Staff Software Engineer (Emerging Tech & AI Automation) Project Hire
Company: The Walt Disney Company
Location: Burbank
Posted on: April 2, 2026
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Job Description:
Job Posting Title: Staff Software Engineer (Emerging Tech & AI
Automation) Project Hire Req ID: 10141853 Job Description: At
Disney, we’re storytellers. We make the impossible, possible. The
Walt Disney Company (TWDC) is a world-class entertainment and
technological leader. Walt’s passion was to continuously envision
new ways to move audiences around the world—a passion that remains
our touchstone in an enterprise that stretches from theme parks,
resorts and a cruise line to sports, news, movies and a variety of
other businesses. Uniting each endeavor is a commitment to creating
and delivering unforgettable experiences — and we’re constantly
looking for new ways to enhance these exciting experiences. The
Enterprise Technology mission is to deliver technology solutions
that align to business strategies while enabling enterprise
efficiency and promoting cross-company collaborative innovation.
Our group drives competitive advantage by enhancing our consumer
experiences, enabling business growth, and advancing operational
excellence. The Emerging Technologies and AI Automation team
focuses on amplifying business impact through innovation. We are
part of the Technology Transformation team, working on driving
measurable improvements in productivity, agility and employee
satisfaction by automating the mundane, streamlining workflows and
freeing people to do what they do best. We are seeking a hands-on
Staff Software Engineer to drive high-impact initiatives at the
forefront of emerging technologies to unlock enterprise-wide
capabilities. In this role, you’ll lead rapid prototyping efforts,
build scalable proofs-of-concept, and shape the technical
foundation that accelerates enterprise-wide transformation. You’ll
work across a nimble, action-oriented team to explore AI-assisted
development tools, experiment with new technologies, and translate
abstract concepts into elegant, real-world solutions. Ideal
candidates thrive in ambiguity, balance pragmatism with curiosity,
and bring deep technical expertise paired with strong communication
skills. This is a unique opportunity to shape the future of
technology at Disney. What You’ll Do: Stay at the forefront of
emerging technologies by actively engaging with keynotes, articles,
and technical content, and translate those insights into impactful
blog posts, workshops, demos, and talks that educate and inspire
others. Explore and validate new ideas through hands?on
experimentation, tinkering, and rapid prototyping. Actively
participate in—and often lead—hackathons, design thinking
workshops, demo days, and other forums that promote creativity and
knowledge sharing. Tackle complex problems using first?principles
mindset and a natural inclination toward developing simple, elegant
solutions. Be an exceptional communicator—equally effective in
writing and speaking—and skilled at translating complex ideas into
clear, actionable insights for both technical and non-technical
audiences. Mentor and partner with other engineers to share best
practices, amplify impact, and accelerate the adoption of emerging
technologies. Responsibilities Tackle ambiguity by building thin,
end-to-end implementations that touch all major components of a
system to evaluate the feasibility of emerging technologies and
early prototypes to explore unknowns, validate assumptions, and
help unblock teams. Embrace rapid iteration—prioritize speed and
learning by delivering minimum lovable products and evolving them
through continuous feedback. Support project planning and
execution—help prioritize work, communicate effectively with
stakeholders, and ensure timely delivery of high-quality code.
Collaborate with engineers and business partners to align
priorities, define goals, and deliver impactful outcomes.
Continuously refine engineering practices and champion improvements
that elevate team performance and product excellence. Required
Qualifications & Skills: 7 years of full-stack software engineering
experience with a strong coding background in languages such as
Python, TypeScript, Node.js, Go or similar Proven ability to write
clear, concise technical documentation and create professional
system architecture diagrams using tools like Lucidchart, Mermaid,
or PlantUML Hands-on experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure or
GCP), microservices architecture, CI/CD pipelines, test,
development and deployment approaches, including containerization
(Docker, Kubernetes), A/B testing, etc Proficiency with AI/ML
development tools, and experience integrating LLM-based APIs, AI
agents, or prompt-based workflows Experience working with
large-scale databases (SQL/NoSQL, Object, Graph, etc) A passion for
innovation, emerging technologies, and driving continuous
improvement Demonstrated expertise in systems architecture,
platform thinking, and technical leadership Ability to navigate
conflict, build trust, and foster alignment across cross-functional
teams; able to explain complex systems and tradeoffs to engineers,
product managers, and stakeholders alike Proven ability to navigate
organizational complexity and deliver outcomes aligned with
strategic objectives. Experience with agile methodologies such as
Scrum or Kanban Pr eferred Qualifications: Passion for Disney's
mission and values AWS, GCP or Azure certification Experience with
emerging technologies A track record of success in automation and
developer productivity initiatives Demonstrated experience building
prototypes or experimental software in ambiguous or early-stage
environment Required Education: Bachelor’s degree in computer
science, Information Systems, Software, Electrical or Electronics
Engineering, or comparable field of study and/or equivalent work
experience Project Hire Information: This is an estimated 6 month
project hire position with no guarantee of permanent placement. The
hiring range for this position in Burbank, CA is $155,700 to
$208,700 per year. The base pay actually offered will take into
account internal equity and also 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, dependent on the level and position offered. Job Posting
Segment: Enterprise Technology and Data Job Posting Primary
Business: Services and Platforms Primary Job Posting Category:
Software Engineer Employment Type: Full time Primary City, State,
Region, Postal Code: Burbank, CA, USA Alternate City, State,
Region, Postal Code: Date Posted: 2026-03-23
Keywords: The Walt Disney Company, San Clemente , Staff Software Engineer (Emerging Tech & AI Automation) Project Hire, IT / Software / Systems , Burbank, California
