Principal Systems Engineer

You’ll be the principal technical leader for the compute platforms behind these workflows: virtualization, private cloud, containers, bare metal, GPU, and desktop delivery. This is an individual contributor role with significant influence on architecture, vendors, and team standards.

• Set the architecture: Define compute strategy across virtualization, private/hybrid/public cloud, Kubernetes, and bare metal, with platform-agnostic patterns that balance reliability, performance, security, and cost.
• Automate everything: Establish IaC, API-first provisioning, and CI/CD as engineering standards, architecting reusable platform services and standardized workflows for infrastructure intake, validation, deployment, and lifecycle management.
• Build production-aware tooling: Design automation that understands application dependencies, maintenance windows, health checks, and rollback needs.
• Improve visibility: Architect infrastructure intelligence capabilities connecting inventory, dependencies, configuration, health, and lifecycle data to observability and automation platforms to improve operational decisions.
• Evaluate what’s next: Prototype emerging technologies and turn findings into reference architectures, roadmaps, and vendor guidance.
• Raise the bar: Lead cross-domain architecture decisions spanning compute, storage, networking, identity, security, and data protection. Establish engineering standards, mentor engineers, and influence technical direction across teams.

• Deep experience engineering enterprise virtualization, private cloud, and bare-metal platforms at scale
• Strong Kubernetes and Docker expertise, including integration with enterprise infrastructure
• Hands-on IaC and automation (Terraform, Ansible) with CI/CD (GitLab, GitHub, Jenkins)
• Expert Linux and Windows Server knowledge and familiarity with adjacent storage, networking, identity, and security services
• A track record of leading complex migrations, evaluations, and platform transformations
• Clear communication with engineers, vendors, and executives, * Broadcast, media, or streaming infrastructure experience
• Rancher, GPU/VDI, or multi-cloud workload portability
• Python, Go, or PowerShell tooling; self-service platform or service-catalog design
• Agile, Scrum, or Kanban methodologies and continuous-improvement practices
• AI-assisted engineering experience

Required Education:

• Bachelor’s Degree in a related field and/or 10+ years of relevant experience

The hiring range for this position in Bristol, CT is $158,100 to $211,900 per year, in Los Angeles is $158,100 to $211,900 per year, and in New York is $165,600 to $222,000 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.

Technology is at the heart of Disney’s past, present, and future. Disney Entertainment and ESPN Product & Technology is a global organization of engineers, product developers, designers, technologists, data scientists, and more - all working to build and advance the technological backbone for Disney’s media business globally.

The team marries technology with creativity to build world-class products, enhance storytelling, and drive velocity, innovation, and scalability for our businesses. We are Storytellers and Innovators. Creators and Builders. Entertainers and Engineers. We work with every part of The Walt Disney Company’s media portfolio to advance the technological foundation and consumer media touch points serving millions of people around the world.

Here are a few reasons why we think you’d love working here:

• Building the future of Disney’s media: Our Technologists are designing and building the products and platforms that will power our media, advertising, and distribution businesses for years to come.
• Reach, Scale & Impact: More than ever, Disney’s technology and products serve as a signature doorway for fans’ connections with the company’s brands and stories. Disney+. Hulu. ESPN. ABC. ABC News…and many more. These products and brands - and the unmatched stories, storytellers, and events they carry - matter to millions of people globally.
• Innovation: We develop and implement groundbreaking products and techniques that shape industry norms, and solve complex and distinctive technical problems.

Content Platforms & Operations is responsible for the development and ongoing advancement of the technical and operational functions driving the worldwide distribution and monetization of Disney’s linear networks and theatrical content. This includes Disney’s media supply chain and storage, network and theatrical distribution operations, media localization, network transmission and origination, and more. The global team also plays a critical role as the primary collaboration point for Product & Technology with Disney’s EMEA, APAC, and LATAM regional business teams., This position is with Disney Entertainment & Sports LLC, which is part of a business we call Disney Entertainment and ESPN Product & Technology.

To learn more about Disney’s guidelines on the use of AI for candidates, click here. (https://join.disneycareers.com/global/en/ai-usage)

Disney Entertainment & Sports LLC is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or protected veteran status. Disney champions a business environment where ideas and decisions from all people help us grow, innovate, create the best stories and be relevant in a constantly evolving world.