Senior Software Developer - Build Tooling Development

ESPN; New York (NY); On-site; USD 151,000 - 202,000; Full time

Job summary

ESPN is seeking a Senior Software Engineer on the Build Tooling Software team within Disney Entertainment & ESPN Technology. You’ll develop infrastructure, tools, and shared libraries enabling 1000s of engineers to ship software quickly and safely.

The role requires 8+ years in software development, strong CI/CD expertise, and hands-on experience with Linux, AWS, containers, and IaC. You will collaborate across remote teams and contribute to scalable, production-ready systems.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of professional software development experience.
• Proficiency in Python, Java, C++, C, or C#.
• Familiarity with Bash / PowerShell scripting.
• Experience with modern SDLC practices (Scrum, Kanban, GitOps, Monorepos, Micro Services, Feature Flagging).
• Experience building and maintaining CI/CD pipelines (GitLab CI, GitHub Actions, TeamCity, Jenkins, Argo, SonarQube).
• In-depth knowledge of Linux (file systems, permissions, SSH).
• Hands-on AWS core services (EC2, S3, IAM, VPC, CloudWatch).
• Containers and orchestration with Docker, Kubernetes, Helm.
• Infrastructure as Code with Terraform, CloudFormation.
• Familiarity with AI tooling in the SDLC.
• Ability to collaborate with remote team members.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• BA/BS in Computer Science or equivalent technical experience

Responsibilities

• Work with a team of engineers building software in a collaborative software development process to achieve the teams' goals
• Build and maintain software to abstract build, release, and deploy events for use by dozens of development organizations
• Understand the needs of the 1000s of developers that use our software and actively and measurably improve their experience
• Work directly with app development teams to determine needs and implement CI/CD best practices
• Lead the development of critical features ensuring they meet user needs and fit for purpose
• Support critical build and artifact storage systems for the entire organization
• Participate in the on‑call rotation, supporting systems and services during production incidents

Skills

Python/Java/C++

Linux proficiency

CI/CD expertise

Cloud AWS

Containers

Remote collaboration

Communication skills

Software design

Education

BA/BS in Computer Science or equivalent

Tools

GitLab CI

GitHub Actions

TeamCity

Jenkins

Argo

SonarQube

Terraform

CloudFormation

Docker

Kubernetes

Job description

• This position must sit onsite four (4) days a week in one of our technology offices listed above

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.

Job Summary

As a Senior Software Engineer on the Build Tooling Software team within Disney Entertainment & ESPN Technology (DEET), you’ll develop and support mission‑critical infrastructure, custom tools, and shared libraries that allow application teams to quickly and dependably deliver software to their customers. We’re responsible for making sure 1000s of engineers and 100s of teams can get their software into production quickly, reliably and safely. We’re looking for an engineer with over 8 years hands‑on experience in software development with an understanding of CI/CD processes and tools and a desire to learn more.

Responsibilities

• Work with a team of engineers building software in a collaborative software development process to achieve the teams' goals
• Build and maintain software to abstract build, release, and deploy events for use by dozens of development organizations
• Understand the needs of the 1000s of developers that use our software and actively and measurably improve their experience
• Work directly with app development teams to determine needs and implement CI/CD best practices
• Lead the development of critical features ensuring they meet user needs and fit for purpose
• Support critical build and artifact storage systems for the entire organization
• Participate in the on‑call rotation, supporting systems and services during production incidents

Qualifications

• Minimum of 5 years relevant professional experience
• Proficiency in at least one modern programming language, such as Python, Java, C++, C, C#, etc.
• Familiarity with scripting in Bash / Powershell
• Understanding of a modern collaborative SDLC and experience with a variety of workflows, processes and techniques, i.e.: Scrum, Kanban, GitOps, Monorepos, Micro Services, Feature Flagging, etc
• Experience working with version-controlled environments and CI/CD workflows. Proficiency in setting up and maintaining pipelines with at least one of:
• GitLab CI
• GitHub Actions
• TeamCity
• Jenkins
• Argo
• SonarQube (for code quality and scanning)
• In-depth knowledge of Linux:
• File systems, user and group management, process control, permission schemes.
• SSH key management and secure shell operations.
• Cloud Platforms:
• Hands-on experience with AWS core services i.e. EC2, S3, IAM, VPC, CloudWatch, etc.
• Understanding of the wider AWS ecosystem and knowledge of other cloud providers desirable
• Containers & Orchestration:
• Docker: Experience building, running, and debugging containerized applications.
• Kubernetes and Helm: Operational knowledge of deploying workloads via manifests or Helm charts.
• Infrastructure as Code (IaC)
• Experience provisioning and managing infrastructure using through code and configuration using tools like Terraform, CloudFormation, etc
• Familiarity with AI tooling within the software development lifecycle and how to effectively integrate and utilize these tools to enhance development processes
• Ability to effectively collaborate with remote team members
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• BA/BS degree in Computer Science or equivalent technical experience

#disneytech

The hiring range for this position in Santa Monica, California is $144,100.00 to $193,200.00 per year and in New York, NY is $150,900 to $202,400.00 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.

Disclaimer

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, 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.

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