Principal Product Software Engineer

The Walt Disney Company; Bristol (CT); On-site; USD 191,000 - 257,000; Full time

Job summary

The Walt Disney Company is seeking an experienced Principal Software Engineer for the Sports Backend Engineering team in Bristol, CT. You will design, build, and maintain AI-native backend platforms powering ESPN sports services, collaborating across codebases and teams to accelerate velocity while ensuring performance and reliability.

You will lead architectural reviews, prototype AI-driven solutions, and work with stakeholders to align technical strategy with business goals, all within a

Qualifications

• Minimum of 10 years of relevant industry experience.
• Mastery of backend platform development technologies and software architectural patterns.
• Extensive experience with cloud-based architecture.
• Proficiency in Java, Kotlin or other system-level languages and Spring Boot.
• Experience with AI-assisted development tools to accelerate velocity and optimize cost.
• Ability to ramp quickly on unfamiliar codebases and modernize systems with AI.
• Experience with multiple databases (MySQL, PostgreSQL, RDS, Cassandra, Mongo, etc.).
• Experience with CI/CD tools (GitLab, GitHub Actions, TeamCity).
• Strong communication and attention to detail.

Responsibilities

• Accelerate velocity by designing AI-native tooling, agents, and workflows.
• Prototype and ship AI-driven solutions with focus on performance and scalability.
• Design, develop, and document architectural platform frameworks; lead code reviews.
• Provide production support for a distributed system delivering data to Web/Mobile/Living Room.
• Build relationships with stakeholders to inform strategy and drive alignment.

Skills

Backend dev

Cloud architecture

Java / Kotlin

AI-assisted development

System design patterns

Communication

Learning new tech

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/IS/Software or related

Tools

Spring Boot

GitLab Pipelines

GitHub Actions

TeamCity

AWS

Job description

Job ID 10162060 Location Bristol, Connecticut, United States Business Disney Entertainment and ESPN Product & Technology Date posted Oct. 23, 2026

Disney Entertainment and ESPN Product & Technology

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’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.

Job Summary

Product Engineering is a unified team responsible for the engineering of Disney Entertainment & ESPN digital and streaming products and platforms. This includes product engineering, media engineering, quality assurance, engineering behind personalization, commerce, lifecycle, and identity.

As a Principal Software Engineer in the Sports Backend Engineering team, you will be part of a diverse and talented organization building and maintaining complex sports platform services and applications for ESPN. You'll join a team creating the world's leading sports products, working across codebases, teams, and subject matters to accelerate software engineering velocity with AI, shipping production code in a fast-paced, AI-native engineering environment. Beyond your daily responsibilities, you'll have opportunities to contribute innovative ideas for our products and help drive them to fruition.

Responsibilities and Duties of the Role:

• Help accelerate velocity across teams by helping design and build AI-native tooling, agents, and workflows that help software engineers and other disciplines move faster from idea to production.
• Partner with engineering teams across the org to rapidly prototype and ship AI-driven solutions, balancing speed with performance, scalability, caching, resiliency, and flexibility for expanding product requirements.
• Design, Develop and Document architectural platform frameworks for shared solutions across teams. Lead code and architectural reviews and competitive backend industry research
• Provide platform production support for a complex distributed system that delivers historical and live sports data to Web, Mobile and Living Room devices.
• Acquire a deep understanding of our business processes, dependent systems, and teams, and develop professional relationships with key stakeholders, including business users, product managers, designers, and other Principal Engineers both inside and outside of our organization, to inform technical strategy and drive alignment.

Qualifications:

• A minimum of 10 years relevant industry experience
• Mastery of backend platform development technologies and software architectural patterns
• Extensive experience with Cloud-based architecture
• Extensive experience with Java, Kotlin or other system level languages and using enterprise-grade frameworks such as Spring Boot.
• Extensive expertise with AI-assisted development tools (e.g., Cursor, Claude Code) to accelerate engineering velocity and demonstrated experience optimizing AI usage for cost and performance through prompt optimization, caching, and smart model routing.
• Proven ability to ramp quickly on unfamiliar codebases and rebuild or modernize systems with AI at significantly higher productivity than a typical engineer, while maintaining quality.
• Experience with multiple database technologies such as Mysql, Postgresql, RDS, Casandra, Mongo, etc.
• Experience with task Automation (GitLab Pipelines, GitHub Actions, TeamCity)
• Strong communication skills and attention to detail
• Ability to research, learn and evangelize new technologies

Preferred Qualifications

• Extensive experience with Amazon Web Services (AWS), including services such as S3, Lambda, SNS/SQS, RDS, Kinesis, KMS, OpenSearch, etc
• Experience working on highly scalable, real-time content or data platforms serving millions of consumers.
• Experience integrating with enterprise AI services such as AWS Bedrock, including model invocation, routing, and governance integration.

Education:

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

Disclaimer

PAY TRANSPARENCY

The hiring range for this position in Bristol, CT is $191,300 to $256,500 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 (opens in new window) . 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. (opens in new window)

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.

Hiring Process

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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.

Our senior executives bring tremendous experience, visionary thinking and a shared commitment to excellence, creativity and innovation to the day to day operation of the company.

Explore our commitments and our work to create a better world through our stories, experiences, operations, and philanthropy.

At Disney, we want everyone to belong and thrive. Creating a welcoming and respectful environment for our employees and guests is core to our company culture and our business. We strive to build supportive work environments that drive innovation and reinforce a culture in which all employees feel welcome, respected, and valued.

Heroes Work Here reflects the long history of respect and appreciation Disney has for the U.S. Armed Services. We recognize the commitment and dedication it takes to serve your country, both as military personnel and military spouses, and value the leadership skills and sense of purpose it has instilled in you.

Heroes Work Here

Heroes Work Here reflects the long history of respect and appreciation Disney has for the U.S. Armed Services. We recognize the commitment and dedication it takes to serve your country, both as military personnel and military spouses, and value the leadership skills and sense of purpose it has instilled in you.