Principal Software Development Engineer in Test - Disney Media Player

Principal Software Development Engineer in Test – Disney Media Player

Disney Entertainment and ESPN Product & Technology is a global organization building the technology backbone for Disney’s media business. The DEEP & Technology team seeks a visionary Principal SDET to spearhead quality engineering across Disney Media Player and its cross‑device ecosystem.

Lead the strategic direction for automation, quality practices, and test architectures organization‑wide. Set the overall quality strategy, influence automation solutions, partner cross‑functionally, and drive innovation in automated testing processes to ensure reliable product delivery.

• Define and drive the vision, strategy, and roadmap for test automation across web, mobile, connected TV, and gaming console platforms.
• Influence test architecture and process improvements, adopting modern paradigms such as shift‑left, CI/CD, and observability.
• Establish enterprise‑wide standards for quality and automation in collaboration with executive stakeholders.
• Own the end‑to‑end quality strategy for large‑scale, business‑critical projects, including metrics, release criteria, and automation objectives.
• Architect scalable, resilient, cross‑device test automation solutions; make decisions on frameworks, toolsets, and integrations.
• Mentor, review, and provide hands‑on guidance on media player internals, cross‑platform device testing, and playback verification.
• Partner with client engineering, media platform, and device certification teams to embed quality gates in deployment pipelines.
• Coach SDETs and engineers, conduct technical deep‑dives, training, and knowledge‑sharing sessions.
• Build consensus on standardization of test tools, frameworks, and reusable components.
• Lead root‑cause analysis for high‑severity incidents, drive corrective actions, and report findings to senior leadership.
• Represent DEEP & Technology quality interests within company‑wide forums.
• Manage delivery of concurrent testing initiatives; allocate resources, mitigate risks, and govern traceability and reporting.
• Champion research and adoption of emerging technologies (AI/ML, autonomous testing, advanced observability).
• Define and track advanced quality metrics; lead initiatives to mature performance, security, and reliability posture.

• Minimum 10 years in quality engineering, automation, or software development with recent leadership experience.
• Proven track record of driving best practices and influencing enterprise‑wide strategy.
• Experience designing test strategies for client‑side applications with hardware variability and platform fragmentation.
• Knowledge or eagerness to acquire expertise in streaming media concepts (playback quality, A , DRM, codec behavior).
• Demonstrated ability to architect and scale test automation for distributed, cloud‑native systems.
• Advanced proficiency in JS/Node, Python, and/or modern OO languages.
• Experience building or managing automation across smart TVs, set‑top boxes, mobile, web, and gaming consoles.
• Strong communication, stakeholder management, and mentoring skills.
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or equivalent experience.

Location:

Morrisville, NC. Salary range: $163,400 – $219,100 per year, with additional bonus or long‑term incentive options. Full‑time position includes medical, financial, and other benefits commensurate with level.