Principal R&D Imagineer - Software and Systems Engineer

Principal R&D Imagineer - Software and Systems Engineer

Walt Disney Imagineering makes the impossible possible by combining innovation and storytelling to bring Disney stories, characters, and worlds to life. Imagineering is the master planning, creative development, design, engineering, production, project management, and research and development arm of The Walt Disney Company. Its talented Imagineers are responsible for the creation - from concept initiation through installation - of all Disney Resorts, theme parks and attractions, real estate developments, regional entertainment venues, and new media projects.

Disney Imagineers are uniquely talented individuals who bring together the best aspects of creativity, innovation, and passion.

At Imagineering Research and Development, our mission is to use technology to build new experiences for our Guests and new tools for Imagineers and the Cast Members who power our parks. R&D is a team of engineers, designers, artists, and scientists who share a passion for solving hard problems and building ground‑breaking experiences.

We are seeking a Principal‑level engineer with specialization and depth of knowledge in software systems, as well as a breadth of skills across hardware, controls, sensing, and robotics. This role combines technical breadth, significant applied expertise in inventing, testing, and delivering innovative software and hardware systems, and a holistic understanding of system design. As an engineer on this team, you will work on developing new methods to bring characters to life, creating impossible yet magical effects in the real world, building immersive environments, and designing interactive experiences.

You will have a proven track record of defining the future of complex systems, delivering robust, sustainable solutions, and solving problems that others might view as impossible.

You will report to the Executive R&D Imagineer.

This is a Full‑Time role.

• Invent, evaluate, and implement novel system architectures, pushing beyond conventional solutions
• Contribute to defining and evangelizing technical standards across R&D, influencing engineering culture and practices.
• Quickly build prototypes to assess the technical direction or the quality of guest experience enabled by new technology
• Develop and shape long‑term technical roadmaps, anticipating industry trends and aligning with organizational strategy
• Conduct technical reviews of critical designs, identifying risks, scalability bottlenecks, and failure modes
• Mentor all levels of engineers
• Flex between working as an individual contributor in your specialty to leading a larger team towards a common goal
• Identify, assess, and manage vendors as needed to accomplish project work
• Draft and submit strategic patents based on prototype technology
• Participate in external technical communities, publications, and industry events to drive thought leadership
• Build and maintain strong cross‑disciplinary partnerships with collaborators within Disney and external to the company

• 10+ years of experience delivering highly complex software and systems at scale
• Expertise in at least two of the following:
  • Autonomous systems and control
  • Design and implementation of machine learning platforms
  • Real‑time embedded systems
  • Safety‑critical systems
  • Ultra‑high reliability systems
• Demonstrated ability to invent and deliver first‑of‑their‑kind solutions that have influenced an industry or large‑scale product ecosystem
• Strong record of mentoring principal engineers and shaping organizational technical excellence
• Published patents, peer‑reviewed publications, or recognized open‑source contributions strongly preferred
• Proven experience leading a team, but you still love to dig in and build or integrate new technology. You are just as comfortable on a team of two as a team of twenty
• Extensive experience working with external vendors, large technology companies, and open‑source codebases. You have proven experience delivering complex solutions in collaboration with external partners
• Driven by the idea of creating new experiences for people, that our technological development is always in…