Principal Product Software Engineer

The Walt Disney Company; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 197,000 - 265,000; Full time

Job summary

The Walt Disney Company’s Disney Entertainment and ESPN Product & Technology teams are seeking a Principal Product Software Engineer to steer architecture and drive scalable streaming platforms in New York, NY. You will partner with distributed engineers, shape patterns, and mentor others while delivering reliable services for millions of users.

You will lead best practices, influence cross‑team decisions, and collaborate with product management and operations to build robust,

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience crafting large-scale Java/Scala services.
• Strong programming skills in Java and OO languages; solid CS fundamentals.
• Experience with source control systems and CI/CD pipelines.
• Ability to work independently and with cross-team collaboration; mentoring.

Responsibilities

• Work with a distributed team of engineers across multiple organizations building software collaboratively.
• Identity patterns that can help the teams scale, create proposals, and drive adoption of those patterns.
• Challenge current architectural choices while collaborating to solve problems in innovative ways.
• Drive adoption of consistent technical frameworks across the organization.
• Drive best engineering practices to write well-constructed and easy-to-maintain code, defensive and robust tests.
• Lead through metrics - understand application performance and costs and push for better results.

Skills

Java

CI/CD

Leadership

Communication

Mentoring

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

Git

CI/CD pipelines

Job description

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Principal Product Software Engineer

Job ID 10158154 Location New York, New York, United States / Santa Monica, California, United States / San Francisco, California, United States Business Disney Entertainment and ESPN Product & Technology Date posted Oct. 05, 2026

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.

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.

Our teams build systems that power all the Commerce workflows within Disney Streaming. We implement reliable, high-request services that power user experiences across web, mobile, and living room devices. We are looking for a Principal Software engineer who wants to build and operate these critical services that support all our users! We're a fast-paced, dynamic, collaborative, and fun team, and we're looking forward to learning more about you!

Responsibilities

• Work with a distributed team of engineers across multiple organizations building software collaboratively.
• Identity patterns that can help the teams scale, create proposals, and drive adoption of those patterns
• Challenge current architectural choices while collaborating to solve problems in innovative ways.
• Drive adoption of consistent technical frameworks across the organization
• Drive best engineering practices to write well-constructed and easy-to-maintain code, defensive and robust tests.
• Lead through metrics - understand application performance and costs and push for better results.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Software, Electrical or Electronics Engineering, or a comparable field of study.
• 10+ years of related experience crafting large-scale, highly available Java, Scala, etc services utilizing various database and messaging technologies. Strong programming skills in Java and other object-oriented languages and a strong grasp of computer science fundamentals (data structures, algorithms, databases - SQL and noSQL, etc.)
• Experience using source control systems and CI/CD pipelines.
• An ability to work both independently and collaboratively.
• Champion cross-team projects.
• Coach and mentor other specialists on the team to ensure that all software utilizes industry best practices. Collaborate efficiently with product management, technical program management, operations, and other engineering teams to capture requirements, drive implementation, and provide transparency.
• A broad perspective on problem-solving.
• Strong communication skills and a desire to share your knowledge with team members and others.
• Experience directly managing and mentoring a team.

#DISNEYTECH

The hiring range for this position in San Francisco is $206,400 - $276,700 per year; in Seattle, WA and New York, NY, $197,400 - $264,700, and in Los Angeles, CA, $188,400 - $252,600. 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.

About Disney Entertainment and ESPN Product & Technology:

At Disney Entertainment and ESPN Product & Technology, we’re blending imagination and innovation to reimagine the ways people experience and engage with the world’s most beloved stories and products. Our work is wide-ranging and deeply sophisticated. We create amazing experiences, transform the future of media, and build products and platforms that enable the connection between people everywhere and the stories and sports they love.

Disney’s ability to marry world-class technology with one-of-a-kind creativity makes us unique. It is at the heart of our past, present, and future. We are Storytellers and Innovators. Creators and Builders. Entertainers and Engineers.

About The Walt Disney Company:

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.

This position is with Disney Entertainment & Sports LLC, which is part of a business we call Disney Entertainment and ESPN Product & Technology.

Disney Entertainment & Sports LLC is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, military or veteran status, medical condition, genetic information or disability, or any other basis prohibited by federal, state or local law. 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.

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