Lead Software Engineer

Lead Product Software Engineer - Data Foundation Platform Job Summary: Technology is at the heart of Disney’s past, present, and future. Disney Entertainment and ESPN Product & Technology is a global organization of engineers, product developers, designers, technologists, data scientists, and more – all working to build and advance the technological backbone for Disney’s media business globally. The team marries technology with creativity to build world‑class products, enhance storytelling, and drive velocity, innovation, and scalability for our businesses. We are Storytellers and Innovators. Creators and Builders. Entertainers and Engineers. We work with every part of The Walt Disney Company’s media portfolio to advance the technological foundation and consumer media touchpoints serving millions of people around the world. Here are a few reasons why we think you’d love working here: Building the future of Disney’s media: Our Technologists are designing and building the products and platforms that will power our media, advertising, and distribution businesses for years to come. Reach, Scale & Impact: More than ever, Disney’s technology and products serve as a signature doorway for fans' connections with the company’s brands and stories. Disney+. Hulu. ESPN. ABC. ABC News…and many more. These products and brands – and the unmatched stories, storytellers, and events they carry – matter to millions of people globally. Innovation: We develop and implement groundbreaking products and techniques that shape industry norms, and solve complex and distinctive technical problems. Ad Platform is responsible for Disney’s industry‑leading ad technology and products – driving advertising performance, innovation, and value in Disney’s sports, news, and entertainment content, across all media platforms. We’re looking for a Lead Software Engineer to join our Data Foundation Platform team. We build and provide cloud platform and services that are used by data engineering teams and data scientists across Disney Entertainment and ESPN Technology, particularly in processing data related to our streaming and web‑based businesses (e.g., data from Disney+, Hulu, ESPN, etc.). We are looking for a rockstar engineer with experience building AI tools and services that help build the knowledge graph and the AI intelligence layer for a suite of Disney products. The successful candidate will have a passion for technology and solid coding skills. Knowledge of specific technologies may be helpful but is less important than an ability to learn quickly. We value team members who aren't afraid to dive deep when required, think for themselves, and have great communication and teamwork skills. Responsibilities and Duties of the Role: Contribute to maintaining, updating, and expanding existing AI intelligence layer encompassing Snowflake Cortex, AWS Bedrock Good understanding of knowledge management and semantic search with experience in Graph databases and Open Search Architect, design, and code shared libraries that abstract complex business logic to allow consistent functionality across all data pipelines in the Data organization Collaborate with product managers, architects, and other engineers to drive the success of the Data & AI strategy Contribute to developing and documenting both internal and external standards and best practices for configurations, naming conventions, partitioning strategies, and more Ensure high operational efficiency and quality of the AI projects Be an active participant and advocate of agile/scrum ceremonies to collaborate and improve processes for our team Engage with and understand our customers, forming relationships that allow us to understand and prioritize both innovative new offerings and incremental platform improvements Maintain detailed documentation of your work and changes to support data quality and data governance requirements Basic Qualifications 7+ years software engineering experience in developing large projects Strong algorithmic problem‑solving expertise Strong fundamental programming skills in python with knowledge of ML libraries Proficient in AWS Bedrock, Snowflake Cortex, Databricks Genie Proficient in Data Engineering technologies like Airflow, Spark, Databricks, Snowflake Strong scripting language experience Preferred Qualifications Passion to explore new technology and participate in proof of concepts Enjoy new and meaningful technology or business challenges which require you to think and respond quickly Passionate about automation, data, technology, & creative innovation Prior experience building internet scale platforms Robust portfolio on GitHub and/or open‑source contributions you are proud to share Required Education Bachelor’s or master’s degree in Computer Science or related discipline or its equivalent The hiring range for this position in Los Angeles, California is $155,700 to $208,700 per year, Seattle, WA is $163,100 to $218,700, and San Francisco, CA is $170,500 to $228,600 per year. The base pay actually offered will take into account internal equity and also may vary depending on the candidate’s geographic region, job‑related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors. A bonus and/or long‑term incentive units may be provided as part of the compensation package, in addition to the full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the level and position offered. About Disney Entertainment and ESPN Product & Technology: At Disney Entertainment and ESPN Product & Technology, we’re blending imagination and innovation to reimagine the ways people experience and engage with the world’s most beloved stories and products. Our work is wide‑ranging and deeply sophisticated. We create amazing experiences, transform the future of media, and build products and platforms that enable the connection between people everywhere and the stories and sports they love. Disney’s ability to marry world‑class technology with one‑of‑a‑kind creativity makes us unique. It is at the heart of our past, present, and future. We are Storytellers and Innovators. Creators and Builders. Entertainers and Engineers. About The Walt Disney Company: The Walt Disney Company, together with its subsidiaries and affiliates, is a leading diversified international family entertainment and media enterprise that includes three core business segments: Disney Entertainment, ESPN, and Disney Experiences. From humble beginnings as a cartoon studio in the 1920s to its preeminent name in the entertainment industry today, Disney proudly continues its legacy of creating world‑class stories and experiences for every member of the family. Disney’s stories, characters and experiences reach consumers and guests from every corner of the globe. With operations in more than 40 countries, our employees and cast members work together to create entertainment experiences that are both universally and locally cherished. This position is with Disney Entertainment & Sports LLC, which is part of a business we call Disney Entertainment and ESPN Product & Technology. Disney Entertainment & Sports LLC is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, military or veteran status, medical condition, genetic information or disability, or any other basis prohibited by federal, state or local law. Disney champions a business environment where ideas and decisions from all people help us grow, innovate, create the best stories and be relevant in a constantly evolving world. Principal, Data Product Management New York, New York, United States / Bristol, Connecticut, United States / Santa Monica, California, United States / San Francisco, California, United States Data Engineer II Seattle, Washington, United States / Santa Monica, California, United States / New York, New York, United States Disability Accommodation For Employment Applications The Walt Disney Company and its Affiliated Companies are Equal Employment Opportunity employers and welcome all job seekers including individuals with disabilities and veterans with disabilities. If you have a disability and believe you need a reasonable accommodation in order to search for a job opening or apply for a position, email View email address on click.appcast.io with your request. This email address is not for general employment inquiries or correspondence. We will only respond to those requests that are related to the accessibility of the online application system due to a disability. #J-18808-Ljbffr