Sr Software Engineer - AI and Observability

Senior Software Engineer – AI and Observability Company : Disney Entertainment and ESPN Product & Technology (division of The Walt Disney Company) Location : New York, NY; Glendale, CA; Seattle, WA Job Summary : As a Senior Software Engineer (P3), you will lead the design and implementation of intelligent, AI‑driven systems that safeguard the reliability and performance of Disney’s global streaming ecosystem. You will own the architectural vision for autonomous agents capable of reasoning over complex system behaviors across Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN, bridging engineering, product, and platform teams to translate high‑level business needs into scalable AI solutions that reduce operational overhead. In a fast‑paced, AI‑native environment, you are expected to deliver mission‑critical features, mentor junior engineers, and drive engineering excellence through rigorous design reviews and high‑quality, production‑ready code. Responsibilities and Duties of the Role Own the design and operation of production‑grade, intelligent systems leveraging real‑time signals and AI‑driven detection to ensure the health of critical services and premium customer experiences. Lead the development of agentic AI systems powered by modern foundation models (e.g., Claude Opus/Sonnet, GPT‑4). Define the strategy for automated reasoning, decisioning, and predictive modeling for global‑scale system reliability. Oversee the creation of end‑to‑end data pipelines that process high‑volume telemetry and user signals into actionable, automated insights and root cause analysis. Design and maintain scalable APIs and microservices that provide explainability and predictive signals to cross‑functional engineering and product stakeholders. Partner with leadership and cross‑functional teams to embed intelligence into global workflows (incident response, release validation), significantly reducing Time‑to‑Detect (TTD) and Time‑to‑Resolve (TTR). Promote engineering best practices, provide technical guidance through code and design reviews, and drive innovation in observability and developer productivity through applied AI. Required Education, Experience, Skills, and Training 5+ years of applicable experience in backend development, with a proven track record of building and scaling AI‑powered or data‑driven applications. Advanced proficiency with modern models (GPT‑4/o1, Claude Opus/Sonnet, Bedrock), including deep experience in prompt engineering, model evaluation, and building complex agentic workflows using frameworks like LangChain or LangGraph. Minimum 3 years of hands‑on experience deploying and monitoring ML systems (PyTorch/TensorFlow) and large‑scale data processing (PySpark, Pandas) in production environments. Strong experience with the AWS ecosystem and containerization (Docker, Kubernetes) at scale. Proven ability to lead technical projects, mentor junior talent, and champion software development best practices (Git, CI/CD, Agile). Expert level use of AI‑assisted development tools (e.g., Cursor, Claude) to accelerate team velocity and maintain high code quality. Exceptional communication skills with the ability to navigate ambiguity and explain complex AI/technical concepts to both technical and non‑technical partners. Preferred Qualifications Experience implementing observability and monitoring systems for high‑volume, low‑latency production environments. Experience with modern databases and observability platforms (Datadog, Grafana, Conviva, MongoDB) handling billions of events. Advanced knowledge of distributed systems, microservices architecture, and API design patterns. Education Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent experience. Compensation and Benefits Hiring range for this position in New York City, NY and Seattle, WA is $148,700 - $199,400 per year, and in Glendale, CA is $141,900 - $190,300 per year. A bonus and/or long‑term incentive units may be provided, in addition to the full range of medical, financial, and other benefits. Equal Opportunity Statement 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. #J-18808-Ljbffr The Walt Disney Company