Staff Software Engineer - AI

Department Description

At Disney, we’re storytellers. We make the impossible, possible. The Walt Disney Company (TWDC) is a world-class entertainment and technological leader. Walt’s passion was to continuously envision new ways to move audiences around the world—a passion that remains our touchstone in an enterprise that stretches from theme parks, resorts and a cruise line to sports, news, movies and a variety of other businesses. Uniting each endeavor is a commitment to creating and delivering unforgettable experiences — and we’re constantly looking for new ways to enhance these exciting experiences.

The Enterprise Technology mission is to deliver technology solutions that align to business strategies while enabling enterprise efficiency and promoting cross-company collaborative innovation. Our group drives competitive advantage by enhancing our consumer experiences, enabling business growth, and advancing operational excellence.

Team Description:

We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Staff Software Engineer to serve as the Technical Lead an AI platform development and architecture. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in software engineering, with a particular focus on architecture and system design. This position requires a deep understanding of modern software development practices, a passion for innovation, and collaborate with a team of talented engineers.

Responsibilities of Role:

• Design and implement scalable, secure, and high-performance architectures for our digital platforms.

• Ensure that architectural decisions align with business goals and technical standards.

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to integrate architecture into the overall product roadmap

• Stay current with the latest technologies and industry trends in software engineering and architecture.

• Provide technical guidance and mentorship to other engineers.

• Conduct code reviews and ensure adherence to coding standards and best practices.

• Work closely with product managers and stakeholders to ensure design and deliverables can be achieved with high quality and on time.

• Troubleshoot and resolve complex technical issues.

• Innovate and propose new solutions to enhance our platforms' capabilities.

• Drive the adoption of new technologies and methodologies that can improve our products and services.

• Uses an Agile framework, specifically with an MVP and iterative approach

• Brings to bear techniques to increase collaboration, predictability, and transparency for the team while promoting a culture of experimentation and innovation

• Champions organization-wide processes and best practices related to ideation, delivery, prioritization, and customer engagement

• Uses a lifelong learning mentality, knowing the latest best practices and technologies

• Exercises good judgment when faced with risk, blockers, or tradeoffs

Must Haves:

• Minimum of 7 years of related work experience

• Proven experience in software engineering with a focus on architecture.

• Experience leading technical teams

• Proven experience designing and developing highly strategic products/platforms, large scale application/data deployments, managing software or data development lifecycles, and resolving issues that impact product success

• Proficiency in modern programming languages and frameworks (e.g., Java, GO, Python, JavaScript, etc.).

• Strong understanding of cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, Azure, GCP)

• Strong understanding and experience of AI and MLE platforms and approaches (e.g., MCP, A2A, etc)

• Experience with containerization and orchestration tools (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes).

• Knowledge of DevOps practices and tools.

• Experienced in SCRUM/Lean Agile frameworks with an MVP/iterative approach

• Ability to influence, take calculated risks, make sound business decisions, and resolve concerns as needed

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills both written & verbal for technical audiences

• Positive can-do partnership demeanor while working with cross-functional teams and business units

• Must be detail oriented, self-organized, and capable of simultaneously prioritizing multiple efforts

• Ability to resolve conflict

• Prioritizes work effectively, making tradeoffs as necessary

• Manages to deliverables. 

• Ability to thrive in a dynamic, collaborative, and fast paced environment

• Models desired company cultural attributes and inclusive behaviors

• Passion for Disney's mission and values

Nice To Haves:

• Proficiency in Go programming language

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Software, Electrical or Electronics engineering, or comparable field of study and/or equivalent work experience

#DISNEYTECH

The hiring range for this position in Seattle is $159,500 - $213,900 per year and in California is $152,200 - $204,100 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.