Principal SDET | Cloud-Native Test Architect & Leader

5014 Disney Entertainment & Sports LLC; New York (NY); On-site; USD 180,000 - 241,000; Full time

Job summary

Disney Entertainment and ESPN Product & Technology seeks a Principal Software Development Engineer in Test to lead automation and quality across streaming, data, and ad tech systems. You will set strategy, shape test architectures, and drive CI/CD–driven quality improvements while partnering with cross‑functional teams to improve reliability and revenue impact.

You will mentor SDETs, align quality goals with business priorities, and foster innovation in testing practices, observability, and

Qualifications

• Minimum of 10 years experience in quality engineering, automation, or software development.
• Leadership experience in large, complex engineering environments.
• Proven expertise architecting and scaling test automation for distributed, cloud-native systems.
• Advanced proficiency with Python or modern OO languages; experience with ad-tech or large-scale systems is a plus.
• Bachelor's degree, preferably in Computer Science or related field (or equivalent work experience).

Responsibilities

• Define and drive the vision, strategy, and roadmap for test automation and quality engineering across multiple units.
• Lead the architecture of scalable, cloud-native test automation solutions and toolchains.
• Coach SDETs and engineers; standardize tools and reusable components.
• Lead delivery of concurrent testing initiatives in agile environments; manage budgets and governance.
• Advance quality practices with emerging tech and data-driven metrics.

Skills

Quality engineering

Test automation

Python

Cloud-native

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science

Job description

Disney Entertainment and ESPN Product & Technology seeks a Principal Software Development Engineer in Test to lead automation and quality across streaming, data, and ad tech systems. You will set strategy, shape test architectures, and drive CI/CD–driven quality improvements while partnering with cross‑functional teams to improve reliability and revenue impact.

You will mentor SDETs, align quality goals with business priorities, and foster innovation in testing practices, observability, and