Sr Software Engineer, Video Playback Engineering

Walt Disney; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 145,000 - 195,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a forward-thinking company as a Senior Software Engineer, where you will innovate and enhance streaming experiences for millions. Your expertise in C/C++ and Rust will be crucial in developing a cross-platform player for Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+. Collaborate with talented teams, mentor fellow engineers, and lead projects that shape the future of media technology. This role offers the chance to work on exciting challenges in a dynamic environment, making a real impact on how audiences enjoy their favorite content. If you are passionate about coding and eager to tackle complex problems, this opportunity is perfect for you.

Benefits

Medical benefits

Financial benefits

Bonus opportunities

Long-term incentive units

Qualifications

• 5+ years in software development lifecycle with C/C++ or Rust.
• Experience in streaming technologies like HLS, DASH, and DRM.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain the Rust and C/C++ player for streaming.
• Optimize player performance for resource-constrained platforms.
• Collaborate with teams to understand device limitations.

Skills

C/C++ programming

Rust programming

Streaming technologies

Multi-threaded application development

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's in Computer Science

Equivalent experience

Tools

Build runners

Continuous integration systems

Job description

Job Posting Title: Sr Software Engineer, Video Playback Engineering

Req ID: 10110332

Job Description:

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 improve 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 here:

1. Building the future of Disney’s media: DE&E Technologists are designing and building the infrastructure that will power our media, advertising, and distribution businesses for years to come.
2. 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.
3. Innovation: We develop and implement groundbreaking products and techniques that shape industry norms and enhance how audiences experience.

Media Engineering builds the software and systems that prepare media content and metadata for the Disney Streaming platform - providing the best possible playback experience to our viewers.

Media Engineering handles audio, video, and metadata content from ingest through publish - for normalization, processing, and packaging - supporting operator tools and automation for a scalable workflow. We build logic across players and back-end services to measure, control, and optimize playback across our stack.

Job Summary

Our team is seeking a Senior Software Engineer to help us deliver excellent streaming experiences for Hulu, Disney+ and ESPN+ as a developer of our client player. Our team is responsible for playback across several devices including gaming consoles, mobile devices and set top boxes. You will have the opportunity to lead in the design and implementation of our cross-platform C/C++ and Rust player that runs Disney+ and Hulu on these devices.

We’re looking for an experienced C/C++ or Rust engineer who has video player and cross-platform development experience. You should have a passion for coding and debugging hard problems, and an eagerness to help us deliver seamless video to our subscribers. Being a Senior member, you will get to own large features, lead the technical direction of our work, and mentor and provide technical expertise to other engineers. You will work closely with other technical teams in the application layer and backend video services to deliver features.

This opening is for a USA based employee, within commuting distance to any of our offices in Seattle WA, Morrisville NC, New York NY, and San Francisco CA.

Responsibilities

1. Develop and maintain our Rust and C/C++ player that drives our streaming experience.
2. Optimize our player to perform well for resource constrained platforms.
3. Create and review architecture and designs for our team’s projects.
4. Maintain a strong understanding of our code to identify, research and address issues.
5. Collaborate with application development teams, services engineering teams and product management to help understand and explain device limitations and requirements.
6. Lead in strategies to ensure the quality and stability of our deployments, including testing strategies and telemetry approaches.
7. Develop our project’s build system and continuous integration system as needed.
8. Provide technical expertise or mentoring to developers on our team.
9. Hold our team accountable to high development standards.

Basic Qualifications

1. 5+ years of full software development lifecycle experience.
2. Fluent in C and C++ or Rust.
3. Willing to learn Rust.
4. Experience in Streaming technologies, such as:

• HLS (preferred) or DASH.
• DRM technologies like Playready or Widevine.
• Adaptive Bitrate Streaming Algorithms.
• Caption and subtitle formats such as CEA-608 / 708.
• Codecs AVC, HEVC, AAC, EAC3.

Experience developing and optimizing multi-threaded applications.

Experience using build runners / compilation tools for multi-platform projects.

Strong individual contributor with a drive to learn and patience to teach others.

Great communication and collaboration skills and a strong teamwork ethic.

BS or BA in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field or equivalent experience.

Preferred Qualifications

1. Rust.
2. Cross-Platform Development.
3. Embedded operating system experience.
4. Experience developing for gaming consoles (e.g. Playstation, Switch), Android devices (e.g. FireTV), or similar devices.
5. Familiarity with set-top box development and specialized SoCs from manufacturers like Broadcom, MediaTek, etc.

The hiring range for this position in Seattle, WA and New York, NY is $145,400 to $195,000 per year, in Santa Monica, CA is $138,900 to $186,200 per year and in San Francisco, CA is $152,100 to $203,900 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: Media Engineering

Job Posting Primary Business: ME - Media Player Engineering

Primary Job Posting Category: Software Engineer

Employment Type: Full time

Primary City, State, Region, Postal Code: Seattle, WA, USA

Alternate City, State, Region, Postal Code: USA - CA - 2450 Broadway, USA - CA - Market St, USA - NC - 3005 Carrington Mill Blvd, USA - NY - 1211 Avenue of the Americas

Date Posted: 2025-01-16