Lead Product Software Engineer

The Walt Disney Company; New York (NY); On-site; USD 158,000 - 212,000; Full time

Job summary

The Walt Disney Company is seeking a Lead Product Software Engineer to architect and deliver foundational frontend solutions powering Disney's web properties across ESPN, ABC News, NatGeo, Marvel, and more.

You will lead shared frameworks and tooling, mentor engineers, and drive performance, accessibility, and developer experience at scale, while balancing brand-specific needs and cross-team collaboration.

Qualifications

• Proven mastery of frontend web development technologies and principles.
• Minimum 7+ years of relevant industry experience with demonstrated technical leadership.
• Experience building reusable platform libraries, design systems, or shared frontend infrastructure at scale.
• Strong understanding of web performance, accessibility (WCAG), SEO, and responsive design.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain shared frontend platform capabilities used by multiple Disney brands.
• Define architecture, standards, and best practices for multi-brand web development.
• Research and adopt improvements to performance, accessibility, and developer experience.
• Mentor engineers and lead cross-team technical decisions to raise frontend quality.
• Collaborate with product teams to balance shared needs with brand-specific customization.

Skills

Frontend platform

Technical leadership

Web performance

Cross-brand engineering

Education

BS in Computer Science

Tools

Webpack

Rollup

Vite

Git

CI/CD

Job description

Lead Product Software Engineer - Full-stack

Job ID 10162149 Location Bristol, Connecticut, United States / New York, New York, United States / Glendale, California, United States Business Disney Entertainment and ESPN Product & Technology Date posted Oct. 20, 2026

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.

The Product & Data Engineering team is responsible for end to end development for Disney's world-class consumer-facing products, including streaming platforms Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+, and digital products & experiences across ESPN, Marvel, Disney Studios, NatGeo, and ABC News. The team drives innovation at scale for millions of consumers around the world across Apple, Android, Smart TVs, game consoles, and the web, with our platforms powering core experiences like personalization, search, messaging and data.

Core Web Platform

The Core Web Platform team builds the foundational web technologies, frameworks, and shared components that power Disney's portfolio of world-class digital properties—including ESPN.com, ABCNews.com, National Geographic, Marvel.com, and more. As a platform team, we enable product engineering teams across brands to ship faster and more consistently by providing reusable solutions for rendering, performance, design systems, developer tooling, and core web architecture.

A few reasons why we’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

As a Lead Software Engineer on the Core Web Platform team, you will architect and deliver foundational frontend solutions that power Disney's portfolio of consumer-facing web properties, including ESPN, ABC News, National Geographic, and Marvel. You will drive technical direction for shared web frameworks, components, and tooling used across multiple brands and engineering teams, balancing platform consistency with brand-specific needs. You will mentor engineers, influence cross-team technical decisions, and ensure our platform delivers exceptional performance, accessibility, and developer experience at scale.

If you:

• Demonstrate determination in finding solutions to complex, cross-cutting technical challenges
• Have the curiosity to research and evaluate new web technologies and platform patterns
• Employ positive thinking and work constructively in a diverse, distributed team setting
• Are passionate about building platforms that multiply the impact of other engineers
• Value learning and being exposed to new experiences across brands and product domains

then working at Disney is unlike anything else. We have the latest technology, game-changing ideas, and world-class talent. Come help us build the core web foundation that powers how audiences connect with our brands across the digital landscape.

Responsibilities and Duties of the Role

Design, build, and maintain shared frontend platform capabilities—including reusable components, frameworks, build tooling, and design system integrations—consumed by engineering teams across ESPN, ABC News, NatGeo, Marvel, and other Disney web properties.

Define technical architecture, engineering standards, and best practices for multi-brand web development; lead design reviews, RFCs, and technical decision-making for platform initiatives.

Research and evaluate emerging web technologies; prototype and drive adoption of improvements to performance, accessibility, SEO, and developer experience.

Mentor and provide technical guidance to engineers through code review, pairing, and knowledge sharing; help raise the bar for frontend engineering quality across the organization.

Partner with product engineering teams across brands to understand requirements, prioritize platform roadmap investments, and deliver scalable solutions that balance shared needs with brand-specific customization.

Basic Qualifications

• Proven mastery of frontend web development technologies and principles
• Minimum 7+ years of relevant industry experience with demonstrated technical leadership
• Experience building reusable platform libraries, design systems, or shared frontend infrastructure at scale
• Strong understanding of web performance, accessibility (WCAG), SEO, and responsive design
• Experience with build tooling and CI/CD pipelines (Webpack, Rollup, Vite, or similar)
• Demonstrated ability to influence technical direction across multiple teams or codebases
• Strong communication skills and attention to detail; driven and self-motivated

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting multiple distinct brands or product lines from a shared platform
• Experience with server-side rendering, edge delivery, and modern web application architecture (Node.js)
• Familiarity with CSS architecture, design tokens, and component-driven design systems
• Experience with testing strategies for platform code (unit, integration, visual regression)
• Experience working in large monorepo or multi-repository environments
• Prior experience in media, entertainment, sports, or news digital products
• Experience using AI-assisted development tools (e.g., Cursor, Claude, Kiro) to improve engineering velocity, code quality, and platform productivity
• Familiarity with AI-driven development workflows - prompt engineering, agent-assisted coding, and integrating AI tooling into team engineering practices

Experience with:

• Node.js and server-side web technologies
• Build tooling (Webpack, Rollup, Vite) and CSS preprocessors
• Design systems, component libraries, and design tokens
• Web performance, accessibility, and SEO optimization
• Git, CI/CD, and automated testing
• AI-assisted development tools (Cursor, Claude, Kiro) and AI-driven software development practices

Required Education

•BS in Computer Science or related technical discipline, or equivalent practical experience

#TECHATDISNEY

Disclaimer

PAY TRANSPARENCY

The hiring range for this position in Glendale, CA and Bristol, CT is $158,100.00 -$211,900.00 per year and in New York, NY is 158,100.00-$211,900.00 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 withDisney Entertainment & Sports LLC, which is part of a business we callDisney 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 . We will only respond to those requests that are related to the accessibility of the online application system due to a disability.

Having technical issues? View the FAQs for help.

The Walt Disney Company, together with its subsidiaries and affiliates, is a leading diversified international family entertainment and media enterprise that includes three core business segments: Disney Entertainment, ESPN, and Disney Experiences. From humble beginnings as a cartoon studio in the 1920s to its preeminent name in the entertainment industry today, Disney proudly continues its legacy of creating world-class stories and experiences for every member of the family. Disney’s stories, characters and experiences reach consumers and guests from every corner of the globe. With operations in more than 40 countries, our employees and cast members work together to create entertainment experiences that are both universally and locally cherished.

The Heart of Connecticut Bristol, Connecticut is just two hours from Boston and New York and just an hour from the shoreline. From the natural beauty of picturesque hills and fall foliage, to the high tech satellite dishes of ESPN, Bristol’s “City sized” with a small town vibe, offering wonderful memories no matter your pace.

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