Manager, Contract Administration

Disney Disney · Media · Burbank, CA +1

This role is for a Manager of Contract Administration at Disney, supporting Walt Disney Pictures and Walt Disney Animation Studios. The position involves managing contract administrators, overseeing contract analysis, payment processing, and database management. The role requires experience in contract administration within the entertainment industry, people leadership, and knowledge of payroll and guild requirements. Familiarity with AI-powered productivity tools is mentioned as a plus.

What you'd actually do

  1. Management – coordinate and distribute tasks among three Contract Administrators who support Walt Disney Pictures and Walt Disney Animation Studios; provide supervisory support to three Contract Administrators; and assist the Director with designing and conducting trainings as needed by the department.
  2. Contract Analysis – review talent agreements to identify rights and financial obligations, summarize key terms, conduct rights research, and generate reports as needed.
  3. Payments and Contract Administration – stay current on payroll systems, guild/union and tax rules; coordinate with external talent representatives; manage payment processing from development through production; and prepare legal correspondence for term deals, turnarounds, options, and talent payments.
  4. Database Consultation/Testing – collaborate with the Director and IT to improve internal contract database, define best practices, and lead testing of system updates.
  5. Reporting – assist the Director with providing deal precedent data to Business Affairs and Legal Affairs; and assist the Director with creating and refining reports from internal database.

Skills

Required

  • Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience
  • At least 5 years of experience in contract administration or business affairs administration in the entertainment industry.
  • At least 2 years of experience as a people leader
  • Knowledge of payroll processes and applicable guild and union requirements (e.g., WGA, DGA, IATSE), procedures, terminology, policies, and standards.
  • Familiarity with all contract types applicable to feature films, including above-the-line talent agreements (e.g., writers, directors, producers, actors), rights agreements, and overall/term deals.
  • Strong analytical, organization, time-management, and prioritization skills, with the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously, multi-task, and prioritize deadlines and deliverables.
  • Excellent written and oral communication skills.
  • Detail-oriented mindset with exceptional proofreading skills
  • Ability to interact, collaborate, and communicate with personnel of various levels throughout Studios.
  • Prior work experience at a major studio
  • Tech savvy mindset with computer proficiency with the Microsoft Office suite (e.g., Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams, Copilot); familiarity with document management systems (e.g., NetDocuments) and complex databases used to track deals, important dates, and payments; and demonstrated willingness to adopt new technologies, including AI-powered productivity tools to support workflow efficiency.

Nice to have

  • AI-powered productivity tools

What the JD emphasized

  • Must be able to read and interpret legal contracts and guild and union collective bargaining agreements