Lead Software Engineer

“We Power the Magic!” That’s our motto at Disney Experiences (DX). Our team creates world-class immersive digital experiences for the Company’s premier vacation brands including Disney’s Parks & Resorts worldwide, Disney Cruise Line, Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa, and Disney Vacation Club.  We are responsible for the end-to-end digital and physical Guest experience for all technology & digital-led initiatives across the Attractions & Entertainment, Food & Beverage, Resorts & Transportation and Merchandise lines of business as well as other initiatives including MyDisneyExperience and Hey, Disney! 

This role sits in the Retail, Restaurant & Supply Chain Technology organization within Technology & Digital for Disney Experiences. It works closely with a diverse team of engineers, business stakeholders, and service owners from across the company.

The Lead Software Engineer will report to the Manager, Software Engineering.

What You’ll Do

• Lead and personally build (hands-on coding expected) scalable, well-documented software systems, applications, APIs, and RESTful services — from technical specs through delivery — using Java, AWS/cloud-native patterns, relational and NoSQL databases, messaging, and orchestration technologies.
• Champion AI-driven development and architecture, embedding AI-powered tools (GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Amazon Q, Claude, Kiro) across the software lifecycle — from design and coding to testing and troubleshooting — to accelerate delivery and elevate quality, while shaping how the team adopts AI in its engineering practices.
• Set architectural direction by translating complex functional, technical, and business requirements into solution architecture, coordinating with Architecture and IT stakeholders, evaluating technology choices (software, hardware, SaaS/PaaS), and developing proof-of-concepts and roadmaps that align applications with reference architecture.
• Own dining and bookable experience reservation systems, maintaining deep expertise in inventory, availability, offers, and reservations, and proactively preventing overbooking issues that could impact guests.
• Integrate and support complex systems across databases, messaging, and orchestration platforms, and manage AWS infrastructure to keep production and lower environments reliable.
• Drive engineering quality and continuous improvement through code and design reviews, automated testing, end-to-end troubleshooting and root-cause analysis, and proactive recommendations to processes, technologies, and coding practices — maintaining focus and sound judgment in a dynamic, fast-paced, cross-functional environment.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with product owners, engineering partners, delivery managers, business analysts, and other architecture teams to align solutions with current and future business needs, estimate delivery, and communicate the team's value.

• 7+ years of experience building large-scale software systems and web applications, leading engineering teams and projects, with hands-on experience in solution and application architecture.
• Expertise with enterprise architecture repository tools (e.g., tools similar to BlueDolphin or LeanIX)
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-domain architectural initiatives and guide decision processes
• Experience developing and managing architecture taxonomies, patterns, and standards.
• Proven ability to align architecture with strategic objectives, OKRs, and scorecards.
• Hands-on familiarity with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP), API-led integration, security-by-design, and data architecture principles.
• Strong hands-on skills in Java 21+, Spring, microservices, and RESTful APIs.
• Deep experience with AWS, databases (DynamoDB, Aurora, MongoDB), Kafka, Docker, and CI/CD pipelines.
• Solid understanding of object-oriented design, coding best practices, and Agile/Test-Driven Development.
• Experience running and monitoring distributed production systems, including tools like Splunk, Grafana, or AppDynamics.
• Knowledge of inventory optimization and preventing overbooking-type issues.
• Hands-on experience using AI-powered coding tools (Copilot, Cursor, Amazon Q, Claude, etc.) to accelerate development.
• Able to lead complex projects independently — setting direction, solving hard problems, and guiding testing and debugging.
• Comfortable managing multiple projects at once and making fast decisions under pressure.
• Experience working with distributed/remote teams.
• Strong mentoring skills — able to train, guide, and review the work of junior engineers.
• Good communicator who can work well with product owners, UI/UX teams, and other technical and business stakeholders.
• Adaptable, thrives in fast-changing, sometimes ambiguous environments.

• Experience in Disney, Food & Beverage, Attractions & Entertainment domain

• Bachelor's or foreign equivalent Degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Software, Electrical or Electronics Engineering, or comparable field of study, and/or equivalent work experience.

The hiring range for this position in Lake Buena Vista, FL is $148,300 - $198,800 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.