Manager, Software Engineering

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.

Within DE&E Product & Technology, the Ad Platforms team is responsible for creating and scaling innovative global advertising solutions by building mission-critical tools and workflows to support addressable & linear ad sales, traffic, marketing, and ad serving. Being part of the DE&E Product & Technology team is a once-in-a-career opportunity to be a part of what is next.

As a Manager of Software Engineering, you will be assuming a pivotal leadership role within our team shaping the future of our OMS system. You will be responsible for guiding the technical direction of our OMS team and ensuring the delivery of high-quality solutions that meet the needs of our user base. You will spearhead the architecture and implementation of leading technologies, mentor and guide engineers, and foster a culture of innovation and excellence within the team. They must combine engineering skills with strong communication to work with stakeholders and turn business requirements into efficient, scalable features, while leading and inspiring their team.

We’re looking for a passionate technical leader who wants to come here to do their very best work and make their mark, add their chapter to the long and storied history of The Walt Disney Company. Someone who holds themselves and their team accountable in a professional, collaborative manner. A collaborative technologist who seeks to bring the best out in themselves and their team. Someone who can provide leadership, a fresh perspective and innovative insight into our initiatives.

Responsibilities:

• Lead the design, development, and deployment of high-quality microservices and solutions using Spring Boot, React, Java, SQL/NoSQL, Event-based architecture, API Design, and Security.

• Oversee the full software development lifecycle: requirements gathering, designing, building, testing, maintenance, and support.

• Collaborate with product managers, designers, and cross-functional teams to translate user requirements into scalable solutions, while fostering mutual support and engineering effectiveness.

• Drive software engineering best practices, conduct technical reviews, and provide technical mentorship and coaching to engineers.

• Champion quality engineering practices, ensuring adherence to coding guidelines and enabling continuous deployment.

• Troubleshoot and resolve complex technical issues, ensuring system stability and performance, and oversee continuous improvement initiatives.

• Stay updated on technology trends to drive innovation and maintain comprehensible documentation for future reference.

• Execute and improve project processes, prioritize tasks through data-driven decision-making, and communicate project status, risks, and progress to leadership.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Information Systems, Engineering, or another technical field

• 8+ years of related engineering experience, including 2 years in a leadership capacity.

• Strong understanding of Microservice Architecture and deep expertise in Java, including core libraries, concurrency, and memory management.

• Proficient in the Spring Boot framework (Spring Data, Spring Security, Spring Cloud) and knowledgeable in SQL/NoSQL databases and ORM frameworks like Hibernate.

• Experienced with Kafka, Kinesis, Redis (Elasticache), and developing industry-level, highly available, and scalable services. Expertise in cloud-based computing principles, CI/CD pipelines, Docker/containerization, Kubernetes/orchestration, AWS, and cloud infrastructure technologies (Terraform, K8S, Spinnaker, IAM, ALB).

• Familiar with observability tooling (e.g., DataDog) and creating performant User Interfaces using HTML/CSS/JS and React or other frameworks.

• Proven track record of championing quality engineering, ensuring all code is testable with unit tests, and working with high-performing teams using Agile and Lean methodologies.

• Adaptable to new technologies and changing project requirements, with excellent verbal and written communication, problem-solving, and analytical skills.

• Skilled in mentoring, coaching, providing constructive feedback, aligning technical decisions with business goals, and driving innovation within the team. Passionate about technical craft and committed to best practices in technology.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering or related technical discipline is highly desirable

• Experience with AI (GenAI, Azure/OpenAI APIs, Machine Learning)

• Experience working on Design Systems

• Previous work experience in digital advertising

• Experience working with vendor teams to deliver high quality results

• Experience building Order Management Systems supporting Quote-to-Cash

#DISNEYTECH

The hiring range for this position in Seattle, Washington and New York, NY is $175,800 to 235,700 per year. Santa Monica, CA is $167,700 to $224,900 per year, San Francisco, CA is $183,700 to $246,400 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.