The Walt Disney Company
AI Architect, Distinguished Software Engineer
The Walt Disney Company, Seattle, Washington, us, 98127
AI Architect, Distinguished Software Engineer (VP Level)
On any given day at Disney Entertainment & ESPN Technology, we’re reimagining ways to create magical viewing experiences for the world’s most beloved stories while also transforming Disney’s media business for the future.
Why You’ll Love Working Here
Building the future of Disney’s media business: DE&E Technologists are designing and building the infrastructure that will power Disney’s media, advertising, and distribution businesses for years to come.
Reach & Scale: The products and platforms this group builds delight millions of consumers every minute of every day – from Disney+ and Hulu to ABC News and Entertainment, to ESPN and ESPN+.
Innovation: We develop and execute groundbreaking products and techniques that shape industry norms and enhance how audiences experience sports, entertainment & news.
Job Summary You will define and evolve the end‑to‑end architecture of Disney’s Ads Technology Platform—spanning ad serving, programmatic exchange and unified selection, identity & privacy, forecasting & pacing, measurement, and AI‑driven optimization. In this strategic role, you will shape the long‑term technical direction of our ad‑serving, targeting, bidding, and measurement systems, driving innovations that impact billions of ad impressions and generate critical revenue for the business.
Responsibilities and Duties of the Role
Architect end‑to‑end AdTech platforms for real‑time ad decisioning, pricing, and forecasting.
Build scalable data pipelines for audience segmentation, targeting, and measurement.
Lead the design of ML models and APIs for creative optimization and outcome‑based targeting.
Partner with product, data science, and sales teams to maximize yield and advertiser outcomes.
Set best practices for data governance, model monitoring, and responsible AI.
Mentor engineers and influence technical strategy across teams.
Drive innovation by evaluating emerging technologies and recommending adoption.
Oversee the evaluation and selection of tools, frameworks, and platforms.
Ensure compliance with regulatory requirements and industry standards.
Act as a technical evangelist, promoting a culture of excellence and thought leadership.
Participate in executive‑level discussions and decision‑making processes.
Design and implement database structures, ensuring scalability, performance, and industry best practices.
Develop strategies for seamless data integration across systems and platforms.
Establish and enforce data security measures, including access controls and encryption.
Monitor and optimize database performance.
Oversee metadata management.
Conduct training sessions for staff on software and data‑related tools.
Maintain comprehensive documentation for software and data architecture.
Required Education, Experience / Skills / Training
Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Data Science, or a related field.
15+ years of engineering experience, with 5+ in AI/ML and AdTech data systems.
Strong coding skills.
Expertise in big data & streaming frameworks and cloud platforms.
Hands‑on experience with ML frameworks.
Proven ability to design high‑scale, real‑time systems in AdTech, MarTech, or related domains.
Excellent communicator who can bridge technical and business needs.
Pay Range The hiring range for this position in Seattle, WA is $304,900.00 to $408,900.00 per year. The base pay actually offered will take into account internal equity and may vary depending on the candidate’s geographic region, job‑related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors. A bonus and/or long‑term incentive units may be provided as part of the compensation package, in addition to the full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits.
Equal Employment Opportunity Statement Disney Streaming Technology 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.
Disability Accommodation for Employment Applications 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 believe you need a reasonable accommodation in order to search for a job opening or apply for a position, email Candidate.Accommodations@Disney.com with your request. This email address is not for general employment inquiries or correspondence. We will only respond to those requests that are related to the accessibility of the online application system due to a disability.
About Disney Entertainment and ESPN Product & Technology At Disney Entertainment and ESPN Product & Technology, we’re blending imagination and innovation to reimagine the ways people experience and engage with the world’s most beloved stories and products. Our work is wide‑range and deeply sophisticated. We create amazing experiences, transform the future of media, and build products and platforms that enable the connection between people everywhere and the stories and sports they love.
#J-18808-Ljbffr
Why You’ll Love Working Here
Building the future of Disney’s media business: DE&E Technologists are designing and building the infrastructure that will power Disney’s media, advertising, and distribution businesses for years to come.
Reach & Scale: The products and platforms this group builds delight millions of consumers every minute of every day – from Disney+ and Hulu to ABC News and Entertainment, to ESPN and ESPN+.
Innovation: We develop and execute groundbreaking products and techniques that shape industry norms and enhance how audiences experience sports, entertainment & news.
Job Summary You will define and evolve the end‑to‑end architecture of Disney’s Ads Technology Platform—spanning ad serving, programmatic exchange and unified selection, identity & privacy, forecasting & pacing, measurement, and AI‑driven optimization. In this strategic role, you will shape the long‑term technical direction of our ad‑serving, targeting, bidding, and measurement systems, driving innovations that impact billions of ad impressions and generate critical revenue for the business.
Responsibilities and Duties of the Role
Architect end‑to‑end AdTech platforms for real‑time ad decisioning, pricing, and forecasting.
Build scalable data pipelines for audience segmentation, targeting, and measurement.
Lead the design of ML models and APIs for creative optimization and outcome‑based targeting.
Partner with product, data science, and sales teams to maximize yield and advertiser outcomes.
Set best practices for data governance, model monitoring, and responsible AI.
Mentor engineers and influence technical strategy across teams.
Drive innovation by evaluating emerging technologies and recommending adoption.
Oversee the evaluation and selection of tools, frameworks, and platforms.
Ensure compliance with regulatory requirements and industry standards.
Act as a technical evangelist, promoting a culture of excellence and thought leadership.
Participate in executive‑level discussions and decision‑making processes.
Design and implement database structures, ensuring scalability, performance, and industry best practices.
Develop strategies for seamless data integration across systems and platforms.
Establish and enforce data security measures, including access controls and encryption.
Monitor and optimize database performance.
Oversee metadata management.
Conduct training sessions for staff on software and data‑related tools.
Maintain comprehensive documentation for software and data architecture.
Required Education, Experience / Skills / Training
Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Data Science, or a related field.
15+ years of engineering experience, with 5+ in AI/ML and AdTech data systems.
Strong coding skills.
Expertise in big data & streaming frameworks and cloud platforms.
Hands‑on experience with ML frameworks.
Proven ability to design high‑scale, real‑time systems in AdTech, MarTech, or related domains.
Excellent communicator who can bridge technical and business needs.
Pay Range The hiring range for this position in Seattle, WA is $304,900.00 to $408,900.00 per year. The base pay actually offered will take into account internal equity and may vary depending on the candidate’s geographic region, job‑related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors. A bonus and/or long‑term incentive units may be provided as part of the compensation package, in addition to the full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits.
Equal Employment Opportunity Statement Disney Streaming Technology 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.
Disability Accommodation for Employment Applications 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 believe you need a reasonable accommodation in order to search for a job opening or apply for a position, email Candidate.Accommodations@Disney.com with your request. This email address is not for general employment inquiries or correspondence. We will only respond to those requests that are related to the accessibility of the online application system due to a disability.
About Disney Entertainment and ESPN Product & Technology At Disney Entertainment and ESPN Product & Technology, we’re blending imagination and innovation to reimagine the ways people experience and engage with the world’s most beloved stories and products. Our work is wide‑range and deeply sophisticated. We create amazing experiences, transform the future of media, and build products and platforms that enable the connection between people everywhere and the stories and sports they love.
#J-18808-Ljbffr