Principal Software Engineer

The Walt Disney Company • Orlando, FL

11h

About The Position

The Principal, Software Engineer will drive strategic vision and innovation across the Guest and Cast Experience domain by defining and evolving application development processes, standards, and best practices. This role involves architecting scalable, high-performance solutions aligned with industry-leading architectural principles to address complex challenges in high velocity, high performance, horizontally scalable, multi-cloud and multi-region resilient systems that power personalized guest experiences. Key responsibilities include providing architectural leadership and guidance to delivery teams while collaborating across cross-functional stakeholders to ensure solutions are technically robust and aligned with business objectives. Approximately 80% of the role focuses on architectural solutioning, with the remaining 20% dedicated to hands-on activities such as code reviews, technical validation, exploring new patterns, tools, skills, AI enhancements, and knowledge sharing. Success in this role requires deep expertise in high performance, highly scalable systems, a strong grasp of agile development methodologies, and a track record of implementing enterprise-grade, server-driven solutions. The ideal candidate is a visionary leader with a practical mindset, committed to enhancing development efficiency, scalability, and the delivery of exceptional digital experiences.

Requirements

• Proven Expertise : 10+ years of experience in software architecture and development, with 5+ years influencing highly technical professionals across diverse portfolios.
• Leadership Excellence : Confidently lead multiple projects across teams and organizations, fostering creativity and innovation in an inclusive culture that values diverse perspectives and promotes belonging.
• Strategic Decision-Making : Agile and adept at making quick decisions to address complex technical and operational challenges, ensuring efficient and effective solutions.
• Technical Presentation Skills : Eloquent and professional communicator with demonstrated ability to present to groups, C-suite executives, and leadership in both in-person and virtual environments.
• Technical Mastery : Extensive experience in Java, integrated cloud solutions (AWS and GCP), as well as CI/CD platforms like Jenkins, Harness, and GIT source control.
• AI and Modern Solutions : Architect scalable solutions leveraging AI technologies, large language models (LLMs), MCP servers, Agentic AI Architecture, both client and server-side AI technologies.
• Advanced Platform Expertise : Proficient in NoSQL and semi-structured databases (MongoDB, Snowflake, Couchbase), combination of Claude Code, Claude CLI, Cursor, Amazon Q including Developer Q and Quick Insight.
• Operational Efficiency : Document and visualize solutions using advanced tools and diagrams while enabling continuous delivery and deployment via containerization (Docker) and monitoring tools (Splunk, Grafana, AppDynamics).
• Cutting-Edge Insights : Agentic Architecture, building and integration with other MCP Servers, Agent Development
• Technical Curiosity and Initiative : Highly curious and proactive in exploring emerging technologies, continuously learning, and driving innovation in areas like Python development, cloud-native tools, and DevOps practices.

Nice To Haves

• Domain Expertise in Guest and Cast Experience : Understanding of theme park industry especially with focus on digital Guest Experience, ability to work with both domestic and international stakeholders, building platforms that span and support multiple installations with as much configuration as possible.
• Technical Proficiency Across Modern Frameworks : Skilled in developing cloud-native solutions with platforms such as AWS, Azure, or GCP, and experience with cutting-edge frameworks and languages, including Node.js, and Typescript. Proficient in server side technologies including Lambda, Snowflake, DynamoDB.
• Industry Experience and Strategic Insight : Deep understanding of the hospitality or travel industries, leveraging insights to design scalable, guest-centric digital solutions. Proven ability to set and execute strategic architectural directions that align with organizational goals and evolving technology landscapes.
• Leadership and Collaboration Excellence : Demonstrated ability to lead, mentor, and coach technical teams, fostering innovation and growth while building strong cross-functional partnerships to drive enterprise-level initiatives.
• Scalable Solutions and Operational Expertise : A track record of implementing efficient and scalable architectures, integrating advanced technologies for recommendation building, handling very large data sets with minimal latency, and push architecture.

Responsibilities

• Architect Sustainable Solutions : Partner with teams to design and implement cost-effective, scalable solutions adhering to Guest and Cast Experience strategic vision.
• Technical Design and Integration : Translate business requirements into detailed technical designs, including blueprints, schemas, and integration with large scale backend systems across multiple delivery teams.
• Maintain Technical Currency : Provide leadership to ensure systems are up to date with the latest approved technologies and releases.
• Advance Technical Knowledge : Stay current with the latest development techniques, methodologies, and tools; apply innovative findings to projects. AI tools and skills abilities a must to define and adopt new development and testing paradigm
• Enhance Platform Capabilities : Mature capabilities like observability, self-recover, sensors to detect issues before they cripple the experience, and workflow automation.
• Optimize Performance : Define best practices for maintaining performance, scalability, and reliability of digital experience solutions.
• Enable Continuous Delivery : Architect solutions that support continuous integration, delivery, and full system availability.
• Efficient Estimation : Provide high-level estimates for project planning and impact analysis, even in ambiguous scenarios.
• Collaborative Leadership : Guide diverse technical teams, challenge the status quo, and propose innovative solutions to enhance efficiency and effectiveness.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level