Senior Software Engineer - Post Production​/Editorial Tools

Senior Software Engineer - Post Production / Editorial Tools

At Walt Disney Animation Studios we have a deep commitment to the philosophy that creativity inspires technology, and technology inspires creativity. Engineers in our Production Technology department develop and implement new algorithms to solve unique and challenging problems for all of our animated content. We work with a collaborative user base that uses the code we develop to bring our feature films to life.

We are looking for a talented software engineer to join our Production Technology team, developing user‑facing tools and back‑end solutions for Editorial and Post Production applications. This role will write software that facilitates various Editorial and Post Production processes.

• Work directly with our filmmakers to design, develop, and maintain world‑class Editorial and Post Production software applications.
• Develop applications and APIs that interface with the Baselight Color Grading System and AVID’s Media Composer using AAF and OTIO.
• Collaborate with other Disney Technology teams on distributed systems that bridge and contextualize data across all facets of production.

• Work on the full stack of our tools, from underlying algorithms to intuitive artist‑friendly interfaces.
• Collaborate with artists and cross‑site developers to create tools for the complex characters and environments in our content.
• Build on a highly performant, extendable in‑house application framework.
• Create new artist‑centric interaction models using the latest hardware and technologies.

• Readable, testable code with excellent problem‑solving, troubleshooting, and debugging skills.
• Collaboration across disciplines.
• Deep care for craftsmanship and a customer‑first mindset.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

• BS in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or equivalent industry experience.

• 5+ years designing and developing complex user‑facing software in a studio environment.
• Proficiency in Python and/or C++.
• Experience with common Post workflows, including color pipelines and digital cinema delivery.
• In‑depth understanding of Baselight Color Grading System or a similar system.
• Understanding of Editorial processes and workflows used in filmmaking, including prior work with AVID Media Composer.

• Strong familiarity with computer hardware and common enterprise server configurations.
• Familiarity with the AAF format and/or Open Timeline
  
  IO.
• Proficiency developing macOS/iOS applications with Swift.
• Experience with distributed systems, their development, operations, and observability.
• Proficiency developing back‑end data management solutions using SQL and/or No
  
  SQL databases.
• Leveraging machine learning models in Post Production tools, such as Media Composer & Baselight, through robust APIs and scalable service layers.
• Application of fine‑tuning, prompt engineering, and model adaptation using foundation models and LLMs.
• Work with generative models—including diffusion and autoregressive architectures—for image and video generation.
• Experience implementing web‑based solutions.
• MS in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or equivalent experience.

The hiring range for this position in California is $–$ per year based on a 40‑hour work week. 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 other benefits, dependent on the level and position offered.

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.