Lead Product Software Engineer

Disney Entertainment; Glendale (CA); On-site; USD 158,000 - 212,000; Full time

Job summary

Disney Entertainment & ESPN Technology is seeking an experienced tvOS/iOS engineer to develop Disney apps in Swift. You will work with cross-functional teams to design, implement, test, deploy, and maintain software while driving architecture decisions and guiding other engineers.

The role emphasizes hands-on coding, architectural leadership, and collaboration across product, design, and engineering to deliver reliable, high-quality experiences on Disney platforms.

Qualifications

• 7+ years hands-on iOS/tvOS development experience.
• Experience shipping consumer apps currently available in the marketplace.
• Strong Swift and OO design pattern knowledge.
• Familiarity with HTTP/REST web services.
• Experience designing multi-threaded iOS/tvOS apps.
• App Store life cycle knowledge and submissions requirements.
• Collaborative and able to mentor peers.
• Eager to learn new technologies and adapt quickly.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to influence and lead technical discussions.

Responsibilities

• Hands on engineering and coding: write Swift for tvOS features and code reviews.
• Define long-term architecture and system design decisions.
• Mentor senior/junior engineers; lead design reviews.
• Partner with Product/Design/Engineering to shape requirements and roadmaps.
• Establish quality, reliability, and testing strategies across teams.

Skills

iOS/tvOS development

Swift

Object Oriented (OO) design

HTTP/REST web services

Multi-threaded apps

Collaboration & communication

Education

BS Computer Science or related

Tools

UIKit

AVFoundation

StoreKit

Security

Job description

Job Requirements

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.

Working at Disney for the Connected Devices team is unlike anything else. That's because we're always finding new ways to interact with fans - however and wherever they connect with sports, news, politics, comics, and games. When you have the latest technology, game-changing ideas and world-class talent on your team, every day is extraordinary. We get to develop new features from start to finish that millions of fans interact with daily. Get to feel the excitement of showing off your work to friends and family on some of the most heavily used apps in the marketplace.

A few reasons why we think you'd love working for Disney Entertainment & ESPN Technology

• 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.

Job Summary

This is a hands-on engineering position developing the ESPN tvOS in Swift. In this role, you will work with a cross-functional team of Product Managers, Designers, Mobile/Web/Backend Engineers, and Content Creators to conceptualize and develop world-class Disney apps. Based on your experience, you will apply your technical abilities to manage multiple project priorities, deadlines and deliverables and will design, develop, test, deploy, maintain, and enhance software solutions. You will architect reusable solutions that are shared across all Disney apps and help guide others to solve complex problems and provide oversight and direction to other software engineers.

Responsibilities and Duties of the Role:

• Hands on engineering and coding: Write Swift code for tvOS feature development and perform code reviews for team members.

• Technical strategy & architecture - Define the long-term architecture and system design decisions that affect multiple teams.

• Mentoring and Technical Leadership: Coach senior and junior engineers, run design reviews and knowledge shares, and grow technical capability across the team.

• Cross-functional Partnership: Work with Product, Design, and other engineering leads to shape requirements, validate technical feasibility, and influence roadmap decisions before they're finalized.

• Quality, reliability, and Testing Strategy: Partner with QA and automation teams to triage bugs, define testing strategy, and ensure systems meet reliability standards.

Required Education, Experience/Skills/Training:

Basic Qualifications

• 7+ years hands-on professional experience with iOS/tvOS development

• Experience working on a significant consumer app that is currently available in the marketplace

• Strong understanding of OO and Swift design patterns and concepts

• A sound understanding of HTTP and REST-style web services

• Demonstrated ability to design and build dynamic multi-threaded iOS/tvOS apps

• Solid understanding of iOS app development life cycle including Apple App Store compliance policies and submissions requirements

• Experience with Apple frameworks such as UIKit, AVFoundation, Security, and StoreKit

• Ability to collaborate in a small, productive development team as well as the larger engineering organization

• Motivated self-starter with the ability to learn and adapt to new technologies.

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills; can effectively articulate complex ideas and influence others through well-reasoned explanations

• Write efficient, reliable, and maintainable code whether implementing architectural improvements, user-facing features, and/or fixing defects.

• Work with minimal technical supervision and supplemental engineering support

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with tvOS-specific functionality including the Focus Engine, SIRI Remote, and the Top Shelf

• Experience building video-based applications with knowledge of the HLS protocol and Fairplay DRM

Experience with:

• Swift or Objective C
• Swift UI or UIKit
• Combine
• Async Await
• AVPlayer

Required Education

• BS Computer Science or related technical discipline or its equivalent
• undefined

Disclaimer

PAY TRANSPARENCY

The hiring range for this position in Bristol, CT and Glendale, CA is $158,100 - $211,900 per year and in New York, NY is $165,600 - $222,000 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.

This position is with Disney Entertainment & Sports LLC, which is part of a business we call Disney Entertainment and ESPN Product & Technology.

Disney Entertainment & Sports LLC is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or protected veteran status. Disney champions a business environment where ideas and decisions from all people help us grow, innovate, create the best stories and be relevant in a constantly evolving world.

DISABILITY ACCOMMODATION FOR EMPLOYMENT APPLICATIONS

The Walt Disney Company and its Affiliated Companies are Equal Employment Opportunity employers and welcome all job seekers including individuals with disabilities and veterans with disabilities. If you have a disability and believe you need a reasonable accommodation in order to search for a job opening or apply for a position, visit the Disney candidate disability accommodations FAQs (https://support.disneycareers.com/hc/en-us/sections/32131060143380-Candidate-Disability-Accommodations-FAQs) . We will only respond to those requests that are related to the accessibility of the online application system due to a disability.

The Walt Disney Company is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or protected veteran status. Disney fosters a business culture where ideas and decisions from all people help us grow, innovate, create the best stories and be relevant in a rapidly changing world.