Sr Software Engineer

Overview

Disney Entertainment and ESPN Product & Technology is a global organization of engineers, product developers, designers, technologists, data scientists and more, working to build and advance the technological backbone for Disney’s media business worldwide.

The Software Engineer will develop and support real‑time data systems, APIs, and web applications used across ABC News and Disney platforms. Responsibilities include designing backend APIs and data processing services, building event‑driven services with Kafka, optimizing data tiers in SQL Server and Mongo

DB, and contributing to React front‑end when needed. The role also involves modernizing legacy systems, troubleshooting production issues, and participating in live‑event support.

• Design, develop, and maintain backend services and APIs using Java/Spring Boot to power real‑time systems.
• Build event‑driven services and data pipelines that ingest, process, and distribute data from external providers using Kafka.
• Optimize data tiers and processing logic with SQL Server and Mongo
  
  DB.
• Lead troubleshooting and resolution of technical issues across data ingest services, APIs, databases, and user interfaces.
• Own and support production systems by investigating bugs, data issues, and performance bottlenecks.
• Prepare and support live events, including system testing, rehearsals, and on‑air support during high‑profile broadcasts.
• Modernize legacy systems by migrating functionality to a modern service‑based architecture.
• Collaborate with product owners, QA, operations, and other engineering teams in an Agile environment.
• Lead code reviews and contribute to development standards, best practices, and technical documentation.
• Drive improvements in system performance, monitoring, logging, and reliability through continuous improvement and automation.
• Leverage AI‑assisted development tools to improve SDLC efficiency.
• Support CI/CD pipelines, automated testing, and deployment processes in coordination with Dev Ops and QA.
• Work with internal teams and external data providers to support data integration, validation, and issue resolution.

• 5+ years of professional software development experience, including designing and supporting production systems and backend services.
• Experience leading technical efforts or owning features/systems through the full development lifecycle.
• Experience in backend services or APIs using Java/Spring Boot or similar frameworks.
• Experience with relational databases and writing SQL queries.
• Experience using source control systems such as Git.
• Experience working in Agile environments and participating in standard ceremonies.
• Experience with AI‑assisted development tools to improve productivity and code quality.
• Strong problem‑solving skills and ability to work in a fast‑paced, collaborative environment.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to diagnose and resolve complex technical issues across interconnected systems.
• Experience mentoring or providing technical guidance to other engineers.

• Experience with event‑driven or messaging systems such as Kafka.
• Experience with No
  
  SQL databases such as Mongo
  
  DB.
• Experience building or supporting real‑time or data‑driven systems.
• Experience supporting production systems in a live or time‑sensitive environment.
• Experience with AI‑assisted development tools such as Git Hub Copilot.
• Experience integrating external data providers or third‑party data services.
• Experience modernizing or migrating legacy applications to modern architectures.
• Experience with cloud platforms and containerized deployments (AWS, Docker, Kubernetes).
• Experience working on systems where data accuracy, reliability, and timeliness are critical.

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent experience).

The hiring range for this position in NYC is $148,700 – $199,400 per year. The base pay will be determined based on internal equity and may vary with geographic region, job‑related knowledge, skills, and experience. A bonus and/or long‑term incentive units may be provided, and the full range of medical, financial, and other benefits is available.

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 need a reasonable accommodation to search for or apply to a position, please refer to the Disney candidate disability accommodations FAQs. We will respond only to requests related to the accessibility of the online application system due to a disability.