Staff Software Engineer (Emerging Tech & AI Automation) Project Hire

The Emerging Technologies and AI Automation team focuses on amplifying business impact through innovation. We are part of the Technology Transformation team, working on driving measurable improvements in productivity, agility and employee satisfaction by automating the mundane, streamlining workflows and freeing people to do what they do best.

We are seeking a hands-on Staff Software Engineer to drive high-impact initiatives at the forefront of emerging technologies to unlock enterprise-wide capabilities. In this role, you’ll lead rapid prototyping efforts, build scalable proofs-of-concept, and shape the technical foundation that accelerates enterprise-wide transformation.

You’ll work across a nimble, action-oriented team to explore AI-assisted development tools, experiment with new technologies, and translate abstract concepts into elegant, real-world solutions. Ideal candidates thrive in ambiguity, balance pragmatism with curiosity, and bring deep technical expertise paired with strong communication skills. This is a unique opportunity to shape the future of technology at Disney.

What You’ll Do:  

• Stay at the forefront of emerging technologies by actively engaging with keynotes, articles, and technical content, and translate those insights into impactful blog posts, workshops, demos, and talks that educate and inspire others.

• Explore and validate new ideas through hands‑on experimentation, tinkering, and rapid prototyping. Actively participate in—and often lead—hackathons, design thinking workshops, demo days, and other forums that promote creativity and knowledge sharing.

• Tackle complex problems using first‑principles mindset and a natural inclination toward developing simple, elegant solutions.

• Be an exceptional communicator—equally effective in writing and speaking—and skilled at translating complex ideas into clear, actionable insights for both technical and non-technical audiences.

• Mentor and partner with other engineers to share best practices, amplify impact, and accelerate the adoption of emerging technologies.

Responsibilities

• Tackle ambiguity by building thin, end-to-end implementations that touch all major components of a system to evaluate the feasibility of emerging technologies and early prototypes to explore unknowns, validate assumptions, and help unblock teams.

• Embrace rapid iteration—prioritize speed and learning by delivering minimum lovable products and evolving them through continuous feedback.

• Support project planning and execution—help prioritize work, communicate effectively with stakeholders, and ensure timely delivery of high-quality code.

• Collaborate with engineers and business partners to align priorities, define goals, and deliver impactful outcomes.

• Continuously refine engineering practices and champion improvements that elevate team performance and product excellence.

Required Qualifications & Skills: 

• 7 + years of full-stack software engineering experience with a strong coding background in languages such as Python, TypeScript, Node.js, Go or similar

• Proven ability to write clear, concise technical documentation and create professional system architecture diagrams using tools like Lucidchart, Mermaid, or PlantUML

• Hands-on experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure or GCP), microservices architecture, CI/CD pipelines, test, development and deployment approaches, including containerization (Docker, Kubernetes), A/B testing, etc

• Proficiency with AI/ML development tools, and experience integrating LLM-based APIs, AI agents, or prompt-based workflows

• Experience working with large-scale databases (SQL/NoSQL, Object, Graph, etc)

• A passion for innovation, emerging technologies, and driving continuous improvement

• Demonstrated expertise in systems architecture, platform thinking, and technical leadership

• Ability to navigate conflict, build trust, and foster alignment across cross-functional teams; able to explain complex systems and tradeoffs to engineers, product managers, and stakeholders alike

• Proven ability to navigate organizational complexity and deliver outcomes aligned with strategic objectives.

• Experience with agile methodologies such as Scrum or Kanban

Preferred Qualifications: 

• Passion for Disney's mission and values

• AWS, GCP or Azure certification

• Experience with emerging technologies

• A track record of success in automation and developer productivity initiatives

• Demonstrated experience building prototypes or experimental software in ambiguous or early-stage environment

Required Education:  

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Information Systems, Software, Electrical or Electronics Engineering, or comparable field of study and/or equivalent work experience

Project Hire Information:

This is an estimated 6 month project hire position with no guarantee of permanent placement.

The hiring range for this position in Burbank, CA is $155,700 to $208,700 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.