Sr. Manager, Engineering, Advanced Technology & Innovation -Project Hire

Sr. Manager, Engineering, Advanced Technology & Innovation

Project Hire

About the Role & Team

At Disney, we're storytellers. We make the impossible, possible. We do this through utilizing and developing cutting-edge technology and pushing the envelope to bring stories to life through our movies, products, interactive games, parks and resorts, and media networks. Now is your chance to join our talented team that delivers unparalleled creative content to audiences around the world.

About the Role

The Corporate Innovation team at The Walt Disney Company is seeking a Sr. Manager of Engineering, Advanced Technology & Innovation-Project Hire to spearhead critical technological innovation and drive business transformation across the organization. This highly technical and strategic role will be responsible for architecting, developing, and implementing advanced technology solutions that create measurable business impact across Disney's diverse portfolio of businesses.

What You Will Do

This position will serve as a key “connective tissue” between various innovation pockets within the company, facilitating collaboration, knowledge sharing, and driving significant financial impact through technological advancements. Success requires both influencing skill sets built on the back of a technology background. The successful candidate will be instrumental in shaping Disney's immediate technological future and maintain its industry leadership in a fast-paced, ever-evolving digital ecosystem.

The ideal candidate will be prepared to hit the ground running, making an immediate and substantial impact on our innovation initiatives and market position, as well as be able to translate and explain complex technological systems to non-technical audiences. Having a foundational understanding of key advanced technology software/hardware is required to be considered for the role.

Key Responsibilities:

Technical Expertise and Collaborative Leadership

• Develop prototypes, rapidly test new tools and technologies, and implement technical proofs-of-concept for Disney initiatives leveraging deep expertise in software engineering, AI, and Machine Learning
• Code and maintain new software and systems for Corporate Development and Innovation teams to support business growth initiatives
• Evaluate and implement new technologies, applying technical expertise to ensure high-quality outcomes while partnering with internal technical teams, startups, and vendor partners  
• Assess the quality of work in partnership with internal technical teams, startups, and vendors utilizing extensive software engineering and technical skills to guide
• Conduct comprehensive technical due diligence on startups, potential vendors, and new tools/solutions

Innovation Leadership

• Support high-priority, company-wide innovation initiatives aligned with TWDC priorities, addressing immediate market challenges and opportunities with a focus on AI, Generative AI, embodied robotics, AR/VR, edge AI, and other emerging software engineering trends
• Drive and measure business impact across Disney through innovation initiatives, tracking key performance indicators (KPIs)

Cross-functional Communication and Relationship Building

• Drive executive-level communication on innovation

• Develop and leverage strategic relationships
• Lead regular ongoing working groups and training sessions for large numbers of employees across the organization, focusing on new and emerging tech and business opportunities
• Track and optimize the impact of external partnerships and internal communication

Qualifications:

Required

• Master's degree in a technical field from a top university (e.g., Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Data Science, AI/ML)
• 10+ years of experience with advanced tech product innovation, including a proven track record of driving revenue-creating innovation in a corporate environment
• Deep expertise in AI/Machine Learning
• Extensive experience in data engineering and data science
• Deep working knowledge of commercial full-stack engineering
• Strong understanding of emerging technologies relevant to media and entertainment (e.g., AR/VR, edge AI, production workflow AI, volumetric video, real-time rendering, etc.)
• Demonstrated ability to:
  • Set, track, and achieve measurable KPIs for innovation initiatives
  • Operate effectively in high-pressure, time-sensitive environments
  • Identify and capitalize on urgent market opportunities in the technology sector

Preferred

• Experience managing $1M+ annual operating budgets
• Robust knowledge of Disney, its business segments, and extensive relationships throughout the technical and product leadership within the company (for internal candidates) or proven ability to build a working corporate network (for external candidates)
• Track record of achieving significant cost savings or revenue generation through technology implementation

This high-impact role is crucial to Disney's continued success in a rapidly evolving digital landscape. The ideal candidate will be prepared to hit the ground running, making an immediate and significant impact on our technological trajectory and market position. Given the time-sensitive nature of our technological initiatives and the potential risks of falling behind in this fast-paced environment, we are looking to fill this position as soon as possible with an exceptional candidate who can drive our innovation agenda forward from day one.

The hiring range for this position in Glendale, California is $138,900 to $186,200 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.