Principal Software Engineer

Principal Software Engineer

Job
Location San Francisco, California, United States / Morrisville, North Carolina, United States
Business Disney Entertainment and ESPN Product & Technology
Date posted Apr. 22, 2026

Technology is at the heart of Disney’s media business. As a Principal Software Engineer within the Core Media Technology (CMT) team, you will drive research and development in video streaming for live and on-demand content. You will collaborate with studios, streaming backend, delivery, client, and product teams to design media processing algorithms, software workflows, and adopt cutting‑edge technologies. Your work will shape the media platform's velocity, scale, and efficiency, influence architectural best practices, and lead cross‑team technical initiatives.

• Conduct multidisciplinary research and development in video streaming for live and on‑demand use cases.
• Participate in multimedia standardizations (such as AOM, MPEG, IETF, VQEG) and collaborate with academic research groups and conferences.
• Design media processing algorithms and software workflows to optimize the media platform for velocity, scale, and efficiency.
• Collaborate cross‑functionally with studios, streaming backend, delivery, client, and product teams to investigate, develop, and adopt cutting‑edge technologies and specifications into production.
• Lead advanced research and development involving computer vision algorithms and applied ML/AI techniques for media enhancement, understanding, compression, and storytelling.
• Influence codebases, technical standards, and architectural best practices across the organization.
• Coordinate large projects, facilitate cross‑team collaboration, and own complex innovative initiatives spanning multiple teams.
• Provide documentation, architecture, and stakeholder engagement for technical strategy.
• Co‑ordinate and collaborate across global resources in Zurich, Bangalore, Beijing, and throughout the US.

• Minimum of 10 years of related work experience.
• Degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field.
• Deep expertise in video streaming technologies (e.g., codecs, streaming packagers, distribution, playback algorithms).
• Strong background in applying deep learning techniques to media processing tasks.
• In‑depth understanding and experience with multimedia frameworks.
• Proven track record of success and demonstrable experience in research and advanced development in video coding, media processing, or adjacent fields.
• Proven track record of IP generation.

• Expertise in video coding standards such as AV1, AV2, AVC, HEVC, VVC.
• Knowledge and experience in C/C++.
• Knowledge and experience with Python.
• Applied knowledge of Media Metadata and Processing.
• gStreamer Media Framework experience.
• Experience deploying and optimizing AI/ML models and frameworks.
• Experience building web‑apps/dashboards for data visualization.
• Experience operating with Docker.
• Experience with web service development, REST APIs, XML/JSON.
• Release management, continuous integration, Git/Git Hub.
• High‑load, highly scalable, and distributed application experience.

The hiring range for this position in California is $ to $ per year and in North Carolina is $ to $ per year. The base pay offered will consider internal equity and may vary based on geographic region, job‑related knowledge, skills, and experience. A bonus and/or long‑term incentive units may be provided as part of the compensation package, along with medical, financial, and other benefits.

Disney Entertainment & Sports LLC is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, military or veteran status, medical condition, genetic information or disability, or any other basis prohibited by federal, state or local law. Disney champions a business environment where ideas and decisions from all people help us grow, innovate, create the best stories and be relevant in a constantly evolving world.

The Walt Disney Company and its affiliated companies welcome all job seekers including individuals with disabilities and veterans with disabilities. If you have a disability and believe you need a reasonable accommodation to search for a job opening or apply for a position, email Candid with your request. This email address is not for general employment inquiries or correspondence. We will only respond to requests related to the accessibility of the online application system due to a disability.