Manager, Software Engineering

The Walt Disney Company has a rich tradition of creating innovative products and magical experiences for millions of people around the world. Software Engineers are at the heart of that innovation and magic, building platforms, services, tools and infrastructure for an unmatched collection of content and brands such as ESPN, Disney, and ABC.

As Manager of Software Engineering in the Disney Entertainment & ESPN Technology organization, you will lead a team of developers helping to build and power ESPN’s consumer-facing products. Every day, you’ll work with team members across disciplines, implementing solutions to very complex and challenging problems for a variety of systems involved with the ESPN platforms.  We’re looking for a self-motivated team player with a strong desire to improve the people, products and services they build and support.  Someone who holds themselves and their teammates accountable in a professional, collaborative manner.  An enthusiastic technologist who can provide a fresh perspective and innovative insight to our initiatives.  

If you:

• Demonstrate determination in finding solutions to complex puzzles.

• Have the curiosity to research and learn new technologies.

• Employ positive thinking and are able to work constructively in a diverse team setting.

• Are passionate about technology.

• Value learning and being exposed to new experiences.

 
…then working at Disney is unlike anything else. We have the latest technology, game-changing ideas, and world-class talent. Come be a part of our team and help us find new ways to interact with users, however and wherever they connect with our brands.

Job Summary:

You will lead a team to help architect, build and maintain the tools, services, and distribution APIs that power ESPN products and implement them in partnership with our product team. You’ll be expected to deliver quickly and iteratively in an agile environment while providing mentorship and leadership to your team members as they build a world class platform supporting one of Disney’s premier brands. 

You’ll make a great fit for our team if you like to do these things: 

• Manage a mixed team of full time and contracted engineers.

• Collaborate with product managers and fellow engineers in the design and implementation of systems delivering high throughput personalized experiences.

• Drive the planning, design, and implementation of both short-term projects and long-term infrastructure initiatives.

• Interface with a variety of stakeholders to define requirements and project timelines.

• Efficiently operate mission-critical cloud-based services, with an emphasis in reliability, security, and performance.

• Analyze and resolve complex engineering problems involving high trafficked web and mobile application services and APIs.

• Work with the team to iteratively improve development practices and processes.

• Perform code reviews and guide the technical direction of the team.

• Help with full-stack development when needed.

• Research and experiment with the latest and greatest technologies to identify, evangelize, and apply them to current and future projects.

Required Education, Experience/Skills/Training:

BS Computer Science or related technical discipline or its equivalent.

Basic Qualifications:

• 8+ years of relevant industry experience 

• Demonstrated ability to oversee and manage the deployment/operations of complex web service tiers and persistence layers. 

• Ability to lead a team of software engineers, providing mentorship and setting technical direction. 

• Excellent programming skills and strong knowledge of the Java platform and Java web applications and frameworks (Spring/Tomcat/etc) 

• Deep understanding of web architecture including HTTP, caching and API delivery paradigms (REST, GraphQL) 

• Strong understanding of both relational and NoSQL Persistence stores and the ability to determine which is the right tool for the job. 

• Experience with developing for public clouds like Google Cloud Platform (GCP) or Amazon Web Services (AWS) 

• Knowledge of authentication & authorization systems such as OAuth, Token Auth or LDAP 

• Experience with full software development lifecycle and common best practices like unit testing, collaborative version control flows, and continuous integration 

• Proven ability to work on a diverse scope of software and database projects requiring detailed analysis and creative/practical problem solving. 

• Strong analytical skills and capabilities for resolving a wide range of issues in innovative ways. 

• Self-starter with an interest in industry trends and a passion for innovation and raising the bar. 

Preferred Qualifications:

• Proven experience developing, monitoring, and maintaining high-volume and highly available distributed systems 

• Demonstrated ability to recruit and manage technical teams, including performance management. 

• Experience with real-time messaging frameworks, such as Kafka or AWS Messaging services 

• Hands-on experience performing DevOps duties and developing infrastructure as code (Jenkins, TeamCity, AWS CloudFormation, Terraform, Kubernetes) 

• Natural leader with the ability to organize, energize, and influence others. 

The hiring range for this position in CT, CA, WA, and NY is $164,500 to $241,600 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.