Director, Software Engineering - ML Research & Forecasting

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Job ID: 10128161

Location: Santa Monica, CA / Glendale, CA / San Francisco, CA / Seattle, WA

Business: Disney Entertainment and ESPN Product & Technology

Date posted: August 8, 2025

Job Summary:

Technology is at the heart of Disney’s past, present, and future. Disney Entertainment and ESPN Product & Technology is a global organization of engineers, product developers, designers, technologists, data scientists, and more – all working to build and advance the technological backbone for Disney’s media business globally.

The team marries technology with creativity to build world-class products, enhance storytelling, and drive velocity, innovation, and scalability for our businesses. We are Storytellers and Innovators. Creators and Builders. Entertainers and Engineers. We work with every part of The Walt Disney Company’s media portfolio to advance the technological foundation and consumer media touchpoints serving millions of people around the world.

Here are a few reasons why you’d love working here:

• Building the future of Disney’s media: Our technologists design and build products and platforms powering our media, advertising, and distribution businesses for years to come.
• Reach, Scale & Impact: Disney’s technology and products serve as a signature gateway for fans' connections with our brands and stories. Disney+. Hulu. ESPN. ABC. ABC News… and more. These products and brands matter to millions globally.
• Innovation: We develop groundbreaking products and techniques that shape industry norms and solve complex technical problems.

The Research, Forecasting, and Experimentation org within Ad Platforms focuses on transforming Disney's Ad platform with data and AI across TV and streaming video. We build solutions to measure and optimize every aspect of the advertising lifecycle and viewer experience. Our team covers tech areas from machine learning, big data, microservices to data visualization.

We seek a Director, Software Engineering, to lead the research and machine learning platform, experimentation, and inventory forecasting teams. This role focuses on solving challenging optimization and research problems to accelerate Disney’s ad business. The ideal candidate has extensive experience in machine learning, leading productive teams, and understanding of ad business. If you are proactive, detail-oriented, data-driven, and structured in problem-solving, this is a phenomenal opportunity.

Responsibilities:

• Lead the Research and Machine Learning Platform, Inventory Forecasting, Simulation, and Experimentation teams, including team development, hiring, and fostering a strong team culture.
• Oversee Disney's high-performing systems for these functions, enabling data-driven decisions and experimentation.
• Formulate strategies, communicate vision, guide the organization, and coordinate with senior management to meet business objectives.
• Drive insights from platform performance metrics to influence product roadmaps and deliver business value.
• Assess software engineering needs and innovate through deep data analysis and scalable methods for large-scale data and model development.
• Apply state-of-the-art AI and machine learning techniques to enhance advertising, inventory forecasting, planning, targeting, and viewer experience in collaboration with architecture teams.
• Collaborate with partner teams on scope and technology directions, addressing cross-team issues and fostering collaboration.

Qualifications:

• 12+ years managing technology teams.
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or related field, or equivalent experience.
• Experience in online advertising or digital marketing at scale.
• Proven leadership in talent development and organizational growth.
• Track record of delivering large-scale internet and data products, and driving product success.
• Expertise in machine learning and AI technologies.
• Experience with agile development environments.
• Strong influencing skills, vision, and value-driven leadership.
• Excellent analytical skills and data-driven decision-making ability.

Nice-to-Haves:

• Experience with feature stores, audience segmentation, MLOps.
• Experience with search and performance-based ads.
• Familiarity with Pytorch and Databricks.

Location:

• 4 days/week in office – Santa Monica / San Francisco / Seattle

The salary range varies by location and experience, with additional benefits and incentives offered.

About Disney Entertainment and ESPN Product & Technology:

We blend imagination and innovation to reimagine how people experience Disney’s stories and products. Our work creates engaging experiences, transforms media, and builds platforms that connect audiences with stories and sports they love.

About The Walt Disney Company:

A global leader in entertainment and media, Disney operates in over 40 countries, creating beloved stories and experiences for audiences worldwide. We are committed to diversity and inclusion in our hiring practices.

Disability Accommodation:

We welcome applicants with disabilities and veterans. For accommodations, email Candidate.Accommodations@Disney.com.