Principal Software Engineer - Activation

The Walt Disney Company; New York (NY); On-site; USD 193,000 - 259,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a forward-thinking company as a Principal Software Engineer, where you'll lead the development of innovative data solutions for a wide array of media products. This role is pivotal in shaping the future of entertainment technology, leveraging your expertise in Python, Scala, and big data tools. You'll work with a talented team to design and implement scalable data systems that enhance user experiences across various platforms. If you're passionate about technology and eager to make an impact in the media industry, this opportunity is perfect for you.

Benefits

Medical benefits

Flexible work hours

Retirement plan

Employee discounts

Professional development opportunities

Qualifications

• 10+ years software development experience with large teams.
• Expertise in building scalable, fault-tolerant data products.

Responsibilities

• Lead development of large-scale data platform for real-time processing.
• Collaborate with product managers and program managers across the organization.

Skills

Python

Scala

Java

Spark

SQL

Docker

Airflow

Terraform

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science

Master's degree in a related field

Tools

AWS

Databricks

Snowflake

Job description

Principal Software Engineer - Activation

Principal Software Engineer - Activation

Apply Now Apply Later Job ID 10119748 Location Seattle, Washington, United States / San Francisco, California, United States / Santa Monica, California, United States / New York, New York, United States Business Disney Entertainment Date postedApr. 29, 2025

Job Summary:

On any given day at Disney Entertainment & ESPN Product & 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 maximize 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.

The Product & Data Engineering team is responsible for end to end development for Disney’s world-class consumer-facing products, including streaming platforms Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+, and digital products & experiences across ESPN, Marvel, Disney Studios, NatGeo, and ABC News. The team drives innovation at scale for millions of consumers around the world across Apple, Android, Smart TVs, game consoles, and the web, with our platforms powering core experiences like personalization, search, messaging and data.

A few reasons why we think you’d love working for Disney Entertainment & ESPN Product & Technology:

• Building the future of Disney’s media business: Our technologists are designing and building the infrastructure that will power Disney’s 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 execute groundbreaking products and techniques that shape industry norms and enhance how audiences experience sports, entertainment & news.

Our Activation team is seeking a highly motivated Principal Software Engineer with a very strong technical background who is passionate about designing and building systems to process data at scale that unlocks capabilities across software and data disciplines. This role involves building and maintaining our Activation Data products which serve as the data sharing platform. The role requires expert knowledge of building scalable, fault-tolerant data products to ensure the reliable delivery of both real-time and batch data. Our tech stack includes AWS, Databricks, Snowflake, Airflow, Spark, and languages include Scala, Python, SQL, and Java.

Responsibilities:

• Be a part of a team of big data and backend engineers to deliver high value projects

• Lead and participate in organization-wide large-scale programs representing the team and our stakeholders

• Lead development of components of large-scale data platform for real-time and batch processing, and own features of big data applications to fit evolving business needs

• Lead development of next generation service platform on cloud-based big data infrastructure for batch and streaming data applications, and continuously improve performance, scalability and availability

• Balance architectural and design considerations such as performance, scalability, reusability and flexibility issues

• Advocate the best engineering practices, including the use of design patterns, CI/CD, code review and automated test

• Recruit, mentor and guide the professional and technical development of team members

• Collaborate with program managers, product managers, SDET, and researchers in an open and innovative environment

Basic Qualifications:

• 10+ years of related software development experience, having worked with medium to large size development teams

• 10+ years of direct experience with Python, Scala, and/or Java

• 5+ years experience with Spark

• Validated experience with Snowflake & Databricks

• Strong experience with complex SQL development related to extract, transform, and load processes

• 5 years experience with Terraform, CDK, or equivalent

• Expertise in Docker and/or containerization technologies

• Experience with Airflow or equivalent schedulers

• Understanding of networking fundamentals, including cloud environments (AWS, etc.)

• Experience with one major MPP database, such as Delta, Redshift, or Big Query

• Experience with testing tools, such as pytest, junit, or equivalent

• Strong software design principles and specifically functional programming paradigm

• Experience mentoring and leading junior engineers

• Experience collaborating with product managers and program managers across the organization

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

Preferred Qualifications:

• Masters Degree in a related field, and/or related certification/s

• Experience with alternative datastores such as Timeseries, Graph or NoSQL databases

• Experience with real-time event-driven architectures

• Experience utilizing varieties of integration patterns

• Experience in Microservices architecture and containerized cluster orchestration services e.g. Kubernetes

#DISNEYTECH

The hiring range for this position in Seattle, WA is between $193,100 - $258,900, New York, NY is between $193,100 - $258,900, Los Angeles, CA is between $184,300 - $247,100 and San Francisco, CA is between $201,900 - $270,700 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.

About Disney Entertainment:

At Disney Corporate you can see how the businesses behind the Company’s powerful brands come together to create the most innovative, far-reaching and admired entertainment company in the world. As a member of a corporate team, you’ll work with world-class leaders driving the strategies that keep The Walt Disney Company at the leading edge of entertainment. See and be seen by other innovative thinkers as you enable the greatest storytellers in the world to create memories for millions of families around the globe.

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 Streaming Technology LLC , which is part of a business we call Disney Entertainment .

Disney Streaming Technology 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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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, email [e-mail] with your request. This email address is not for general employment inquiries or correspondence. We will only respond to those requests that are related to the accessibility of the online application system due to a disability.

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