Software Engineering Intern, Summer 2026

About the Role & Program:

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.

DEET Messaging Fleet

• Our mission is to empower personalized experiences and data that drive engagement, revenue, growth, customer delight and brand trust for all of The Walt Disney Company. Our product, the Unified Messaging Platform, helps us keep our guests informed and engaged with content, experiences and brands as diverse as Star Wars, Marvel, Pixar, ABC, ESPN, and NatGeo.

• We are making major enhancements to our multi-region, multi-tenant core messaging platform to enable other Disney Entertainment & ESPN Technology engineering teams to build solutions that send messages via email, push notification, SMS and in-app experiences.  You can be a part of building a unified messaging platform that will encapsulate the very best of The Walt Disney Company.

What You Will Do:

• Contribute to the implementation of tier-1 microservices in JVM languages

• Implement core, backend software components for the Unified Messaging Platform

• Work on tech design for various initiatives and projects as per business needs

• Participate in code and architecture reviews for team members

• Code using primarily Java

• Interface with other teams and individuals in a multi-functional environment to realize business requirements, incorporate others' innovations and propagate our best practices

• Analyze and improve efficiency, scalability and stability of various system resources

• Work with cloud native stack, built on AWS

• Actively participate in Agile methodology and contribute to SCRUM processes such as Sprint Planning, Backlog grooming, Daily Standups, and Retrospectives with the team

• Deliver code end-to-end with high quality and a robust architecture

• Ramp up on new domains and technologies

Required Qualifications & Skills:

• Knowledge and experience in one and/or more of the following programming languages (Java, Python, C++) & REST APIs

• Understanding of software development fundamentals

• Strong problem solving and analysis skills

Preferred Qualifications & Skills:

• Familiarity with the AWS environment (awareness of ECS (Docker), S3, EC2, Lambda, CloudWatch)

• Familiarity with standard CI/CD procedures & tools like Jenkins, Github Actions, Spinnaker

• Familiarity with service APIs and/or SDKs

• Experience in a Java and/or alternative JVM application development environments (Scala/Kotlin)

• Creative and inventive problem solving

Education:

• Junior or Senior year preferred

• Currently enrolled undergraduate student in an accredited college/university, pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Management Information Systems, Information Technology or related field.

Eligibility Requirements & Program Information

Candidates for this opportunity MUST meet all of the below requirements:

• Be enrolled in an accredited college/university pursuing a degree taking at least one class in the semester/quarter (spring/fall) prior to participation in the internship program AND returning to school the semester/quarter following the internship OR currently participating in a Disney College Program or Disney Internship.

• Current Disney Interns, College, International, or Culinary Program Participants:  You may only work for ONE consecutive year (12 months) in any combination of an internship and/or program.  

• Be at least 18 years of age

• Possess unrestricted work authorization

Additional Information  

• Fully available from M-F, 40 hours each week for the entire program duration: May/June - August/September 2026 (12 weeks)

• Able to provide own housing for the duration internship program

• Able to provide/have reliable transportation to/from work

The pay rate for this role in New York, NY is $42.00 per hour. Select benefits may be provided as part of the compensation package, such as medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the level and position offered. To learn more about our benefits visit: https://jobs.disneycareers.com/benefits.