Lead Software Engineer - Applied AI

Disneyland Hong Kong; Seattle, San Francisco, New York, Santa Monica (WA, CA, NY, CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a dynamic team at a leading entertainment company, where you will play a pivotal role in integrating cutting-edge AI technologies to enhance user experiences across popular streaming platforms. As a Lead Software Engineer, you will leverage your extensive experience in machine learning and software development to solve complex challenges, improve engineering workflows, and mentor emerging talent. This role offers the unique opportunity to shape the future of digital entertainment, working collaboratively to deliver innovative solutions that delight millions of users. If you're passionate about technology and eager to make an impact, this is the place for you!

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in a technical field.
• Proficient with JavaScript and Python.
• Experience with AI technologies and machine learning.

Responsibilities

• Integrate generative AI to enhance frontend client experiences.
• Apply machine learning models to boost conversions on streaming platforms.
• Mentor team members on ML and AI technologies.

Skills

JavaScript

Python

Machine Learning

Generative AI

AI Technologies

Education

Bachelor's in Computer Science

Master's in Computer Science

Tools

PyTorch

TensorFlow

LangChain

LlamaIndex

Job description

Lead Software Engineer - Applied AI

About the Role & Team

On any given day at Disney Entertainment and ESPN Product & Technology, we’re reimagining ways to create magical viewing experiences for the world’s most beloved stories while also transforming our 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 enhance 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.

A few reasons why you’d love working here:

Building the future of Disney’s media: DEEP&T Technologists are designing and building the infrastructure that will power our 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 ESPN and ESPN+, and much more.

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

The Commerce, Growth & Identity (CGI) organization is dedicated to three business-critical areas at Disney that will help transform its media business. We build innovative and cutting-edge capabilities to drive subscriptions, engagement, and monetization across Disney's streaming and digital products. We enable the wide range of Disney brands to connect and engage with consumers through a unified identity, powered by shared services that are trustworthy and seamless to integrate with.

The Disney Entertainment and ESPN Product & Technology (DEEP&T) Commerce, Growth and Identity Client Engineering organization delivers experiences across Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+, and Star+ built on a common platform and shared technology. We are a fast-paced and fast-growing organization that shares knowledge and code for initiatives throughout Disney! Our mission: Building inclusive user-centered experiences that welcome users, guiding them through a seamless journey from login to sign up, and facilitating effortless account management. As a member of the DEEP&T Web Commerce team, you’ll build the core sign-up, purchase, and subscription management experiences of our web platform.

You will serve as a high-level technical resource and “go-to” person, solving sophisticated technical challenges and finding opportunities to improve systems, products, and services!

What You Will Do

• Integrate generative AI (artificial intelligence) to power business impact on frontend clients.
• Apply machine learning models on large-scale data sets to boost conversions on Hulu, Disney+, and ESPN+.
• Improve engineering efficiency by using development data to improve developer workflows, code quality, and build/deploy processes.
• Discover applications for machine learning and artificial intelligence for Disney’s streaming brands.
• Collaborate with engineering teams, program managers, and product managers to deliver high-impact features.
• Mentor and onboard team members on ML (machine learning) and AI (artificial intelligence) technologies.

Required Qualifications & Skills

• 7+ years of experience in a technical field
• Bachelor’s in CS (or related field) required
• Proficient with Javascript and Python
• Worked with models like Vertex/Gemini, ChatGPT, Nova, or Deepseek

Preferred Qualifications & Skills

• MS or higher degree in computer science or related field
• 4+ years of experience using applied AI to solve real-world business problems and deliver value
• Experience with embeddings, RAG, RLHF, prompt engineering, and fine-tuning
• Knowledge of industry tools like PyTorch, TensorFlow, LangChain, and LlamaIndex

Education

• Bachelor’s in Computer Science (or related field) and/or equivalent work experience required

The hiring range varies by location and includes additional benefits and incentives. For details, see the full description.

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 need a reasonable accommodation during the application process, please visit our FAQ page. We will respond to requests related to accessibility of the application system due to a disability.