The Walt Disney Company

Software Engineer I

The Walt Disney Company$97K — $130K *
Information Technology
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Proficiency in Go or Python from coursework, internships, or personal projects.
  • Foundational software development knowledge including version control (Git), unit testing, and debugging.
  • Basic understanding of cloud computing, eager to learn AWS and Kubernetes.
  • Introductory knowledge of observability concepts like metrics and alerting, or willing to learn.
  • Effective communication skills and ability to work collaboratively in a distributed team.

Responsibilities

  • Develop and document observability features in existing codebases.
  • Fix bugs and manage technical debt with guidance from senior engineers.
  • Write clean, maintainable code adhering to team standards.
  • Help instrument services and validate telemetry quality with other teams.
  • Create and enhance dashboards to display system health and trends.
  • Assist in tuning alerts to minimize noise under supervision.
  • Engage in code reviews and participate in technical discussions.

Benefits

  • Opportunity to work with large-scale streaming services like Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN.
  • Hands-on experience with distributed systems and cloud infrastructure.
  • Growth through mentorship, code reviews, and pair programming.
  • Exposure to incident response and operational practices.
  • Participate in team rituals that promote collaboration and knowledge sharing.
Full Job Description
Job Posting Title:
Software Engineer I

Req ID:


Job Description:

Product Engineering is a unified team responsible for the engineering of Disney Entertainment & ESPN digital and streaming products and platforms. This includes product engineering, media engineering, quality assurance, engineering behind personalization, commerce, lifecycle, and identity.

Join the Observability & Insights group and help build the telemetry, monitoring, and insights platforms that keep Disney's large-scale streaming services reliable - including Disney+, Hulu, ESPN, ABC, ABC News, and related products.

As a Software Engineer I, you will implement well-scoped features, fix bugs, and improve tooling under the guidance of senior engineers. You'll contribute to metrics, logs, traces, dashboards, and alerting workflows that help engineering teams across Disney Streaming understand system health and respond to incidents faster.

This is an ideal role for an early-career engineer who wants hands-on experience with distributed systems, cloud infrastructure, and observability at scale. You'll grow through code reviews, design discussions, pair programming, and on-call shadowing - while delivering real value to a platform team that reduces operational toil through automation and modern developer workflows.

Responsibilities and Duties of the Role:

Implement and Maintain Observability Features
  • Develop, test, and document features within existing observability codebases (metrics, logs, traces, dashboards, alerting, and telemetry pipelines).
  • Fix bugs and address technical debt in assigned components with support from senior teammates.
  • Write clean, readable, and well-tested code that follows team standards and integrates with established observability frameworks.
  • Learn and apply patterns for high-volume, low-latency telemetry ingestion and storage.

Improve Visibility for Service Teams
  • Assist in instrumenting services and validating telemetry quality (metrics, logs, traces) alongside partner engineering teams.
  • Build and update dashboards, reports, and visualizations that surface system health and operational trends.
  • Help tune alerts and reduce noise under guidance from senior engineers and incident response partners.

Learn Platform Engineering Practices
  • Participate in code reviews - both giving and receiving constructive feedback.
  • Contribute to technical design discussions for small-to-medium features; document your work for maintainability and team onboarding.
  • Gain exposure to cloud infrastructure (AWS), container orchestration (Kubernetes), and Infrastructure as Code (IaC) through guided implementation tasks.
  • Shadow on-call rotations and incident response workflows to build operational awareness.

Collaborate and Grow
  • Break down assigned work into clear tasks, ask questions early, and communicate progress and blockers proactively.
  • Partner with teammates across Observability & Insights and service engineering teams to deliver incremental improvements.
  • Participate in team rituals: standups, sprint planning, retrospectives, and knowledge-sharing sessions.
  • Develop foundational skills in reliability engineering concepts: SLIs, SLOs, post-incident reviews, and blameless culture.


Basic Qualifications:
  • Proficiency in at least one backend or systems programming language: Go or Python (coursework, internships, and personal projects count).
  • Foundational understanding of software development practices: version control (Git), unit testing, debugging, and working within an existing codebase.
  • Basic familiarity with cloud computing concepts and interest in learning AWS and Kubernetes in production environments.
  • Introductory understanding of observability concepts: metrics, logs, tracing, and alerting - or strong motivation to learn them quickly.
  • Ability to communicate clearly, accept feedback, and collaborate effectively in a distributed engineering team.


Preferred Qualifications:
  • 0-2 years of professional software engineering experience, or completion of a relevant internship, co-op, or new-graduate program with demonstrated project work.
  • Internship, co-op, or project experience related to observability, SRE, DevOps, or platform engineering.
  • Exposure to observability tools or standards: Grafana, Prometheus, OpenTelemetry, Datadog, New Relic, or similar.
  • Experience with distributed systems, data pipelines, or event-driven architectures (academic, internship, or side projects).
  • Contributions to open source, hackathons, or personal projects that demonstrate curiosity and initiative.
  • Coursework or experience with databases, streaming systems (e.g., Kafka), or CI/CD pipelines.
  • Familiarity with AI-assisted development workflows and a growth mindset toward modern engineering practices.


Required Education:
  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Mathematics, Statistics, or a comparable field of study, or equivalent work experience.


The hiring range for this position in Glendale, CA is $97,500 to $130,700 per year and in New York, NY is $102,100 to $136,900 per year based on a 40 hour work week. The amount of hours scheduled per week may vary based on business needs. 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:
PE - Sports, News & Entertainment, Tech Enablement

Job Posting Primary Business:
PE - Sports, News & Entertainment, Enablement - Insights & Observability

Primary Job Posting Category:
Software Engineer

Employment Type:
Full time

Primary City, State, Region, Postal Code:
Glendale, CA, USA

Alternate City, State, Region, Postal Code:
USA - NY - 7 Hudson Square

Date Posted:
2026-08-17

About The Walt Disney Company

The Walt Disney Company started as a cartoon studio and evolves into sports coverage and television shows. Using the company's portfolio of brands to differentiate our content, services, and consumer products, Walt Disney seeks to develop creative, innovative, and profitable entertainment experiences and related products.

The Walt Disney Company Careers

Join the magical world of The Walt Disney Company, a place where dreams come true and imagination meets innovation. As a global leader in entertainment and media, we offer unparalleled job opportunities that invite you to be part of a beloved brand known for its influential culture, diversity, and dynamic growth. Work You’ll Do Embark on a career journey with The Walt Disney Company and play a pivotal role in shaping the future of media and entertainment. Engage in work that matters, contributes to storytelling excellence, and brings joy to millions around the globe. Transform your professional life by joining a team that values creativity, leadership, and visionary thinking. The Walt Disney Company stands at the forefront of industry innovation, constantly pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in entertainment and beyond. Lead with us from a unique position in the marketplace, where your skills in technology, creativity, and management converge to create extraordinary experiences. Collaborate with a diverse group of talented professionals, united in their passion for delivering magical experiences. Our team at The Walt Disney Company is composed of over 200,000 dedicated individuals who thrive in an environment that fosters growth, mentorship, and innovation. Introducing The Walt Disney Company Leadership and Professional Growth Programs We are committed to developing leaders who can navigate the challenges of the digital era and drive success across our various business segments. Our leadership programs are designed to hone your skills and prepare you for executive roles within the company. Do Innovative Work Join our team and contribute to projects that redefine the entertainment landscape. From groundbreaking films and television series to pioneering technological advancements, your work at The Walt Disney Company will set new standards in the creative and business worlds. Be Part of a Great Team Experience a culture that is inclusive, collaborative, and forward-thinking. Work alongside the best in the business and see how diversity and inclusion fuel our creativity and success. The Walt Disney Company’s commitment to a diverse workforce is evident in our hiring practices, training programs, and our everyday operations. Future-Proof Your Career With a wide array of benefits, continuous learning opportunities, and a network of supportive colleagues, your career at The Walt Disney Company is equipped for longevity and success. Our benefits package includes comprehensive health care, employee discounts, and access to exclusive company events and previews. Explore Job Opportunities and Internships Whether you’re a seasoned professional looking for your next challenge or a student seeking a transformative internship, The Walt Disney Company offers positions across a spectrum of fields and disciplines. Explore our career portal to find job opportunities that match your skills and passions. Stay Connected Join Our Team Search open positions, apply through our streamlined application process, and take the first step towards a magical career. We look for individuals who are passionate, curious, and eager to contribute to our legacy of storytelling and innovation. Keep Up to Date Stay informed with the latest company news, career tips, and insider perspectives—all from the people who make The Walt Disney Company a place of inspiration and excitement. Job Alert Emails Customize your subscription to receive job alerts and updates that align with your career interests. Discover the exciting and rewarding opportunities that await at The Walt Disney Company. Join us, and be part of the magic that only happens here at The Walt Disney Company!
Learn more about The Walt Disney Company
Size
190,000 employees
Market Cap
$155.1 billion
Industry
Net Income
-$4.9 billion
Founded
1923
5 Year Trend
+3.9%
Revenue
$60.7 billion
NASDAQ

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