Lead Software Engineer

Disney Entertainment & ESPN Technology 

On any given day at Disney Entertainment & ESPN Technology, we’re reimagining ways to create magical viewing experiences for the world’s most beloved stories while also transforming Disney’s media business for the future. Whether that’s evolving our streaming and digital products in new and immersive ways, powering worldwide advertising and distribution to maximize flexibility and efficiency, or delivering Disney’s unmatched entertainment and sports content, every day is a moment to make a difference to partners and to hundreds of millions of people around the world. 

• Building the future of Disney’s media business: DE&E Technologists are designing and building the infrastructure that will power Disney’s media, advertising, and distribution businesses for years to come. 

• Reach & Scale: The products and platforms this group builds and operates delight millions of consumers every minute of every day – from Disney+ and Hulu, to ABC News and Entertainment, to ESPN and ESPN+, and much more. 

• Innovation: We develop and execute groundbreaking products and techniques that shape industry norms and enhance how audiences experience sports, entertainment & news. 

Department/Group Overview:

Media Engineering is an innovative organization that is passionate about providing the best possible video playback experience, art, and metadata to customers worldwide, powered by exceptional technology. This work requires streamlining and repurposing technology across different business and distribution channels – including streaming, linear, and theatrical – so that technology can ebb and flow across the needs of the business. 

We’re changing the world of streaming video and looking for a dedicated Senior Software Engineer to be a key contributor to the team while driving the technical design, implementation, and improvement of services. 

Responsibilities:

In this role, you will have a broad scope of responsibilities focused on software development and management within the Content Metadata domain:

• Architect and Design Systems: Lead the architecture and design efforts for projects, ensuring solutions are scalable, performant, and align with the team's strategic goals.

• Develop High-Quality Solutions: Build and maintain robust, well-architected codebases that are easy to develop and maintain, ensuring wide-tested solutions that meet both current and future needs.

• Drive Project Success: Collaborate with your manager and Technical Project Managers to effectively phase and deliver projects, ensuring timely and successful outcomes.

• Elevate Engineering Standards: Raise the quality bar by driving engineering best practices, adopting innovative tools, design patterns, and processes across the team.

• Mentor and Empower: Guide and mentor junior and mid-level engineers, fostering their growth and empowering them to develop their skills and contribute meaningfully to the team.

• User-Centric Development: Take a user-first approach to enhancing our content management systems and data flows, ensuring they meet the needs of internal and external stakeholders.

• Advocate and Align: Act as a vocal advocate in technical discussions, driving alignment with the team’s objectives and promoting innovative solutions across the organization.

• Lead with Metrics: Monitor application performance and costs, leveraging data to push for continuous improvement and better results.

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Mathematics, or a closely related field

• 7+ years of software development experience

• Proficiency in (in order of importance): 

  • Java/SpringBoot & Python

  • Relational databases (MySQL, Postgres), and NoSQL databases (DynamoDB)

  • Event or pub/sub driven architecture (Kafka, Kinesis)

  • Terraform

• Solid understanding of AWS (Lambda, Kinesis, SQS/SNS, DynamoDB, etc.)

• Deep understanding of CS fundamentals, OOP principles, data structures, and algorithms

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with Graph databases (Neo4j), and GraphQL is a big plus

The hiring range for this position in Santa Monica, California is $149,300 - $200,200 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.