Lead Software Engineer - Data Architect

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, Disney Signature Experiences lines of business as well as other initiatives including MyDisneyExperience and Hey, Disney!

This role sits in the Disney Signature Experience (DSE) Solution Architecture organization within Technology & Digital for Disney Experiences. It works closely with Product, Engineering, Architecture, and Data Governance teams from across the company.

The Lead Software Engineer - Data Architect will report to the Senior Manager of Architecture, Disney Signature Experience.

About The Role & Team:

Within Disney Signature Experiences, the Disney Cruise Line team delivers end-to-end digital and physical experiences for Guests and Cast Members across shipboard and shoreside platforms. The Lead Software Engineer - Data Architect is a hands-on senior engineer who designs, builds, and governs the software components, APIs, event streams, and data contracts that allow DCL systems across commerce, reservations, mobile, and operational platforms (including Seaware, web, and downstream platforms) to exchange data in a consistent, scalable, and governed manner. This engineer leads the technical design of large, highly sophisticated integration and data-platform solutions, writes and reviews production code assets, and sets the engineering standards that other teams build against.

What You’ll Do:

• Own the analysis, design, programming, debugging, and modification of software components and services that integrate DCL commerce, reservation, mobile, and operational platforms in cloud-based, on-prem shipboards and networked environments
• Lead the design and development of APIs, event-driven services, and messaging layers, including the canonical data models, schemas, and payload structures they expose
• Conceive, design, develop, test, and implement software for data exchange between systems, including notification/event payloads, snapshot payloads, and synchronous vs. asynchronous integration patterns
• Define and enforce engineering standards for data contracts, schema versioning, naming conventions, and domain boundaries, and embed them into code reviews, solution architecture reviews, and ARB processes
• Act as the technical authority on data structure and integration design decisions impacting cross-platform systems, providing clear guidance on tradeoffs across latency, cost, scalability, and resiliency
• Build software with privacy, security, and data classification requirements designed in, ensuring compliance with enterprise policies and regulatory requirements
• Promote reusable, modular software and data design that minimizes duplication across platforms and reduces technical debt
• Lead or perform testing and debugging of integration services and data pipelines, identifying root causes and innovative solutions
• Interact with Product, business, and engineering partners to define system requirements and necessary modifications
• Help drive estimation and planning of highly sophisticated, scalable projects and their budget allocations
• Own technical documentation, including canonical data models, data domain maps, integration patterns, and payload standards, maintained as a living blueprint of the DCL technology landscape
• Mentor engineers on software design, data modeling, integration patterns, and engineering best practices
• Stay current with emerging technologies, including Generative and Agentic AI, modern data platforms, and event streaming, so you can make informed recommendations and drive their adoption

• Minimum 7 years of related software engineering experience, including designing and building distributed systems, APIs, and integration services
• Strong skills in writing production code in a modern programming language (e.g., Java, Python, Node.js/TypeScript, or similar) and completing complex programming tasks
• In-depth knowledge of event-driven architecture, RESTful and asynchronous API design, messaging/eventing platforms, and data exchange patterns
• Deep expertise in data modeling (conceptual, logical, physical) and schema/data contract design for distributed systems
• Experience defining and governing engineering and data standards at scale across multiple teams
• Comfortable working in an agile environment
• Proven ability to influence across matrixed organizations and multiple technology domains, with strong communication skills that translate complex technical design into executive-level guidance
• A visionary who motivates teams to excel and fosters creativity, consistently driving excellence in all endeavors
• An advocate for a diverse and inclusive culture that encourages innovation and ensures every team member feels a sense of belonging, * Experience building software in Commerce, Reservations, or Travel/Hospitality domains
• Experience with enterprise integration platforms, orchestration layers, or event streaming technologies (e.g., Kafka, cloud-native eventing)
• Familiarity with Seaware or large-scale reservation systems (strong plus for DCL context)
• Experience with cloud platforms and infrastructure-as-code in support of enterprise-scale digital transformation initiatives
• Background working alongside data governance and analytics teams to align engineering, architecture, and reporting

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

Preferred Education:

Master’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related field

The hiring range for this position in California is Orlando, Florida is $150,500.00-$201,800.00 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 on the level and position offered.

“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.