Manager, Application Engineering

The Disney Decision Science and Integration (DDSI) team is responsible for supporting clients across The Walt Disney Company (TWDC) including Disney Experiences (Parks, Cruise Line, Consumer Products, etc.), Disney Entertainment (ABC, The Walt Disney Studios, Disney Theatrical, Disney Streaming Services, etc.), ESPN, and Corporate Finance. DDSI leverages technology, data analytics, optimization, and statistical modeling to build innovative tools that shape business decisions and drive business value. DDSI builds and manages strategic applications that enable internal business decision-makers to view and manage data related to decision science workflows. 

The goals of this Manager, Application Engineering role include creating intelligent forecasting and optimization systems that help Disney's sales teams maximize advertising opportunities, predict audience demand, and deliver exceptional value to brand partners across ABC, ESPN, Disney+, and Hulu. Your work will directly impact how millions of viewers discover content while helping brands reach their perfect audiences.  Be part of a team that's redefining how entertainment and technology intersect.

As Manager, Application Engineering, you will lead a cross-functional team of application engineers, product designers, and other functions to build and maintain sophisticated forecasting and optimization platforms. You will design scalable solutions while managing the complete software development lifecycle, partnering with Disney Entertainment clients to create systems that predict viewership, optimize inventory, and maximize value. This role requires a results-oriented technical leader with strong system design skills, analytical expertise, and the flexibility to thrive in Disney's dynamic business environment.

What You'll Do

• Design and architect predictive analytics platforms for Disney's linear and streaming, viewership forecasting, advertising inventory and pricing

• Design and architect predictive analytics platforms supporting viewership forecasting, advertiser inventory allocation, and pricing strategies for Disney’s linear and streaming portfolio

• Build scalable systems that track campaign performance and advertiser commitments

• Drive emerging technology adoption, including leveraging GenAI for development and product functionality

• Design integration patterns for ML/AI advancements with Decision Science teams

• Create end-to-end solutions for advanced yield optimization tools

• Lead engineering teams and manage full software development lifecycle using agile methodologies

• Coordinate projects, standards, and methodologies across the Disney organization

• Translate business requirements into technical solutions with Product Owners

• Present engineering initiatives and system design decisions to senior stakeholders

• Coordinate solution architecture with infrastructure teams

• Support data-driven advertising sales decisions through thoughtful system design

What We're Looking For

• Experience leading complex application projects with system design and development responsibilities

• Comprehensive understanding of solution design and architecture

• Technical skills and ability to perform code reviews and assist with hands-on coding if necessary

• Cloud platform expertise (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud) and serverless design patterns

• Knowledge of advanced technologies including GenAI for development capabilities and product functionality

• Excellent problem-solving and communication skills for complex business challenges

• Experience with large, complex datasets and data storage architecture

• Analytics platform development and business intelligence application experience

• Proven ability to mentor team members and manage career development

• Experience designing technical solutions from business requirements

• Experience communicating effectively with technical and business audiences

• Ability to thrive in fast-paced environments with multiple technical priorities

Minimum Requirements

• 8+ years of technology experience

• 5+ years of software development experience building web-based applications

• 2+ years leading technical teams specializing in cloud-native application development

• Experience designing and implementing scalable technical solution