Product Manager – Theme Park Development

About the Role

The Manager, Product Development is responsible for overseeing the development and delivery of waterpark attractions, experiences, and programming for Perfect Day Mexico, ensuring that execution aligns with the product’s established vision, strategy, and guest experience expectations.

This role is highly focused on product development & delivery excellence — working closely with Architecture & Design, Operations, Construction, PMO, Legal, Safety, Risk Management, Product Research, Finance, and other cross-functional partners to ensure that what is built is desirable for guests, feasible to operate and build, and viable from a business perspective. The Manager oversees a team responsible for day-to-day development work and serves as a key partner to Product Owners, helping drive alignment, speed, and decision clarity throughout the development lifecycle.

The ideal candidate brings hands-on experience developing & delivering attractions, strong judgment around decision-making and escalation, and the ability to keep complex development moving forward efficiently in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

At a high-level, responsibilities for this role will include:

Product Development & Execution

• Partner with the Senior Manager, Product Development to create the development roadmap for waterpark products and experiences
• Oversee the development and delivery of waterpark attractions and experiences from concept through construction, commissioning, and opening, ensuring alignment with product vision, safety, and guest experience expectations
• Support the development of the waterpark by integrating guest insights, design & operational considerations, marketability, construction implications, and brand priorities for all products and experiences within the neighborhood
• Ensure alignment across all stakeholders throughout the development lifecycle, proactively addressing risks, dependencies, and trade-offs
• Ensure product decisions support the established long-term vision and strategy for Perfect Day Mexico
• Ensure the products and experiences are marketable, drive guest satisfaction and ultimately drive revenue
• Ensure the product playbook showcases product and experience details clearly for various audiences

Product Delivery

• Work closely with Construction, Operations, and Architecture & Design teams to ensure that design intent is carried through execution and that construction outcomes align with the intended guest experience and operational feasibility
• Identify and quickly address gaps between product intent and execution, partnering with stakeholders to resolve issues efficiently.
• Act as the product subject matter expert in the delivery phase of the project, understanding what phase the project is in, what milestones are approaching, what risks have been identified, and what means of mitigating or creative problem-solving solutions exist on site

Team Oversight & Decision Enablement

• Oversee a team responsible for the day-to-day development of waterpark products and experiences, guiding scope, priorities, and execution standards
• Provide clear guidance to the team on which decisions can be made autonomously (based on established standards and guardrails) and which require escalation to maintain speed without compromising quality.
• Support Product Owners as a thought partner and escalation point to help drive stakeholder alignment and unblock progress.
• Enable fast, informed decision-making that keeps development moving while minimizing risks to the project or guest experience.
• Ensure all product materials (briefs, decks, experience narratives, operational requirements) are technically sound, clear, and aligned across partners.
• Lead and elevate the quality of product storytelling, including the creation and management of executive-level presentations that clearly articulate product vision, decisions, trade-offs, and progress.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner closely with Construction, Architecture & Design, Operations, PMO, Finance, Marketing, Digital, Legal, Safety, Risk Management, Revenue Management, Analytics, IT, Sales, and other cross-functional departments that are key stakeholders to the products we’re developing within the neighborhood
• Highly-collaborative mindset, ensuring waterpark experiences are well designed and operationally executable without compromising the guest experience

Product Standards & Experience Quality

• Maintain a deep understanding of Royal Caribbean guest needs and product standards, both onboard and across private destinations. Hold teams and partners accountable to delivering above those standards for Perfect Day Mexico.
• Ensure safety & risk management standards are incorporated into the development and design process

Planning, Tracking & Delivery Management

• Work with PMO to understand schedule, budget, and timeline impacts for all decisions, informing leadership of risks, trade-offs, and prioritization decisions.
• Support the team in prioritizing decisions that keep delivery aligned with the overall vision while addressing emerging risks and dependencies.
• Communicate progress, changes, and key decisions clearly to stakeholders and leadership.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS:

The ideal candidate will possess a combination of creative thinking and executional skills, able to problem solve in the moment with creative solutions that keep everyone focused on the vision. The ideal candidate has a general knowledge and/or passion for the attractions industry, being able to reference best in class products and experiences in both the cruise and attractions industries.

• Strong delivery mindset balancing speed, quality, and guest experience
• Clear, compelling communicator with the ability to simplify complex ideas and influence at all organizational levels, including executives and external partners
• Sound judgment and decision-making skills, knowing when to empower teams and when to escalate
• Experience developing products grounded in strategies & consumer insights
• Highly organized, detail-oriented, and proactive with strong follow-through
• Collaborative leader who influences without authority and builds durable, cross-functional partnerships
• Proven ability to assemble, lead, and guide teams to execute against a shared vision
• Creative problem-solver

Language & Travel Requirements

• English required; Spanish a plus.
• Ability to travel extensively, including frequent and prolonged travel to Mexico, to support development, reviews, and operational immersion.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EDUCATION

• 3–5 years of experience in product development, attractions development, experience design, or a related field
• Strongly preferred experience in theme parks and waterparks
• Proven experience developing physical guest experiences or attractions
• Experience working closely with Construction, Architects & Designers, and Creative partners
• Experience leading and overseeing a team
• Experience managing external vendors
• Bachelor’s degree required

FINANCIAL/QUANTITIVE RESPONSIBILITIES

Responsible for oversight and delivery of waterpark products and experiences with multi-million-dollar budgets spanning multiple years of development

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS & WORK ENVIRONMENT

• Fast-paced, evolving work environment that requires flexibility and adaptability
• While the role is not physically demanding, work in developing areas of Mexico may require walking on uneven terrain, navigating active construction sites, and occasional light lifting or movement of materials, in compliance with safety guidelines and job-posting standards