Lead Software Engineer - AI Assisted Engineering Practices

This is not a remote role. You must be in the area or willing to relocate!“We Power the Magic!” That’s our motto at Disney Experiences (DX). Our team creates world-class immersive digital experiences for the Company’s premier vacation brands including Disney’s Parks & Resorts worldwide, Disney Cruise Line, Disney Vacation Club, Storyliving by Disney, Adventures by Disney, and National Geographic Expeditions.This role sits in the Disney Signature Experience organization within Technology & Digital for Disney Experiences. It supports high-visibility, guest-facing digital platforms and works closely with Storyliving by Disney, Adventures by Disney and National Geographic Expeditions (A&E) businesses.Role SummaryThe Lead Software Engineer will be responsible for leading the development and implementation of custom and commercial software projects to power both cast and guest experiences. They will champion the use of AI-assisted development tools and process automation across the software development lifecycle (SDLC), driving measurable improvements in delivery speed, code quality, and operational efficiency.This role intentionally blends active software development with technical leadership. You will spend meaningful time designing, building, reviewing, and improving code while also setting technical direction, mentoring engineers, and guiding platform strategy. The role emphasizes modern front-end engineering (UI architecture, performance, accessibility, component-driven development) while maintaining full-stack responsibility with back-end systems.You will partner closely with Product, UX, Content, and Business stakeholders to ensure the web platform and front-end ecosystem scale reliably to support best-in-class, high-traffic, revenue-generating digital experiences.What You’ll DoExperience Platform & Front-End Engineering Leadership (Primary Focus)Own the technical strategy, roadmap, and operational health of the Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) platform and the guest-facing front-end ecosystem built on itSet front-end architecture direction for guest-facing web experiences (rendering strategy, component architecture, data/state patterns) and ensure consistency across productsLead platform upgrades, security posture, performance optimization, reliability, and scalability initiatives across both the platform and UI layerEstablish and evolve engineering standards and best practices for front-end development (patterns, guardrails, quality gates, CI/CD expectations)Build and govern reusable capabilities: components/templates/workflows/content models and shared UI component libraries/design system adoptionWrite, review, and optimize production-quality code using JavaScript and TypeScript; provide hands-on technical leadership for React and Angular implementationsChampion web fundamentals using measurable standards and tooling: performance, accessibility (WCAG), SEO, and responsive designPartner with Product, UX, Design, and Content teams to translate designs into scalable, maintainable solutions and enable AI-assisted content workflows (e.g., tagging, summarization, optimization) with brand governance and quality controlsIntroduce AI-enhanced experience capabilities where valuable (e.g., intelligent search, recommendations, conversational interfaces, personalization) with appropriate quality and risk controlsServices & Integrations (Full-Stack Leadership)Design, implement, and review APIs, microservices, and backend integrations supporting business and guest experiencesDefine integration strategies with internal systems and third-party services, ensuring secure and reliable service contractsContribute hands-on across the stack as needed to unblock teams, accelerate delivery, and resolve complex technical challengesCollaborate with architects on cloud-native and AI solution patterns, ensuring operability and maintainabilityEnsure end-to-end alignment between front-end, services, and infrastructure (performance, reliability, observability readiness)Engineering Excellence & DeliveryDrive adoption of AI-assisted engineering practices (agentic IDEs, code assistants, AI pair programming) to improve throughput and quality, with clear team guardrails and measurable outcomes Set standards for “trust-but-verify” usage of AI-generated code: validation, security review, refactoring expectations, and maintainability requirements (including preventing over-reliance on automation) Expand SDLC automation using AI where it improves outcomes (test generation, documentation generation, code review acceleration, pipeline improvements), while preserving engineering rigor Actively participate in development while leading code reviews to ensure quality, security, and maintainabilityIdentify, prioritize, and remediate technical debt through hands-on contribution and backlog planningTranslate business requirements into clear technical designs, stories, and implementation plansGuide estimation, planning, and delivery of complex initiativesEnsure CI/CD, monitoring, logging, and observability are built into all solutionsReview and approve solution designs and technical documentationEnsure you remain up to date with emerging technologies so you can make informed recommendationsTeam Leadership & MentorshipMentor and coach engineers through code reviews, pairing, and design discussionsProvide technical leadership to both onshore and offshore development teamsFoster a collaborative, inclusive, and high-performing engineering culturePromote effective use of AI-assisted developer tools to improve code quality, velocity, and documentationLead by example through strong engineering practices, ownership, and accountabilityRequired Qualifications7+ years of professional software engineering experienceDemonstrated ability to lead technical decision-making, influence architecture across teams, and align engineering solutions with business outcomesAn advocate for a diverse and inclusive culture that encourages innovation and ensures every team member feels a sense of belongingMust have demonstrated success using AI coding assistants (agentic IDEs / AI pair programming) to improve delivery speed and quality Must have experience implementing AI-enabled automation across SDLC (testing, code review, documentation, CI/CD) with measurable outcomes Strong “trust-but-verify” discipline: validate, secure, refactor, and govern AI-generated output to meet maintainability standardsAbility to establish team guardrails and educate others on responsible AI usage (risks, over-reliance, licensing/security considerations)Strong expertise in modern front-end development using JavaScript and TypeScriptMust have hands-on experience with Node.js, React and Angular in large-scale applicationsMust have solid full-stack experience with Java, Spring, Spring Boot, RESTful APIs, and microservicesExperience designing and operating CI/CD pipelinesExperience with monitoring and observability tools (e.g., Splunk, AppDynamics, etc.)Strong understanding of object-oriented design and software architecture principlesExperience working in agile development environmentsPreferred Qualifications10+ years of experience building and supporting enterprise-scale, customer-facing platformsExperience with Adobe Experience Manager (AEM), including AEM as a Cloud ServiceExperience with headless or hybrid AEM architecturesExperience using AI assisted development tools in large engineering teamsUnderstanding of responsible AI principles in enterprise or consumer facing environmentsExperience with cloud-based technologies like AWS, Google Cloud, Microsoft AzureExperience with Confluence and Jira to document requirements, user stories and technical designs.Required EducationBachelor’s degree (or foreign equivalent) in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experiencePreferred EducationBachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science or a related discipline#DISNEYTECHThe hiring range for this position in Orlando is $148,300.00 - $180,000.00 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.Reference: 10146000