Software Engineer I

Disney Entertainment and ESPN Product & Technology

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.

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.

The Rights & Accounting fleet oversees products and optimizes workflows that enable TWDC to monetize content including content rights and avails management, content sales and content protection, content accounting, and talent payments.

Job Summary:

As a Software Engineer, you will play a meaningful role working across Rights Management supply chain applications, building and supporting capabilities, and taking ownership of the technical design and implementation of medium-sized projects and features.

This position might be a great fit if you:

• Are a curious and efficient engineer who wants to help shape the direction of development and collaborate closely with some of the brightest minds in our organization.
• Thrive in an agile, collaborative environment where teamwork and innovation are valued.

In this role, you will focus on the systems that govern and track the rights & availability of TWDC media for use in 1st party products such as Disney+ and 3rd party digital media sales.  You will collaborate closely with multiple internal and external teams to enable robust data integration capabilities.

Responsibilities and Duties of the Role:

• Assist in gathering, analyzing, and refining product requirements and user stories.
• Support the design, development, testing, and deployment of full-stack software applications across the UI, API, and data layers while leveraging AI-powered tools.
• Participate in peer reviews of code, solution designs, and system configurations to ensure quality and maintainability.
• Investigate and help resolve production incidents, service requests, and application issues in a timely manner.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to identify, evaluate, and implement innovative solutions.
• Contribute to the integration of AI capabilities into applications, including Generative AI APIs, machine learning models, and intelligent automation features.

Required Education, Experience/Skills/Training:

Basic Qualifications:

• Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to work independently and learn quickly
• Demonstrated eagerness to learn and adapt to new technologies
• Experience with at least one programming language; preferred languages include TypeScript or Java, with C++ or JavaScript also acceptable
• Solid understanding of object-oriented programming principles
• Familiarity with RESTful services and API concepts
• Understanding of source control fundamentals, with exposure to Git
• Knowledge of data persistence technologies (SQL and/or NoSQL)
• Exposure to build and deployment tools such as Jenkins and Docker
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

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. 

The hiring range for this position in Glendale, CA is $97,500 to $130,700 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.