Media Systems Engineer II

ProductionHUB; Burbank (CA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Disney Media Systems Engineers work to transform the capability and flexibility of how Disney acquires, produces, and distributes content globally, ensuring high quality, efficiency, and resiliency.

These engineers operate at the intersection of hardware and software, supporting systems from playout to production control rooms, and may engage in system integration projects while maintaining existing technology.

Qualifications

• Experience in designing and sustaining media technology environments.
• Ability to analyze complex production and distribution systems.
• Strong troubleshooting skills across hardware and software domains.

Responsibilities

• Architect, design, source, and construct media technology environments to enable content acquisition, production, storage, streaming, and distribution.
• Resolve production and distribution issues across DEET networks and perform diagnostics, repair, and replacement actions.
• Analyze streaming signals in traditional SDI and IP 2110 routing environments and troubleshoot cloud platforms as needed.
• Manage third‑party service providers and enforce scope of services per signed agreements.
• Specify and procure equipment within budget; develop long-range plans for media technology needs.

Skills

Systems engineering

SDI/IP 2110

Cloud platforms

Technical leadership

Troubleshooting

Tools

System monitoring tools

Networking

Job description

This role must sit in Burbank, CA; it is a permanent afternoon/evening shift and weekends are required. Friday (2PM-11PM), Saturday-Sunday (12PM-9PM), Monday-Tuesday (2PM-11PM). Wednesday and Thursdays off.

Technology is at the heart of Disney’s past, present, and future. Disney Entertainment and ESPN Product & Technology is a global organization of engineers, product developers, designers, technologists, data scientists, and more – all working to build and advance the technological backbone for Disney’s media business globally.

The team marries technology with creativity to build world‑class products, enhance storytelling, and drive velocity, innovation, and scalability for our businesses. We are Storytellers and Innovators. Creators and Builders. Entertainers and Engineers. We work with every part of The Walt Disney Company’s media portfolio to advance the technological foundation and consumer media touch points serving millions of people around the world.

Here are a few reasons why we think you’d love working here:

Building the future of Disney’s media: Our Technologists are designing and building the products and platforms that will power our media, advertising, and distribution businesses for years to come

Reach, Scale & Impact: More than ever, Disney’s technology and products serve as a signature doorway for fans' connections with the company’s brands and stories. Disney+. Hulu. ESPN. ABC. ABC News…and many more. These products and brands – and the unmatched stories, storytellers, and events they carry – matter to millions of people globally

Innovation: We develop and implement groundbreaking products and techniques that shape industry norms, and solve complex and distinctive technical problems.

Content Platforms & Operations is responsible for the development and ongoing advancement of the technical and operational functions driving the worldwide distribution and monetization of Disney’s linear networks and theatrical content. This includes Disney’s media supply chain and storage, network and theatrical distribution operations, media localization, network transmission and origination, and more. The global team also plays a critical role as the primary collaboration point for Product & Technology with Disney’s EMEA, APAC, and LATAM regional business teams.

Job Summary:

Disney Media Systems Engineers have a clear charter: to transform the capability and flexibility of how Disney acquires, produces, and distributes content worldwide, all while ensuring the highest levels of quality, efficiency, and resiliency.

Disney Media Systems Engineers often find themselves at the crossroads between hardware, and software‑based technology and must possess a comprehensive theoretical and practical understanding of the technology that powers the generation, monetization, and distribution of all forms of consumer‑facing linear and digital video/audio content. Responsibility includes numerous systems such as Playout Technology, Studios, Production Control Rooms, Remote Production, Post‑Production, Contribution/Distribution Systems, Networking, Cloud Compute, Production Software and Virtual Environment and more.

The Media Systems Engineer II position is the perfect role for an engineer who has some hands‑on sustainment and design/build experience with the creation, production, and distribution of linear or digital video/audio content. Media Systems Engineer II’s are primarily focused on the sustainability of our existing technology. They are the start of a tiered sustainment model where incidents are escalated from a shared operations team (tier 1) to the Media Systems Engineer II’s (tier 2) and beyond. Additionally, while Media Systems Engineer II’s are learning the nuances of Disney’s technology and learning to apply their own education and engineering experience, they may be asked to work on some system integration projects; documentation and preventative engineering.

Media Systems Engineer II’s use their experience to solve increasingly complicated issues without much support for more senior engineers and can easily perform integration tasks with little direction.

Responsibilities and Duties of the Role:

• Architect, design, source, and construct media technology environments that allow DEET Technology the ability to acquire, produce, store, stream, distribute our content.
• Resolve issues that affect production, broadcast, and content distribution across multiple DEET networks including system outages, malfunctions, and related technical problems, and conduct diagnostic testing, repair, and replacement activities necessary to solve routine, specialized, and complex problems.
• Analyze and troubleshoot streaming audio/video signals in traditional SDI and IP 2110 essence flow routing environments.
• Analyze and troubleshoot cloud platforms as necessary.
• Manage third‑party service providers by enforcing the agreed upon scope of services within the various signed service agreements (i.e., full time, freelance, union agencies, maintenance providers, contractors, service providers, etc.).
• Select, train, motivate and evaluate technical staff; provide or coordinate staff training; work with employees to correct deficiencies; implement discipline procedures.
• Specify and procure equipment, supplies and materials for Media technology systems within budget guidelines; receive and maintain equipment and supplies.
• Develop long range plans for future media technology needs, including capital improvements, to enhance production and distribution capabilities.
• Assist in the development and implementation of policies and procedures regarding technology facilities with a focus on maximizing the integration of all systems to meet business, marketing, and entertainment goals.
• Provide operational support of all activities related to operating, maintaining, and programming the audio and video production/distribution systems across the enterprise and other connected properties.
• Utilize system software health and performance monitoring platforms; troubleshoot and participate in repairing system problems and failures, participates in maintenance of systems, installs software patches, updates etc., to resolve and avoid service problems, and troubleshoots system problems as they relate to these services
• Performs upgrades to system hardware and software workflows under the supervision of a more experienced engineer or supervisor.
• Participates in complex engineering projects at the direction of more experienced engineers.
• Reviews, maintains, and contributes to system/workflow documentation.
• Participates in training and development objectives. Conducts peer training and development sessions.
• Extraordinary influencer who is skilled at connecting the dots at the organization, strategy, program, project, and event levels. Able to persuade and change the thinking of others without damaging relationships.
• Comfort working in a fast‑paced, growth environment with minimal direction, delivering under tight deadlines while multitasking, prioritizing projects, and communicating priority updates to team members.
• Able to operate with limited resources, exhibit dispassionate critical‑thinking, and creatively solve problems. Motivated and inventive, always finds a way forward—eternal optimist with a committed drive for contributing and making a difference.
• Any other duties needed to help achieve Business Objectives.