Disneyland Hong Kong
Principal Software Engineer - Ad Platform
Disneyland Hong Kong, Santa Monica, California, United States, 90403
Overview
Principal Software Engineer - Ad Platform at Disney Entertainment & ESPN Technology. This role involves reimagining how to deliver magical viewing experiences while transforming Disney’s media business for the future, including evolving streaming and digital products, powering worldwide advertising and distribution, and delivering Disney’s entertainment and sports content.
A few reasons why you’d love working for Disney Entertainment & ESPN Technology Building the future of Disney’s media business:
DE&E Technologists design and build the infrastructure that will power Disney’s media, advertising, and distribution businesses for years to come. Reach & Scale:
The products and platforms built and operated delight millions of consumers every minute of every day. Innovation:
We develop groundbreaking products and techniques that shape industry norms and enhance how audiences experience sports, entertainment & news. The Ad Platforms group builds and operates technology that supports Disney’s multi-billion dollar global advertising business, across streaming brands and linear channels. This team powers core infrastructure, ad experiences and formats, and drives a leading, in-house technology backbone for Disney’s ad business and streaming future. The Disney Ad Platforms Data team builds a modern advertising data platform to enable data engineers, data scientists, analysts, and decision-makers to derive value from our data ecosystem. Job Summary
We are seeking a Principal Software Engineer with extensive experience in the Databricks platform and advanced big data engineering practices. This role architects and implements scalable, secure, high-performing data solutions to power the Ad Platforms Data platform and support mission-critical data initiatives, including real-time and batch processing pipelines. As a hands-on technical leader, you will design data architectures that scale to handle terabytes-per-hour throughput, ensuring optimal performance, compliance, and alignment with business needs. You will guide teams, collaborate across departments, and drive innovation. Responsibilities
Technical Leadership and Architecture
Architect and implement highly scalable, secure, and efficient ETL/ELT pipelines for real-time and batch data processing. Design multi-source data ecosystems and integrate with Databricks, Delta Lake, and Snowflake. Optimize data pipelines and workflows for performance, cost, and reliability using Airflow, Spark, Flink, and Databricks Delta Sharing. Lead adoption of best practices in data warehousing, lakehouse architecture, and metadata management. Champion data security, privacy, and governance with lineage tracking, cataloging, and compliance (e.g., SOX, GDPR, CCPA). Drive implementation of Unity Catalog for data governance and cross-account querying. Platform Development and Operational Excellence
Assist in setting up and managing AWS environments (S3, IAM Roles, Network Peering, etc.). Oversee Airflow integration with Databricks Spark clusters, manage user access, and implement secret management solutions. Lead CI/CD processes with gated code releases to ensure code quality and scalable deployment. Implement innovative solutions, including Databricks UniForm (Iceberg, Delta) format integration with Snowflake and basic cost-projection tools. Data Engineering and Optimization
Optimize Spark Streaming and ETL workflows with deep Spark performance tuning expertise. Ensure best practices in data ingestion, transformation, and loading with highly performant and governed data models. Improve Delta Lake ecosystems and lakehouse architecture, including Delta Sharing for distributed querying. Collaboration and Communication
Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including Ad Server architects, to align on data strategies and designs. Foster open communication during architectural discussions and defend decisions while welcoming feedback. Bridge diverse team requirements and technical capabilities to deliver cohesive, scalable solutions. Innovation and Mentorship
Stay ahead of trends in big data technologies and cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP). Mentor engineers and architects, fostering a culture of innovation and technical excellence. Basic Qualifications
Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering or related technical discipline (highly desirable). 10+ years of software engineering experience with a focus on big data platforms. Proven expertise in building scalable systems capable of processing terabytes of data per hour. Hands-on experience with Databricks, Spark, Flink, Airflow, and Delta Lake ecosystems. Proficiency in Python (including PySpark), Java, or Scala. Extensive knowledge of data warehousing, data lakes, and real-time streaming systems. Hands-on experience with AWS cloud services and data solutions (e.g., S3, Redshift, Athena, IAM). Deep understanding of data compliance (SOX, GDPR) and governance. Strong skills in data lineage, cataloging, and metadata management. Preferred Qualifications
Experience in the media advertising domain, including linear and digital Ad Sales. Expertise with metadata management tools (ERStudio, ERWin, Alation, Collibra). Familiarity with Iceberg format integration and other modern data formats. Certifications in Databricks, AWS, or relevant big data technologies. Ability to lead a team of high-performing data engineers and architects. Strong curiosity about how Disney delivers the Magic and being part of it. The following are additional notes: #disneytech Salary ranges: Los Angeles, CA: 184,300 – 247,100; San Francisco, CA: 201,900 – 270,700; Seattle, WA: 193,100 – 258,900. Base pay may vary by region and candidate experience. A bonus and/or long-term incentive units may be provided, in addition to benefits. Disability Accommodation for Employment Applications
The Walt Disney Company and its affiliated companies are Equal Employment Opportunity employers. If you need a reasonable accommodation to search or apply for a job, visit the Disney candidate disability accommodations FAQs. We will respond to requests related to accessibility of the online application system due to disability.
#J-18808-Ljbffr
Principal Software Engineer - Ad Platform at Disney Entertainment & ESPN Technology. This role involves reimagining how to deliver magical viewing experiences while transforming Disney’s media business for the future, including evolving streaming and digital products, powering worldwide advertising and distribution, and delivering Disney’s entertainment and sports content.
A few reasons why you’d love working for Disney Entertainment & ESPN Technology Building the future of Disney’s media business:
DE&E Technologists design and build the infrastructure that will power Disney’s media, advertising, and distribution businesses for years to come. Reach & Scale:
The products and platforms built and operated delight millions of consumers every minute of every day. Innovation:
We develop groundbreaking products and techniques that shape industry norms and enhance how audiences experience sports, entertainment & news. The Ad Platforms group builds and operates technology that supports Disney’s multi-billion dollar global advertising business, across streaming brands and linear channels. This team powers core infrastructure, ad experiences and formats, and drives a leading, in-house technology backbone for Disney’s ad business and streaming future. The Disney Ad Platforms Data team builds a modern advertising data platform to enable data engineers, data scientists, analysts, and decision-makers to derive value from our data ecosystem. Job Summary
We are seeking a Principal Software Engineer with extensive experience in the Databricks platform and advanced big data engineering practices. This role architects and implements scalable, secure, high-performing data solutions to power the Ad Platforms Data platform and support mission-critical data initiatives, including real-time and batch processing pipelines. As a hands-on technical leader, you will design data architectures that scale to handle terabytes-per-hour throughput, ensuring optimal performance, compliance, and alignment with business needs. You will guide teams, collaborate across departments, and drive innovation. Responsibilities
Technical Leadership and Architecture
Architect and implement highly scalable, secure, and efficient ETL/ELT pipelines for real-time and batch data processing. Design multi-source data ecosystems and integrate with Databricks, Delta Lake, and Snowflake. Optimize data pipelines and workflows for performance, cost, and reliability using Airflow, Spark, Flink, and Databricks Delta Sharing. Lead adoption of best practices in data warehousing, lakehouse architecture, and metadata management. Champion data security, privacy, and governance with lineage tracking, cataloging, and compliance (e.g., SOX, GDPR, CCPA). Drive implementation of Unity Catalog for data governance and cross-account querying. Platform Development and Operational Excellence
Assist in setting up and managing AWS environments (S3, IAM Roles, Network Peering, etc.). Oversee Airflow integration with Databricks Spark clusters, manage user access, and implement secret management solutions. Lead CI/CD processes with gated code releases to ensure code quality and scalable deployment. Implement innovative solutions, including Databricks UniForm (Iceberg, Delta) format integration with Snowflake and basic cost-projection tools. Data Engineering and Optimization
Optimize Spark Streaming and ETL workflows with deep Spark performance tuning expertise. Ensure best practices in data ingestion, transformation, and loading with highly performant and governed data models. Improve Delta Lake ecosystems and lakehouse architecture, including Delta Sharing for distributed querying. Collaboration and Communication
Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including Ad Server architects, to align on data strategies and designs. Foster open communication during architectural discussions and defend decisions while welcoming feedback. Bridge diverse team requirements and technical capabilities to deliver cohesive, scalable solutions. Innovation and Mentorship
Stay ahead of trends in big data technologies and cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP). Mentor engineers and architects, fostering a culture of innovation and technical excellence. Basic Qualifications
Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering or related technical discipline (highly desirable). 10+ years of software engineering experience with a focus on big data platforms. Proven expertise in building scalable systems capable of processing terabytes of data per hour. Hands-on experience with Databricks, Spark, Flink, Airflow, and Delta Lake ecosystems. Proficiency in Python (including PySpark), Java, or Scala. Extensive knowledge of data warehousing, data lakes, and real-time streaming systems. Hands-on experience with AWS cloud services and data solutions (e.g., S3, Redshift, Athena, IAM). Deep understanding of data compliance (SOX, GDPR) and governance. Strong skills in data lineage, cataloging, and metadata management. Preferred Qualifications
Experience in the media advertising domain, including linear and digital Ad Sales. Expertise with metadata management tools (ERStudio, ERWin, Alation, Collibra). Familiarity with Iceberg format integration and other modern data formats. Certifications in Databricks, AWS, or relevant big data technologies. Ability to lead a team of high-performing data engineers and architects. Strong curiosity about how Disney delivers the Magic and being part of it. The following are additional notes: #disneytech Salary ranges: Los Angeles, CA: 184,300 – 247,100; San Francisco, CA: 201,900 – 270,700; Seattle, WA: 193,100 – 258,900. Base pay may vary by region and candidate experience. A bonus and/or long-term incentive units may be provided, in addition to benefits. Disability Accommodation for Employment Applications
The Walt Disney Company and its affiliated companies are Equal Employment Opportunity employers. If you need a reasonable accommodation to search or apply for a job, visit the Disney candidate disability accommodations FAQs. We will respond to requests related to accessibility of the online application system due to disability.
#J-18808-Ljbffr