Lead Software Engineer

Disney Cruise Line - The Walt Disney Company; Lake Buena Vista (FL); On-site; Confidential; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus potential

Long‑term incentive units

Medical benefits

Job summary

Disney Cruise Line - The Walt Disney Company is seeking a Lead Software Engineer to build scalable, AI‑driven software systems for Disney Experiences in Lake Buena Vista, FL. You will code hands‑on and shape architecture, owning reservations, inventory, and dining systems while leveraging AWS, DynamoDB, MongoDB, Kafka, Docker, and CI/CD.

You’ll mentor engineers, lead design reviews, and collaborate with product owners and other architecture teams across distributed groups to ensure robust,

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience building large‑scale software systems and web applications, leading engineering teams and projects, with hands‑on experience in solution and application architecture.
• Experience with enterprise architecture tools (e.g., BlueDolphin, LeanIX) preferred.
• Ability to lead cross‑domain architectural initiatives and guide decision processes.
• Experience developing and managing architecture patterns, taxonomies, and standards.
• Ability to align architecture with OKRs and business objectives.
• Hands‑on familiarity with AWS, Azure, GCP, API‑led integration, security‑by‑design, and data architecture.
• Strong hands‑on skills in Java 21+ and RESTful APIs.
• Deep experience with AWS, DynamoDB, Aurora, MongoDB, Kafka, Docker, CI/CD.
• Solid OO design, coding best practices, and Agile/TD.
• Experience monitoring distributed production systems (Splunk, Grafana, AppDynamics).
• Knowledge of inventory optimization and overbooking prevention.
• Hands‑on experience with AI‑powered coding tools to accelerate development.
• Ability to lead complex projects independently and manage multiple projects under pressure.
• Experience working with distributed/remote teams.
• Strong mentoring and stakeholder communication skills.
• Adaptable to fast‑changing environments.

Responsibilities

• Lead and personally build scalable, well‑documented software systems and APIs from design to delivery.
• Champion AI‑driven development across the lifecycle to accelerate delivery and quality.
• Set architectural direction and evaluate technology choices with stakeholders.
• Own dining and bookable experience reservation systems and inventory management.
• Integrate and support complex systems across databases, messaging, and orchestration; manage AWS infra.
• Drive engineering quality via code/design reviews, automated testing, and root‑cause analysis.
• Collaborate with product owners, engineering partners, and architecture teams to align solutions with business needs.

Skills

Java 21+

Spring

Microservices

RESTful APIs

AWS

Azure

GCP

DynamoDB

Aurora

MongoDB

Kafka

Docker

CI/CD

Object‑oriented design

Agile/TD Development

Splunk

Grafana

AppDynamics

AI‑powered coding tools

Disney domain experience

Distributed teams

Mentoring

Communication with stakeholders

Inventory optimization

Copilot/Cursor/Amazon Q/Claude

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

BlueDolphin

LeanIX

GitHub Copilot

Cursor

Amazon Q

Claude

Job description

Department Description

“We Power the Magic!” That’s our motto at Disney Experiences (DX). Our team creates world‑class immersive digital experiences for the Company’s premier vacation brands including Disney’s Parks & Resorts worldwide, Disney Cruise Line, Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa, and Disney Vacation Club.We are responsible for the end‑to‑end digital and physical Guest experience for all technology & digital‑led initiatives across the Attractions & Entertainment, Food & Beverage, Resorts & Transportation and Merchandise lines of business as well as other initiatives including MyDisneyExperience and Hey, Disney!

This role sits in the Retail, Restaurant & Supply Chain Technology organization within Technology & Digital for Disney Experiences. It works closely with a diverse team of engineers, business stakeholders, and service owners from across the company.

The Lead Software Engineer will report to the Manager, Software Engineering.

What You’ll Do

• Lead and personally build (hands‑on coding expected) scalable, well‑documented software systems, applications, APIs, and RESTful services — from technical specs through delivery — using Java, AWS/cloud‑native patterns, relational and NoSQL databases, messaging, and orchestration technologies.
• Champion AI‑driven development and architecture, embedding AI‑powered tools (GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Amazon Q, Claude, Kiro) across the software lifecycle — from design and coding to testing and troubleshooting — to accelerate delivery and elevate quality, while shaping how the team adopts AI in its engineering practices.
• Set architectural direction by translating complex functional, technical, and business requirements into solution architecture, coordinating with Architecture and IT stakeholders, evaluating technology choices (software, hardware, Saas/PaaS), and developing proof‑of‑concepts and roadmaps that align applications with reference architecture.
• Own dining and bookable experience reservation systems, maintaining deep expertise in inventory, availability, offers, and reservations, and proactively preventing overbooking issues that could impact guests.
• Integrate and support complex systems across databases, messaging, and orchestration platforms, and manage AWS infrastructure to keep production and lower environments reliable.
• Drive engineering quality and continuous improvement through code and design reviews, automated testing, end‑to‑end troubleshooting and root‑cause analysis, and proactive recommendations to processes, technologies, and coding practices — maintaining focus and sound judgment in a dynamic, fast‑paced, cross‑functional environment.
• Collaborate cross‑functional with product owners, engineering partners, delivery managers, business analysts, and other architecture teams to align solutions with current and future business needs, estimate delivery, and communicate the team’s value.

Required Qualifications & Skills:

• 7+ years of experience building large‑scale software systems and web applications, leading engineering teams and projects, with hands‑on experience in solution and application architecture.
• Expertise with enterprise architecture repository tools (e.g., tools similar to BlueDolphin or LeanIX)
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross‑domain architectural initiatives and guide decision processes
• Experience developing and managing architecture taxonomies, patterns, and standards.
• Proven ability to align architecture with strategic objectives, OKRs, and scorecards.
• Hands‑on familiarity with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP), API‑led integration, security‑by‑design, and data architecture principles.
• Strong hands‑on skills in Java 21+, Spring, microservices, and RESTful APIs.
• Deep experience with AWS, databases (DynamoDB, Aurora, MongoDB), Kafka, Docker, and CI/CD pipelines.
• Solid understanding of object‑oriented design, coding best practices, and Agile/Test‑Driven Development.
• Experience running and monitoring distributed production systems, including tools like Splunk, Grafana, or AppDynamics.
• Knowledge of inventory optimization and preventing overbooking‑type issues.
• Hands‑on experience using AI‑powered coding tools (Copilot, Cursor, Amazon Q, Claude, etc.) to accelerate development.
• Able to lead complex projects independently — setting direction, solving hard problems, and guiding testing and debugging.
• Comfortable managing multiple projects at once and making fast decisions under pressure.
• Experience working with distributed/remote teams.
• Strong mentoring skills — able to train, guide, and review the work of junior engineers.
• Good communicator who can work well with product owners, UI/UX teams, and other technical and business stakeholders.
• Adaptable, thrives in fast‑changing, sometimes ambiguous environments.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in Disney, Food & Beverage, Attractions & Entertainment domain

Required Education:

• Bachelor’s or foreign equivalent Degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Software, Electrical or Electronics Engineering, or comparable field of study, and/or equivalent work experience.

#DISNEYTECH

The hiring range for this position in Lake Buena Vista, FL is $148,300 - $198,800 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.