Lead AI/Machine Learning Engineer - Decision Science

The Disney Decision Science + Integration (DDSI) is a consulting team that supports clients across The Walt Disney Company, including Disney Experiences (Parks & Resorts worldwide, Cruise Line, Consumer Products, etc.), Disney Entertainment (ABC, The Walt Disney Studios, Disney Theatrical, Disney Streaming Services, etc.), ESPN, and Corporate Finance. Key partners to the DDSI organization include Marketing, Finance, Business Development, Research, and Operations. We develop, analyze, and execute strategies and improve the value proposition for our Guests, Cast Members, and Shareholders. The team leverages technology, data analytics, optimization, statistical and econometric modeling to explore opportunities, shape business decisions and drive business value. 

The Lead AI/Machine Learning Engineer will own the design, oversee the development, and operational excellence of decision science models (i.e., custom algorithms leveraging machine learning, AI, optimization, stochastics, etc.) in production services, ensuring they are highly available, performant, and scalable to meet the demands of the system. This role requires strong expertise in object-oriented programming (particularly in Python), passion for system design, solution documentation, and the development of reusable capabilities that allow other developers to deploy systems faster. They will combine hands-on coding with technical leadership to assist projects in meeting deadlines and technical goals.

What You’ll Do:

• Lead the design, construction and maintenance of optimized, efficient and reliable decision science pipelines, processes, and tools around AI/ML, mathematical, statistical, and simulation models that allow our decision scientists to develop, deploy, and monitor models with minimal effort.

• Provide technical leadership through architectural direction, design reviews, and thoughtful decision-making to drive long-term platform health.

• Mentor colleagues on building configurable, modular, and scalable solutions.

• Present designs and benefits of created tools to the decision science team, leaders, and partners to support adoption and advancement of reusable AI/ML, etc., components.

• Lead and drive vision for new tools and reusable decision science capabilities and services to deploy, host, and serve models at scale.

• Drive and maintain a culture of quality, innovation, and experimentation.

• Collaborate closely with product managers, data scientists, client teams, vendors, and other partners to define and generate systems requirements and architectural documents, adapt plans, and drive innovative solutions and successful outcomes.

• Proactively troubleshoot and resolve complex CI/CD or integration issues.

• Establish and enforce engineering best practices and operational standards to ensure code quality, reliability, and maintainability.

• Contribute to the broader Disney technical community through knowledge sharing, presentations, and cross-team collaboration initiatives.

Required Qualifications & Skills:

• 7+ years of demonstrated ability to drive complex technical projects from ideation through delivery, balancing technical excellence with business needs.

• Ability to provide peer leadership to junior colleagues, and clearly explain, document, and present coding designs to audiences that will use / implement the solution.

• Must exhibit proficiency in Python, in areas such as object-oriented programming, exception handling, unit testing, model pipelines, developing custom scikit-learn estimators, particularly Python libraries (Scikit-learn, Pandas, SciPy, Keras, TensorFlow, PyTorch).

• Experience and familiarity with AI/ML (e.g., LLMs, Knowledge Graphs, GenAI), mathematical, deep learning, and neural network models.

• Experience with traditional ML algorithms and statistical modeling techniques (e.g., regression, deep learning, neural networks, etc.).

• Proficiency in prompt engineering techniques and approaches.

• Knowledge of multiple database and distributed computing architectures/technologies (e.g., Ray, SPARK, Dask.

• Knowledge of Knowledge Graphs (e.g., Neo4J, Tigergraph, Dgraph, ArangoDB)

• Proficiency with modern development tooling, including Git, CI/CD pipelines (e.g., GitLab), containerization (e.g., Docker), and cloud platforms such as AWS.

• Strong understanding of software development methodologies and tools including Agile, Git, CICD, MLOps/DevOps, Docker, SSH, Linux.

• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, with a proven ability to tackle complex technical challenges and navigate ambiguity.

• Strong communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to articulate technical concepts and drive alignment across cross-functional teams to achieve delivery goals.

• Demonstrated ability to partner effectively with a diverse set of clients and partners of varying job levels.

• Experience working effectively in a matrixed organization where the ability to influence others is critical to success.

• Experience developing applications using Streamlit or RShiny frameworks.

Preferred Qualifications :

• Passionate about invisible excellence – making everything “just work” for other teams.

• Strong focus on innovation and continuous improvement, proactively seeking ways to enhance processes and outcomes.

• Demonstrated ability to develop and mentor team members, fostering a collaborative and high-performing team environment.

• Deep understanding of advanced AI technologies / methodologies (e.g., LLMs, knowledge graphs, RAG, prompt engineering, other GenAI techniques).

• Experience and familiarity with foundational OSS LLMs

• Knowledge of different GenAI techniques (e.g., GANs, VAEs, RBMs, Transformer-based LLMs)

• Competency in data science topics such as statistics, optimization, machine learning / artificial intelligence, and/or econometrics.

• Familiarity with optimization software such as Gurobi, CPLEX, COIN-OR solvers, CBC and IPOPT.

• Experience in Domino Data Labs AI Platform and code generation assistance tools (e.g., GitHub Copilot, Amazon Q Developer, Cursor).

• Familiarity with Disney business domain knowledge.

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.

Preferred Education:

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

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The hiring range for this position in Burbank, CA is $171,600 to $230,100 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.