Lead Network Engineer

Job Summary:

At Disney Experiences Technology, we design and deliver more than 400 digital and physical products that bring Disney stories to life in unexpected ways. From theme parks and resorts to cruise ships and beyond, our global team of technologists, designers, and innovators creates seamless, immersive experiences that delight millions of Guests and Cast Members around the world. 

The Disney Signature Experiences and Data team delivers innovative technology solutions across Disney Cruise Line, Disney Vacation Club, and our global tour businesses. We support Guest and Crew experiences at sea, enable commercial growth through digital platforms, and lead the segment’s data strategy. With a strong focus on reliability, scalability, and strategic expansion, we build the systems that support immersive experiences and unlock new opportunities for growth. 

Disney Cruise Line – This role is on the Disney Cruise Line team, which delivers shipboard Guest and Crew systems, commercial platforms, web and app experiences, and infrastructure operations that support seamless journeys at sea. 

The Role 

The Lead Network Engineer on the Disney Cruise Line (DCL) New Build Technology team provides technical leadership and full stack architectural oversight for the design, integration, and delivery of onboard infrastructure environments across new vessels and staging facilities. This role owns end-to-end infrastructure delivery including compute, storage, virtualization platforms, and network systems, ensuring solutions are scalable, secure, and aligned to enterprise standards. 

The Lead Engineer drives build-phase execution partnering closely with Infrastructure Operations, including system integration, validation, and readiness for ship delivery, while embedding cybersecurity-by-design principles in alignment with IACS E26/E27 requirements. Acting as the technical authority, this role guides engineering decisions, resolves complex issues impacting delivery timelines, and provides oversight to vendors and cross-functional teams.  This position partners closely with Infrastructure Operations, shipboard technology teams, and broader engineering organizations to ensure a seamless transition from build to steady-state operations, with a strong focus on standardization, resilience, and long-term maintainability across the fleet. 

Responsibilities

• Provides technical leadership and architectural direction to systems and network engineers. Mentors junior engineers and drives technical decision-making across the build lifecycle

• Leads end-to-end infrastructure design and delivery for new ship environments, including compute, storage, virtualization, and network platforms 

• Leads complex problem resolution during the build phase, performing root cause analysis for critical issues impacting delivery timelines and system readiness 

• Drives the implementation of infrastructure platforms, including virtualization clusters, HCI/CI systems, SAN fabrics, and core network architecture

• Defines, enforces, and evolves technical standards and reference architectures to ensure consistency, scalability, and compliance across all new builds

• Leads cybersecurity-by-design for all infrastructure, ensuring compliance with IACS E26/E27 through embedded standards for segmentation, hardening, access control, and secure OT/IT integration across ship systems

• Develops and implements automated, repeatable deployment frameworks to enable efficient and consistent infrastructure delivery across vessels

• Partners with cross-functional engineering and operations teams to ensure seamless transition from build to steady-state operations, including documentation, knowledge transfer, and operational readiness 

• Leads vendor engagement and technical oversight for hardware, software, and integration partners throughout the build lifecycle

• Ensures all infrastructure solutions align with Disney GIS security standards, including hardening, segmentation, and compliance requirements

• Drives build-phase infrastructure readiness, including system validation, performance verification, and integration across dependent platforms 

• Coordinates major build milestones and infrastructure cutovers, ensuring minimal disruption and alignment with ship delivery schedules

• Guides troubleshooting strategy and escalation management, focusing on rapid resolution of blockers impacting project delivery

• Provides expert consultation to project leadership and stakeholders, influencing strategic direction and technical approach for new ship builds

Required Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in infrastructure engineering, with strong focus on network and systems architecture and large-scale deployments

• Proven expertise in enterprise network design and architecture, including routing, switching, security, and segmentation

• Experience designing and implementing software-defined networking / SD-WAN solutions

• Strong background in end-to-end infrastructure delivery, including compute, virtualization (e.g., VMware/HCI), and SAN

• Experience with enterprise networking platforms (switches, routers, firewalls, wireless) and associated management systems

• Experience developing standardized, automated deployment frameworks for infrastructure build and delivery

• Working knowledge of cybersecurity frameworks and compliance standards, including IACS E26/E27, with focus on segmentation and secure architecture. 

• Proven ability to lead technical decisions, mentor engineers, and drive delivery outcomes in complex projects

• Experience collaborating with vendors and cross-functional teams to deliver integrated infrastructure solutions

• Cisco CCNP (or higher) in Enterprise or Security

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced expertise in enterprise infrastructure platforms, including Cisco UCS, Cisco ISE, VMware (including NSX/AVI Load Balancing), and Palo Alto firewalls, with focus on architecture, integration, and large-scale deployment design. 

• Deep knowledge of advanced network design principles, including Quality of Service (QoS), multicast, and segmentation strategies across complex IT/OT environments. 

• Experience designing and implementing identity-based network access (802.1X) across wired and wireless environments using Cisco ISE, including policy design, scalability, and operational transition models. 

• Experience designing and integrating maritime satellite communication systems (VSAT/LEO/GEO) within shipboard network architectures, including optimization for latency, bandwidth constraints, link failover, and seamless transition between satellite and shore connectivity. 

• Demonstrated ability to design highly resilient, fault-tolerant network architectures, including high availability, redundancy, and failure domain isolation across large-scale distributed systems. 

Required Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or equivalent experience

#DISNEYTECH

The hiring range for this position in Orlando, FL is $135,200 to $181,200 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.