead to differentiated strategic position outsized profits or inexpensive access to high-value capabilities.
  • Collaborate with key internal stakeholders to negotiate high-impact deals that maximize value and drive profitable growth.
• Operational Excellence: Foster a culture of collaboration and coordination across the company by demonstrating intentionality innovation and information sharing.
  • Take time to learn how our businesses work including first and second order influences.
  • Push for continuous improvement modeling behaviors that promote a culture of accountability including humility vulnerability and rigor.
  • Work with corporate and business teams to streamline operational processes without oversimplifying or implying uniformity of creative teams processes or outcomes.
• Stakeholder Communication: Outline draft revise and deliver material communications to the team executive leadership corporate and operating colleagues and external stakeholders.
  • Communicate progress challenges and opportunities effectively to ensure alignment and support across the organization.

CORE COMPETENCIES AND BEHAVIORS

Biz Ops has a C.H.E.C.K. Yourself philosophy necessary to building trust with colleagues and peers subject matter expertise and critical thinking skills:

• CURIOUS: Desire to learn both about specific topics and how to grow as a professional. Willingness to ask questions and to question ones own thinking/experiences. Team members approach challenges and opportunities with an open mind about how to tackle them not with the conclusions already in hand.
• HUMBLE: Ones knowledge relative to others is tiny relative to all available knowledge. Recognition that outcomes are some combination of skill circumstances and luck not always in the same proportion.
• EMPATHETIC: Working effectively with others requires an understanding of where they see themselves relative to others including you. Priorities planning and actions are informed by incentives context and individual experience they operate in a feedback loop that is unlikely to be effectively altered by evaluating outcomes without understanding process.
• CONFIDENT: Trust in ones intentions and abilities should affirm contributions to a project. Skills can always be honed and expertise can gained but only with the self-assurance that participation is warranted. It takes just as much confidence to ask a question admitting a lack of knowledge as it does to make an informed declaration. Arrogance is confidence without humility and curiosity.
• KNOWLEDGEABLE: Expertise information and insight are valuable inputs to informed decision-making. Critical judgments should be made with the benefit of both evidence and perspective which is separated from opinion by the pattern recognition developed through experience and reflection.

EXPERIENCE & SKILLS:

• Bachelors degree in Business Economics Finance Engineering or a related field; MBA or advanced degree preferred.
• 12 years of experience in strategy/Corp Dev strategic planning business operations operations or a similar role within the media and entertainment industry.
• Proven track record of developing and executing successful business strategies that drive growth and profitability.
• Direct experience refashioning or pivoting an existing business or developing building launching and scaling an entirely new business line.
• Strong operational expertise with the ability to translate strategic plans into actionable initiatives.
• Exceptional analytical problem-solving and decision-making skills.
• Demonstrated history of intellectual curiosity and open-mindedness.
• Exceptional communication skills with the ability to translate complex strategic financial and operational information into clear compelling communications
• Demonstrated executive presence and interpersonal effectiveness with a proven ability to influence stakeholders at all levels
• Able to translate complicated financial contractual strategic or operational minutiae into relevant digestible outputs.
• Demonstrated leadership capabilities including talent development and performance management.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced dynamic environment and manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
• Deep understanding of the media and entertainment industry and its various business lines.

Sony Pictures Entertainment is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race color religion sex national origin disability veteran status age sexual orientation gender identity or other protected characteristics.

SPE will consider qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records in accordance with applicable law.

To request an accommodation for purposes of participating in the hiring process you may contact us at