Manager, Software Engineer - Video Playback

The Walt Disney Company (Germany) GmbH; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 175,000 - 236,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a dynamic team at an innovative media company where you can lead the development of cutting-edge streaming technologies. As a Software Engineering Manager, you will play a pivotal role in enhancing the viewing experiences for millions across platforms like ESPN, Hulu, and Disney+. You will guide a talented team in designing and implementing a robust cross-platform player using C/C++ and Rust, ensuring seamless playback on various devices. This is an exciting opportunity to influence the future of media technology, collaborate with diverse teams, and drive impactful projects that reach audiences worldwide.

Benefits

Medical Benefits

Financial Benefits

Bonus Opportunities

Long-term Incentives

Qualifications

• 8+ years in software development with a focus on C/C++ and Rust.
• Experience in managing software engineering teams.

Responsibilities

• Manage a team developing C++ player media pipeline.
• Optimize player performance for resource-constrained platforms.

Skills

C++

Rust

Embedded Engineering

Video Streaming Technology

Multi-threaded Applications

Build Systems

Team Management

Communication Skills

Education

BS or BA in Computer Science

Equivalent Experience

Tools

Build Runners

Continuous Integration Tools

Job description

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 improve 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 we think you’d love working here:

• Building the future of Disney’s media: DE&E 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 ABC News and Entertainment, 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.

Media Engineering builds the software and systems that prepare media content and metadata for the Disney Streaming platform - providing the best possible playback experience to our viewers.

Our combined Disney and Hulu team is looking for hardworking team players to join the Media Engineering team, who will thrive upon the legacy of Disney and Hulu, embrace unconventional thinking, and who are passionate about contributing to The Walt Disney Company’s direct-to-consumer (DTC) experience through strategic hard work and determination.

Our team is seeking a talented Software Engineering Manager to help us deliver excellent streaming experiences for ESPN, Hulu, and Disney+ as a developer of our low-level embedded cross-platform player. Our team is responsible for playback across several devices including gaming consoles, mobile devices, and set-top boxes. You will have the opportunity to lead in the design and implementation of our cross-platform C/C++ and Rust player that runs Disney+ and Hulu on these devices.

We’re looking for an engineering manager with C/C++ and embedded engineering experience as well as video player and cross-platform development experience. You should have a passion for coding and debugging hard problems, and an eagerness to help us deliver seamless video to our subscribers. As an engineering manager, your team will own the lowest level media pipeline implemented in firmware. You will lead the technical direction of the team’s work and mentor and provide technical expertise to other engineers. You will work closely with other technical teams in the application layer and backend video services to deliver features.

Responsibilities

• Manage a team that develops C++ player media pipeline.
• Develop and maintain our Rust and C/C++ player that drives our streaming experience.
• Optimize our player to perform well for resource constrained platforms.
• Create and review architecture and designs for our team’s projects.
• Maintain a strong understanding of our code to identify, research and address issues, collaborate with application development teams, services engineering teams and product management to help understand and explain device limitations and requirements.
• Lead in strategies to ensure the quality and stability of our deployments, including testing strategies and telemetry approaches.
• Develop our project’s build system and continuous integration system as needed.
• Provide technical expertise or mentoring to developers on our team, holding our team accountable to high development standards.

Basic Qualifications

• 8+ years of full software development lifecycle experience.
• 2+ years of experience managing software engineers.
• Fluent in C and C++ and Rust.
• Embedded engineering experience.
• Experience with playback and video streaming technology.
• Experience developing and optimizing multi-threaded applications.
• Experience using build runners / compilation tools for multi-platform projects.
• Strong individual contributor with a drive to learn and patience to teach others.
• Great communication and collaboration skills and a strong teamwork ethic.
• BS or BA in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field or equivalent experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Rust experience.
• Experience in Streaming technologies, including:
• HLS (preferred) or DASH.
• DRM technologies like Playready or Widevine.
• Adaptive Bitrate Streaming Algorithms.
• Caption and subtitle formats such as CEA-608 / 708.
• Codecs AVC, HEVC, AAC, EAC3.
• Cross-Platform Development experience.
• Embedded operating system experience.
• Experience developing for gaming consoles (e.g. Playstation, Switch), Android devices (e.g. FireTV), or similar devices.
• Familiarity with set-top box development and specialized SoCs from manufacturers like Broadcom, MediaTek, etc.

The hiring range for this position in Seattle, WA or New York, NY is between $175,800 – $235,700, Los Angeles, CA is between $167,700 – $224,900 year, in San Francisco is between $183,700 – $246,400. 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.