The Walt Disney Company · 3 hours ago
Lead Software Development Engineer in Test
Glendale, CA
Full-time
Onsite
Senior Level, Lead/Staff
$142K/yr - $190K/yr
7+ years expThe Walt Disney Company is a global organization focused on advancing technological solutions for its media business. The Lead Software Development Engineer in Test will ensure the quality and reliability of entertainment solutions by developing automation processes and infrastructure for backend APIs and data systems, driving technical excellence across the development lifecycle.
Amusement Park and ArcadeAnimationConsumer GoodsDigital MediaE-CommerceMedia and EntertainmentMulti-level MarketingPerforming ArtsResorts
Responsibilities
Drives Quality Engineering Strategy & Architecture
Leads the design and implementation of scalable, fault-tolerant, cloud-native test architectures across multiple product teams
Defines quality engineering strategies aligned with business goals, ensuring alignment with architectural and operational excellence standards
Partners with architects, product owners, and engineering leadership to build and refine robust test frameworks and infrastructure
Champions the adoption of modern testing practices (shift-left, CI/CD integration, observability, etc.) across the organization
Provides technical guidance and mentorship to SDETs and engineers across teams, reviewing architecture, test code, and frameworks
Ensures engineering best practices are consistently applied through code reviews, design sessions, and hands-on pairing
Facilitates cross-team collaboration to align on common tools, standards, and reusable testing components
Leads post-mortem/root cause analysis for critical quality incidents and drives preventive action
Leads the planning and execution of multiple testing initiatives in Agile environments, ensuring timely and high-quality deliverables
Owns the test strategy for large and complex projects, including defining test metrics, release criteria, and automation goals
Ensures governance for quality gates, compliance, and traceability across product teams
Identifies cross-functional bottlenecks or risks and drives resolution proactively
Builds, enhances, and maintains scalable, reusable test automation frameworks and tools
Researches and introduces emerging tools and practices (AI in testing, autonomous testing, etc.) to improve efficiency and effectiveness
Tracks quality metrics (e.g., defect escape rate, automation coverage, flakiness) and continuously iterates on testing processes
Influences organizational test maturity by driving initiatives in performance testing, security testing, and reliability engineering
Qualification
Required
Minimum of 7 years of relevant experience in software development roles such as SDET, Software Engineer, or Site Reliability Engineer, with a focus on automated and/or unit testing of front-end and/or back-end services
Proficient in object-oriented design and experienced with at least one major programming language: Python, Java, or Node.js/JavaScript
Demonstrated success working within high-performing teams utilizing Agile and Lean methodologies
Strong collaboration skills with a proven ability to use standard SDLC tools including Jira, Confluence, and version control systems
Bachelor's degree, or equivalent, in Computer Science or a closely related technical field, or equivalent years of relevant work experience
Preferred
Hands-on experience delivering production applications using Python, Flask, Django, React, or Node.js
Hands-on experience delivering production backend services and components using Python, or Java
Experience developing and deploying applications on cloud platforms such as AWS, with a focus on optimizing cost and efficiency
Familiarity with distributed messaging systems such as Kafka, Amazon SQS, or Kinesis
Proficient in writing Gherkin Syntax for automated test scenario development
Working knowledge of containerization and CI/CD tools, including Docker, Kubernetes, and Spinnaker
Experience with test case and issue management tools (e.g., JIRA, Xray), code quality and management tools (e.g., Git, SonarQube), and data visualization tools (e.g., Grafana, Datadog)
Benefits
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.
Company
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company started as a cartoon studio and evolves into sports coverage and television shows.
10001+ employees
H1B Sponsorship
The Walt Disney Company has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (83)
2024 (63)
2023 (96)
2022 (130)
2021 (30)
2020 (40)
Funding
Current Stage
Public CompanyTotal Funding
$11BKey Investors
Citibank
2020-04-13Post Ipo Debt· $5B
2020-03-20Post Ipo Debt· $6B
1978-01-06IPO
Leadership Team
Robert Iger
CEO
Christine M. McCarthy
Senior Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer
Recent News
2025-12-24
Company data provided by crunchbase