Principal Software Engineer, Ad Platforms

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 touch points 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 Platforms 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 are looking to bring on a Principal Software Engineer within our team to further expand our exceptional group.

Responsibilities and Duties of the Role:

• Design and implement microservices architecture that meets business requirements and enhances system scalability and reliability.

• Collaborate with development teams to define technical standards and best practices for Java development and microservices.

• Analyze and improve existing systems, identifying areas for optimization and refactoring.

• Provide technical guidance and mentorship to development teams, fostering a culture of continuous learning and improvement.

• Evaluate and select appropriate technologies and tools to support microservices development and deployment.

• Develop and maintain architectural documentation, including design patterns, deployment strategies, and API specifications.

• Ensure compliance with security, performance, and scalability best practices.

• Participate in code reviews, architecture reviews, and design discussions to ensure quality and adherence to best practices.

Required Qualifications:

• 10+ years of experience in software development, with a focus on Java and microservices architecture.

• Bachelors Degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related degree; and/or relevant work experience

• Strong understanding of microservices principles and best practices, including containerization (Docker, Kubernetes) and service orchestration.

• Proficiency in Java frameworks (e.g., Spring Boot) and RESTful API design.

• Experience with cloud platforms (e.g., AWS) and CI/CD pipelines.

• Solid understanding of databases (SQL and NoSQL) and data modeling techniques.

• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to convey complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with a focus on innovative solutions.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Masters Degree in a related field, and/or related certification/s

• Experience with Agile methodologies and DevOps practices.

• Familiarity with event-driven architectures and messaging systems (e.g., Kafka, Kinesis, SQS).

• Knowledge of monitoring and logging tools (e.g., Datadog)

• Experience translating product requirements into technical solutions and data models

• Technical leadership designing/building large scale distributed cloud applications

•  Understanding of common AWS (or other cloud-provider) resources: queue/notification systems, caches, SQL/NoSQL/Document/File data stores

•  Experience with an object-oriented programming language (Java/C++/Python) and OOP concepts

• Familiarity with micro-service architecture and RESTful API best practices

#DISNEYTECH

The hiring range for this position in Glendale, California is $184,300 to $247,100 per year, and Santa Monica, California is $184,300 to $247,100 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.