VP, Engineering - Personalization & Recommendations

Job ID 10101338 Location San Francisco, California, United States / Santa Monica, California, United States / New York, New York, United States Business Disney Entertainment & ESPN Technology Date posted Dec. 06, 2024

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Job Summary:

About the Team

On any given day at Disney Entertainment & ESPN Technology, we’re reimagining ways to create magical viewing experiences for the world’s most beloved stories while also transforming Disney’s media business for the future. Whether that’s evolving our streaming and digital products in new and immersive ways, powering worldwide advertising and distribution to maximize flexibility and efficiency, or delivering Disney’s unmatched entertainment and sports content, every day is a moment to make a difference to partners and to hundreds of millions of people around the world.

What You Will Do

The Product & Data Engineering team is responsible for end-to-end development for Disney’s world-class consumer-facing products, including streaming platforms Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+, and digital products & experiences across ESPN, Marvel, Disney Studios, NatGeo, and ABC News. The team drives innovation at scale for hundreds of millions of consumers around the world across Apple, Android, Smart TVs, game consoles, and the web, with our platforms powering core experiences like personalization, search, messaging and data.

The Engagement Experiences & Platforms (EEP) Org is responsible for building the backend platforms and experiences that drive Engagement for our global consumer base.

In this executive role, you will leverage your expertise in Data Science to set the strategy and vision for our Personalization & Algorithms, creating the best-in-class Recommendations & Discovery experiences for hundreds of millions of customers on Disney+, Hulu, ESPN and ABC.

You will lead and guide data science and engineering teams spanning algorithm and ML model development, data engineering, and large-scale systems engineering to deliver innovative experiences that lead to consumer engagement and delight for our global customer base.

You will partner cross-functionally with Product Managers, Analytics, Content, Business & Legal teams to understand our customers, our content, and our ecosystem to shape our strategy and define what success looks like.

Understand & analyze engagement metrics, our customer needs, and our content to shape and set strategy/roadmap in collaboration with Product.
Drive execution of the roadmap.
Follow industry/contemporary AI & ML technology and propose an agenda for application of relevant science & technology for our use cases.
Coach leaders, guide & shape the organization to foster a culture of learning, collaboration & innovation.
Evangelize, showcase and present the work being done by the team to technical and non-technical audiences.

Required Qualifications & Skills

14+ years of relevant professional experience.
10+ years of experience leading and directing strategy for teams of data scientists, data engineers and/or engineers.
Ability to dive deep into individual components & algorithms, as well as understand the overall framework/architecture.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, ability to simplify and synthesize complex constructs.
Developing algorithms and machine learned models for consumer experiences.
Data Science, Data Engineering Practices & Software Development Lifecycle.
Engineering, deploying & operating algorithms & machine learned models for consumer experiences.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience in the Analytics function.
Experience with Large Language Models (LLMs) & Generative AI.
Experience with consumer facing products operating at global scale.

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Software, Electrical, or Electronics Engineer, or comparable field of study, and/or equivalent work experience.
Master’s or PhD in Computer Science, Information Systems, Software or comparable field of study is Preferred

The hiring range for this position in California and New York is $298,200.00 - $399,900.00 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. To learn more about our benefits visit: https://jobs.disneycareers.com/benefits.

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About Disney Entertainment & ESPN Technology:

Disney Entertainment and ESPN Technology (DE&E Technology) provides the technological backbone and product development for Disney’s two media business units, while helping to keep the company at the vanguard of innovation – enabling the Company to continuously leverage technology to enhance storytelling and creativity, while delivering scalability, flexibility, and efficiency for its businesses.

About The Walt Disney Company:

The Walt Disney Company, together with its subsidiaries and affiliates, is a leading diversified international family entertainment and media enterprise that includes three core business segments: Disney Entertainment, ESPN, and Disney Experiences. From humble beginnings as a cartoon studio in the 1920s to its preeminent name in the entertainment industry today, Disney proudly continues its legacy of creating world-class stories and experiences for every member of the family. Disney’s stories, characters and experiences reach consumers and guests from every corner of the globe. With operations in more than 40 countries, our employees and cast members work together to create entertainment experiences that are both universally and locally cherished.

This position is with Disney Streaming Technology LLC, which is part of a business we call Disney Entertainment & ESPN Technology.

Disney Streaming Technology LLC is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, military or veteran status, medical condition, genetic information or disability, or any other basis prohibited by federal, state or local law. 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.

DISABILITY ACCOMMODATION FOR EMPLOYMENT APPLICATIONS

The Walt Disney Company and its Affiliated Companies are Equal Employment Opportunity employers and welcome all job seekers including individuals with disabilities and veterans with disabilities. If you have a disability and believe you need a reasonable accommodation in order to search for a job opening or apply for a position, email Candidate.Accommodations@Disney.com with your request. This email address is not for general employment inquiries or correspondence. We will only respond to those requests that are related to the accessibility of the online application system due to a disability.

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Hiring Process

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Explore this Location San Francisco, CA

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