Lead Machine Learning Engineer

The Walt Disney Company (Germany) GmbH; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 130,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a Lead Machine Learning Engineer to drive innovative security initiatives. This role involves designing and optimizing machine learning models, managing the entire ML lifecycle, and collaborating with cross-functional teams to enhance security posture. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in ML solutions, proficiency in programming languages, and a strong background in data analysis. Join a dynamic team dedicated to building the future of media technology and making a significant impact on millions of users worldwide.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in deploying and evaluating ML solutions.
• Strong understanding of statistics, probability, and data modeling.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and optimize machine learning models to improve security.
• Collaborate with engineering teams to deploy models at scale.

Skills

Machine Learning

Python

R

SQL

Data Analysis

Statistical Modeling

Problem Solving

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s in Data Science

Master’s or PhD in related field

Tools

Pandas

NumPy

MySQL

PostgreSQL

Spark

Databricks

Jupyter

Snowflake

Airflow

GitHub

Job description

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: 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 more. These products and brands – and the stories they carry – matter to millions globally.
• Innovation: We develop groundbreaking products and techniques that shape industry norms and solve complex technical challenges.

Product Engineering is responsible for the engineering of Disney Entertainment & ESPN digital and streaming products and platforms, including product engineering, media engineering, quality assurance, and engineering behind personalization, commerce, lifecycle, and identity.

The Disney Entertainment and ESPN Product & Technology team is seeking a passionate Lead Machine Learning Engineer to lead security and anomaly detection initiatives within the Commerce, Data, and Identity domains.

We are looking for experienced ML engineers to develop and deploy models that reduce security and operational risks. You will collaborate across teams to leverage machine learning solutions that enhance security posture, working from our offices in New York and Santa Monica, and help drive ML initiatives across the organization.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and optimize machine learning models to improve security.
• Manage the full ML lifecycle: data collection, feature engineering, model selection, evaluation, and deployment.
• Collaborate with engineering teams to deploy models at scale and ensure robust A/B testing.
• Lead exploratory data analysis and complex statistical modeling to inform business decisions.
• Create visualizations, reports, and presentations to communicate insights to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Promote data-driven decision-making by highlighting security implications.
• Partner with data teams to enhance data infrastructure, visualization, and experimentation capabilities.
• Mentor and develop a team of data scientists, fostering a culture of learning and innovation.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Data Science, Computer Science, Statistics, Mathematics, or related field; Master’s or PhD preferred.
• 7+ years of experience in deploying and evaluating ML solutions.
• Proficiency in Python, R, SQL, and relevant programming languages.
• Experience with data tools (Pandas, NumPy), databases (MySQL, PostgreSQL), and big data platforms (Spark, Databricks, Jupyter, Snowflake, Airflow, GitHub).
• Expertise in ML libraries such as scikit-learn, SciPy.
• Strong understanding of statistics, probability, and data modeling.
• Excellent problem-solving, communication, and collaboration skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with AWS.
• Experience with Tableau, Power BI, or similar tools.
• Experience in building anomaly detection models.
• Knowledge of software security.

The salary range varies by location, with additional benefits and incentives. Details are provided for Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, and Seattle.

About The Walt Disney Company:

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The Walt Disney Company is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. If you require accommodations during the application process, please visit our disability accommodations FAQ for assistance.

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