Sr Software Engineer

The Walt Disney Company; Oakland (CA); On-site; USD 142,000 - 181,000; Full time

Job summary

The Walt Disney Company seeks a Sr Software Engineer to design and implement tier-1 microservices in Java for the Unified Messaging Platform. You will contribute to backend components, cloud-based data transformations, and end-to-end project delivery with a focus on quality and robust architecture.

Join a team that embraces Agile practices, code reviews, and collaboration with Product Managers, Designers, QA, and Ops to drive scalable solutions across Disney's media ecosystem.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience building internet-scale web or services applications.
• Experience with Java and JVM environments (Scala/Kotlin optional).
• AWS environment familiarity (ECS, S3, EC2, Lambda, CloudWatch).
• Proficiency with unit, integration, and functional tests.
• Experience with relational and NoSQL databases (Postgres, MySQL, DynamoDB, Cassandra).
• Proficiency with CI/CD tools (Jenkins, Github Actions, Spinnaker).
• Familiarity with service APIs/SDKs and issue tracking tools.

Responsibilities

• Lead design and enhancement of critical services in UMP for scalability and reliability.
• Research and integrate new technologies into production.
• Promote Agile methodologies and participate in ceremonies.
• Provide technical guidance to junior team members and participate in code reviews.
• Collaborate with squad, Product Managers, Designers, QA, Operations to translate requirements.

Skills

Java/JVM

AWS

Testing

Databases

CI/CD

APIs/SDKs

Agile/Scrum

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

PostgreSQL/MySQL/DynamoDB

Jenkins

Github Actions

Spinnaker

AWS ECS/Docker

Terraform

Job description

Job Posting Title: Sr Software Engineer

Req ID: 10157299

Job Description:

Disney Entertainment & ESPN Technology

On any given day at Disney Entertainment & ESPN 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.

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

• Building the future of Disney’s media business: DE&E 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.

Lifecycle Messaging

• Lifecycle Messaging’s mission is to create and deliver scaled, customer centric multi-channel messaging experiences across the customer journey that drive impact in the form of engagement, revenue growth, customer delight & brand trust. Our platform, the Unified Messaging Platform helps us to inform, engage, and delight our guests.

Job Summary

• Design and implement tier-1 microservices in Java
• Design core, backend software components for the Unified Messaging Platform
• Implement asynchronous processes to run in the cloud for various data transformation operations.
• Work on tech design for various initiatives and projects as per business needs.
• Be involved in code reviews and architecture reviews for team members.
• Participate in Agile methodology and SCRUM processes such as Sprint Planning, Backlog grooming, Daily Standups, and Retrospectives with the team.
• Provide on-call support for critical services on a rotational basis.
• Own features/functionality and deliver projects end-to-end with high quality and robust architecture.
• Communicate and work with multi-functional business partners.
• Ramp up on new domains and technologies.

Responsibilities and Duties of the Role

Lead the design & enhancement of critical services in UMP, ensuring scalability, performance, and reliability. Research and integrate new technologies into the production environment to optimize core service offerings.

Promote and support Agile methodologies such as Scrum, Kanban, and Scrumban by actively participating in regular ceremonies such as stand-up, retrospectives and sprint planning.

Provide technical guidance to junior team members, covering code quality, system design, and best practices in software development. Actively participate in code reviews, offering constructive feedback to improve code quality, system reliability, and performance

Collaborate with your squad, Product Managers, Designers, QA, Operations, and other stakeholders to understand requirements and articulate technical decisions and outcomes.

Basic Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience building internet-scale web or services applications
• Experience in a Java and/or alternative JVM application development environments (Scala/Kotlin)
• Familiarity with the AWS environment (awareness of ECS (Docker), S3, EC2, Lambda, CloudWatch, etc)
• Solid understanding with software development fundamentals
• Proficiency with writing unit, integration and functional tests
• Experience with Relational and NoSQL Databases like Postgres, MySql, DynamoDB, Cassandra
• Proficiency with standard CI/CD procedures & tools like Jenkins, Github Actions, Spinnaker
• Familiarity with service APIs and/or SDKs
• Understanding of agile processes, software version control & project management tools (e.g. Github, SVN, Jira, Basecamp)

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience or certification with AWS services, including S3, SQS, SNS, Kinesis, Lambda, CloudWatch, or other cloud platforms (Azure, GCP)
• Familiarity with big data technologies & tools like Spark, Databricks, EMR
• Familiarity with Terraform or other infrastructure as code tooling
• Experience building scalable, fault-tolerant, high-uptime systems
• Creative and inventive problem solving
• Desire and initiative to mentor other developers

Bonus Qualifications

• Experience with SES or Salesforce Marketing Cloud
• Experience with Serverless solutions
• Familiarity with the Scala programming language and the Python programming language

Required Education

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

The hiring range for this position in Los Angeles is $141,900 to $181,200 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.

Job Posting Segment: PE - Streaming Backend

Job Posting Primary Business: PE - Streaming Backend - Messaging & Audience Engineering

Primary Job Posting Category: Product Software Engineering

Employment Type: Full time

Primary City, State, Region, Postal Code: Santa Monica, CA, USA

Date Posted: 2026-09-16