Lead Software Engineer

At Disney Experiences Technology, our team creates world-class immersive digital experiences for the Company’s premier vacation brands including Disney’s Parks & Resorts worldwide, Disney Cruise Line, Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa, and Disney Vacation Club. We are responsible for the end-to-end digital and physical Guest experience for all technology & digital-led initiatives across the Attractions & Entertainment, Food & Beverage, Resorts & Transportation, and Merchandise lines of business as well as other initiatives including the MyDisneyExperience app.

This role sits in the US Parks – WDW Site, Resorts and Transportation organization within Technology & Digital for Disney Experiences. It works closely with Resort Fulfillment related studios such as Guest Arrivals, Check In/Out, Room Access and Experience with guest and Cast Member facing UIs.

The Lead Software Engineer will report to the Manager of Resort Technology.

This role is based out of Orlando, Florida. You must be local or be willing to relocate to that area.

About The Role & Team:

As a Lead Software Engineer, you will lead the support, development and implementation of technology for existing and new services, work closely with delivery manager, product manager and story owners to develop features and oversee development activities executed by both internal and vendor dev team members within the studio, with a portfolio of a suite of back end services, subscribers and batch jobs.

You will also support integration with external sales and fulfillment and property management related applications and consider edge-based computing techniques while ensuring alignment with reference architecture and technical strategy. You may identify and implement solution simplifications such as streamlining and modernizing services. You should have strong problem-solving/analytical skills, excellent communication and collaboration skills, and utilize your leadership skills to guide and mentor junior developers.

What You’ll Do:

• Own the analysis, design, program, debugging, and modifications of software improvements and/or new products used in local, networked, cloud-based, or Internet-related computer programs

• Lead projects that may be used in commercial and end-user applications or focus on software and tools supporting infrastructure and technology platforms

• Work typically involves large or highly sophisticated software programs and systems

• Possess an in-depth knowledge of current programming language and technologies, with strong skills in writing code and completing programming tasks

• May perform or lead testing and debugging of applications, identifying innovative solutions

• Conceive, design, develop, test, and implement software components, fixes, improvements, and/or new systems and applications

• Interact with users to define system requirements and/or necessary modifications

• Help engage around the estimation and planning of highly sophisticated scalable projects and their budget allocations

• Leverage and evangelize AI within the studio

• You will be expected to stay up to date with emerging technologies so you can make informed recommendations

• Work in an Agile delivery methodology.

Qualifications:

• Minimum 7 years of related work experience

• Comfortable working in an agile environment

• A visionary who motivates teams to excel and fosters creativity, consistently driving excellence in all endeavors

• An advocate for a diverse and inclusive culture that encourages innovation and ensures every team member feels a sense of belonging

• Proficient with Java, API frameworks, AngularJS, Node.js, MySQL or related Relational Database, AI concepts and  with a desire to further develop technical expertise in data engineering tools, methodologies, and emerging technologies

Preferred Qualifications: 

• Proven experience in developing and implementing applications using the above-mentioned technologies

• Experience in AI development processes and familiarization with Spec Driven Development

• Experience in developing and implementing solutions in the Resort and Lodging industry

• Experience in upgrading and maintaining applications, such as upgrading the Java Spring ecosystem including Spring boot, Spring JDBC, Junit in an enterprise environment

• Experience in increasing test automation across development pipelines to improve product quality and reduce time to market

• Experience with implementation of microservice based architecture

• Understanding of security and vulnerability management processes

• Experience with QA and software analytic tools is a plus

• Strong knowledge of unit testing, behavioral testing and continuous integration

• A thorough understanding and passion for Agile principles

• Ability to handle virtual teams and work with resources in multiple sites (onsite, offshore, near shore) engaged in sustainment and delivery studio model

• Must be detail-oriented, self-organized, be committed to quality and be capable of tracking multiple issues simultaneously

• Excellent time management skills

Education:

• Bachelor's or foreign equivalent Degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Software, Electrical or Electronics Engineering, or comparable field of study, and/or equivalent work experience

The hiring range for this position in Orlando, FL is 145,000 to $194,400 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.