Experienced Lead Software Engineer, Data Platforms - Big Data Applications and Cloud Infrastructure Development

Introduction to Disney Entertainment & ESPN Technology

Imagine being part of a team that is redefining the way people experience entertainment and sports. At Disney Entertainment & ESPN Technology, we are committed to creating magical viewing experiences for our audiences while transforming the media business for the future. Our team is dedicated to evolving our streaming and digital products, powering worldwide advertising and distribution, and delivering unmatched entertainment and sports content to hundreds of millions of people around the world.

About the Product & Data Engineering Team

The Product & Data Engineering team is responsible for the end-to-end development of Disney's world-class consumer-facing products, including streaming platforms such as Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+, and digital products and experiences across ESPN, Marvel, Disney Studios, NatGeo, and ABC News. Our team drives innovation at scale for millions of consumers worldwide, with our platforms powering core experiences like personalization, search, messaging, and data.

About the Role

We are seeking a highly motivated and experienced Lead Software Engineer to join our Big Data Applications team within the Data Platforms Team. As a Lead Software Engineer, you will be responsible for designing and building systems to process data at scale, solving challenging problems in both batch and real-time data processing, and working across software and data disciplines to engineer solutions. Our tech stack includes AWS, Databricks, Airflow, and Spark, with primary languages being Scala and Java.

Key Responsibilities

• Contribute to maintaining, updating, and expanding the existing Data Capture platform, including Spark data pipelines, while maintaining strict uptime SLAs
• Extend functionality of current Data Capture platform offerings, including metadata parsing, extending the metastore API, and building new integrations with APIs both internal and external to the Data organization
• Implement the Lakehouse architecture, working with customers, partners, and stakeholders to shift towards a Lakehouse-centric data platform
• Architect, design, and code shared libraries in Scala and Python that abstract complex business logic to allow consistent functionality across the Data organization
• Collaborate with product managers, architects, and other engineers to drive the success of the Data Capture platform
• Lead the development and documentation of both internal and external standards and best practices for pipeline configurations, naming conventions, partitioning strategies, and more
• Ensure high operational efficiency and quality of the Data Capture platform datasets to ensure our solutions meet SLAs and project reliability and accuracy to all our stakeholders (Engineering, Data Science, Operations, and Analytics teams)
• Be an active participant and advocate of agile/scrum ceremonies to collaborate and improve processes for our team
• Engage with and understand our customers, forming relationships that allow us to understand and prioritize both innovative new offerings and incremental platform improvements
• Maintain detailed documentation of your work and changes to support data quality and data governance requirements
• Provide mentorship and guidance for team members; evangelize the platform, best-practices, data-driven decisions; identify new use cases and features and drive adoption

Essential Qualifications

• 7+ years of software engineering experience developing backend applications
• 2+ years of data engineering experience developing large data pipelines
• Strong algorithmic problem-solving expertise
• Strong fundamental Scala and Python programming skills
• Basic understanding of AWS or other cloud provider resources (S3)
• Strong SQL skills and ability to create queries to analyze complex datasets
• Hands-on production environment experience with distributed processing systems such as Spark
• Hands-on production experience with orchestration systems such as Airflow
• Some scripting language experience
• Willingness and ability to learn and pick up new skillsets
• Self-starting problem solver with an eye for detail and excellent analytical and communication skills

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with at least one major Massively Parallel Processing (MPP) or cloud database technology (Snowflake, Redshift, Big Query)
• Experience in developing APIs with GraphQL
• Deep understanding of AWS or other cloud providers as well as infrastructure as code
• Familiarity with Data Modeling techniques and Data Warehousing standard methodologies and practices
• Familiarity with Scrum and Agile methodologies
• Master's Degree a plus

Required Education

Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or related field or equivalent industry experience

Career Growth Opportunities and Learning Benefits

At Disney Entertainment & ESPN Technology, we are committed to the growth and development of our employees. As a Lead Software Engineer, you will have the opportunity to work on complex and challenging projects, collaborate with experienced engineers and architects, and develop new skills and expertise. Our team is dedicated to innovation and excellence, and we encourage our employees to take ownership of their work, experiment with new ideas, and learn from their experiences.

Work Environment and Company Culture

Our company culture is built on a foundation of creativity, innovation, and collaboration. We believe in fostering a work environment that is inclusive, diverse, and supportive, where employees can thrive and grow. Our team is passionate about what we do, and we are committed to making a positive impact on the world. As a Lead Software Engineer, you will be part of a dynamic and talented team that is shaping the future of entertainment and sports.

Compensation, Perks, and Benefits

We offer a competitive salary and a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, financial, and other benefits. The hiring range for this position in Seattle is $156,300 - $209,600 per year, and in Santa Monica, it is $149,300 - $200,200 per year. A bonus and/or long-term incentive units may be provided as part of the compensation package, in addition to the full range of benefits.

Conclusion

If you are a motivated and experienced software engineer looking for a new challenge, we encourage you to apply for this exciting opportunity. As a Lead Software Engineer, Data Platforms, you will be part of a talented team that is shaping the future of entertainment and sports. Don't miss this chance to join our team and contribute to the success of Disney Entertainment & ESPN Technology. Apply now and let's discuss how you can become a vital part of our success story.