Staff Software EngineerThe Walt Disney Company

Staff Software Engineer

Why The Walt Disney Studios?

The Walt Disney Studios is where unforgettable stories come to life. From theatrical releases to

global streaming platforms, our technology enables the creation and delivery of content enjoyed

by millions. Behind every frame is a complex, distributed supply chain and a team of engineers

building the systems that make it all possible.

Job Description

We are in search of a Staff (Lead) Software Engineer to lead the design and delivery of the core

services that power the Studio Digital Supply Chain. This role blends deep enterprise software

engineering expertise with hands-on technical leadership to architect, build, and operate the

shared platforms, services, and APIs that studio applications depend on.

This is a hands-on senior engineering role that demands strong execution, adaptability, and

comfort operating with ambiguity. You will set technical direction, lead a team of engineers, and

stay close to the code, leveraging modern AI-assisted development tooling to raise both your

own and your team's speed and quality of delivery.

Key Responsibilities:

Architect and Design Core Services:

• Own the architecture and technical direction for shared backend services, APIs, and platform capabilities used across studio applications.
• Design service contracts, data models, and integration patterns that remain durable as systems, teams, and usage scale.
• Lead build-versus-buy evaluations and drive alignment on technical standards across engineering teams.

Build Enterprise-Grade Systems:

• Deliver production services in Java and Kotlin, deployed via Kubernetes and managed through CI/CD pipelines.
• Implement event-driven services using Kafka, SNS/SQS, or EventBridge to support loosely coupled, fault-tolerant communication across services.
• Build and maintain APIs with clear contracts, emphasizing reliability, observability, security, and long-term maintainability.
• Own services in production, including monitoring, alerting, and triage of live issues.

Use AI to Accelerate Engineering:

Apply AI-assisted development tools in day-to-day engineering work, including code

generation, code review, test authoring, refactoring, and documentation, to increase

throughput without compromising quality.

Establish team practices and guardrails for effective and responsible use of AI tooling in

the software development lifecycle, including review expectations, security, and

intellectual property considerations.

Evaluate emerging developer tooling and bring what works to the broader engineering

organization.

Lead, Collaborate, and Mentor:

• Contribute to technical planning, system design, and delivery reviews across engineering and product.
• Lead a team of engineers through work breakdown, estimation, and execution, working directly with platform teams, product managers, security, and infrastructure to deliver solutions on time.
• Regularly demo the team's work to the broader organization, including senior leadership, VPs, and cross-functional stakeholders, communicating progress and impact in business terms.
• Mentor engineers, raise the technical bar through code and design review, and contribute to hiring.

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor's in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related field or equivalent years of related work experience
• 7+ years of backend or systems engineering experience, with at least 2 years building AI-powered or workflow-centric platforms.
• Deep proficiency in Java or Kotlin in a backend environment, with a strong understanding of testing, observability, and systems at scale.
• Demonstrated track record architecting and delivering backend services and APIs consumed by multiple teams or applications.
• Production experience with cloud platforms, especially AWS, container orchestration with Docker and Kubernetes, and infrastructure-as-code using Terraform or CDK.
• Experience with relational and NoSQL data stores such as PostgreSQL and DynamoDB, and with event-driven architectures.
• Hands-on experience applying AI-assisted development tools to everyday engineering work.
• Clear, structured communication skills and a track record of technical leadership in cross-functional teams.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering or related field.
• Experience building multi-tenant or shared platform services.
• Background in media, entertainment, or content operations, including supply chain, localization, or post-production workflows.
• Experience with the Spring ecosystem.
• Working knowledge of TypeScript/Node.js, or interest in working across a polyglot stack.
• Experience with identity and access management (OAuth 2.0/OIDC) and API security.
• Experience with Model Context Protocol (MCP) or similar emerging API and integration standards.
• Exposure to Agile delivery practices and DevOps automation at scale.
• Experience defining engineering standards, developer experience improvements, or platform adoption across multiple teams.

PAY TRANSPARENCY

The hiring range for this position in Glendale CA is $158,100.00 to $211,900.00 per year. The base pay actually offered will take into account internal equity and also may vary depending on the candidates 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.

This position is withWalt Disney Pictures, which is part of a business we callThe Walt Disney Studios.

To learn more about Disney's guidelines on the use of AI for candidates, click here.

Walt Disney Picturesis 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.

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, visit the Disney candidate disability accommodations FAQs. We will only respond to those requests that are related to the accessibility of the online application system due to a disability.

Having technical issues?View the FAQs for help.