Senior Software Engineer

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:

1. 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.

2. 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. 

3. Innovation: We develop and implement groundbreaking products and techniques that shape industry norms, and solve complex and distinctive technical problems.

Content Platforms & Operations is responsible for the development and ongoing advancement of the technical and operational functions driving the worldwide distribution and monetization of Disney’s linear networks and theatrical content. This includes Disney’s media supply chain and storage, network and theatrical distribution operations, media localization, network transmission and origination, and more. The global team also plays a critical role as the primary collaboration point for Product & Technology with Disney’s EMEA, APAC, and LATAM regional business teams.

Job Summary:

We are seeking a highly skilled Senior Software Engineer to join our Content Platform Engineering team, focusing on building and enhancing platform capabilities with a strong emphasis on supporting Machine Learning (ML) workflows. Our team develops and manages a diverse suite of products and services that power Disney’s media supply chain, supporting content delivery for iconic brands like Disney+, ESPN+, Hulu, ABC, Marvel, and Star Wars.

In this role, you will design and implement scalable content workflows, data pipelines, and platform services that support AI-powered solutions. You will work closely with data scientists and platform engineers to integrate ML models into production systems, ensuring seamless orchestration, data accessibility, and operational efficiency. Leveraging software engineering principles and cloud infrastructure, you will build robust, extensible platforms that drive intelligent content operations at scale.

Responsibilities:

• Write and Maintain Software Solutions: Design, write, test, and deploy high-quality code to develop reliable, maintainable software solutions. 40%
• Collaborate with Cross-Functional Teams: Work closely with platform engineers, product teams, and data scientists to ensure technical solutions effectively support business goals and content strategies. 35%
• Production Support: Monitor and optimize production systems, ensuring platform stability, performance, and uptime. 15%
• Mentorship: Provide technical guidance and mentorship to junior engineers, fostering a culture of collaboration and continuous learning. 10%

Basic Qualifications:

• 5 years relevant industry experience
• Proficiency in at least one core programming language (e.g., Java, Python, or JavaScript)
• Experience working with REST APIs or GraphQL for building and consuming web services.
• Experience with cloud platforms like AWS and their core services (e.g., S3, Lambda, EC2).
• Solid understanding of software design principles, algorithms, and data structures.
• Experience with build and deployment technologies such as Docker, Gitlab-CI, Terraform/Cloud formation, and Jenkins
• Experience with containerization and orchestration technologies (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes).
• Expertise with full lifecycle of application development, including best practices of unit testing, code reviews, documentation, etc
• Experience with a wide range of data store technologies such as MongoDB, Redis, Elasticsearch, Postgres, and DynamoDB
• Experience in Agile/Scrum methodology
• Team player with strong oral and written communications skills

Required Education:  

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science or comparable field of study, and/or equivalent work experience.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Exposure to machine learning frameworks (e.g., TensorFlow, PyTorch, Scikit-learn) or building AI/ML solutions.
• Familiar with prompt engineering and interacting with LLMS
• Experience integrating machine learning models into production systems, including working with data pipelines and AI-driven solutions.
• Previous work experience in media or entertainment technology, particularly in content distribution and media supply chain.

The hiring range for this position in California and Connecticut is $138,900- $186,200 per year based on a 40 hour work week. The amount of hours scheduled per week may vary based on business needs. 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.