Principal Software Engineer, AI Architecture – Ad Platforms

Job Summary:

Disney Entertainment & ESPN Technology

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.

• Building the future of Disney’s media business: DE&E Technologists are designing and building the infrastructure that will power Disney’s media, advertising, and distribution businesses for years to come.

• Reach & Scale: The products and platforms this group builds and operates delight millions of consumers every minute of every day – from Disney+ and Hulu, to ABC News and Entertainment, to ESPN and ESPN+, and much more.
• Innovation: We develop and execute groundbreaking products and techniques that shape industry norms and enhance how audiences experience sports, entertainment & news.

The Ad Platforms Team is responsible for building and operating the technology that supports Disney’s industry-leading, multi-billion dollar global advertising business. Working across all of Disney’s streaming brands and linear channels, this team’s scope is wide ranging – they impact everything from core infrastructure development that powers Disney’s proprietary ad server, to reimagining viewer-first ad experiences and formats. This team’s award-winning, in-house built technologies are the backbone of Disney’s ad business and a critical element of the Company’s streaming future.

Responsibilities and Duties of the Role:

• Work in conjunction with business teams, data scientists, software engineers, and other relevant parties to comprehend business objectives and define technical requirements.
• Architect Generative AI solutions using the latest techniques such as retrieval augmented generation, transformer architectures, etc. to accommodate large-scale and intricate Generative AI solutions.
• Develop and implement applications using advanced Generative AI models such as OpenAI GPT 3.5 or 4.0, Anthropic Claude, Google Palm2, Amazon Nova,  Meta Llama2 or Llama3.
• Apply frameworks such as LangChain and Llama Index for efficient indexing, retrieval, and chaining of language models, enhancing the contextual understanding and response generation of applications.
• Assess and choose suitable Generative AI technologies, tools, and frameworks to attain the required performance, precision, and scalability.
• Oversee the fine-tuning and deployment of Large Language Models, ensuring compliance with top-tier practices in Generative AI and machine learning.
• Construct and sustain Generative AI workflows, incorporating stages such as data cleansing, pre-processing, model training or fine-tuning, and feedback loop.
• Evaluate Large Language Models and systems for optimal performance, scalability, and efficiency.
• Conduct frequent code assessments and provide technical mentorship to less experienced team members.
• Stay up to date on the latest trends and progress in Generative AI technologies, frameworks, and algorithms, and pinpoint opportunities for their use within the organization.
• Cooperate with infrastructure teams to guarantee seamless deployment and monitoring of Large Language Models in operational environments.
• Document Generative AI design choices and technical specifications for reference and knowledge dissemination.
• Collaborate with research, infrastructure, and engineering teams to design a deep learning-based architecture. The platform leverages technologies including, but not limited to, TensorFlow, PyTorch, and XGBoost. 

Required Education, Experience/Skills/Training:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, or related field.
• At least 7 years of experience in artificial intelligence, machine learning, or data science.
• Experience in Generative AI architectures and frameworks such as retrieval augmented generation, vectorization and embeddings, and multi-agent Generative AI architecture solutions.
• Must have experience working with at least one of the Large Language Models (e.g., Azure Open AI GPT 3.5/4.0, Google Palm2, AWS Nova).
• Experience in designing and developing artificial intelligence solutions Ad industry using generate a video output on the spot using a generative AI text, audio, image, or video.
• Experience in deploying and monitoring artificial intelligence solutions on cloud environments (AWS)
• Excellent problem-solving and analytical skills, with the ability to break down complex problems into actionable components.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to work effectively within cross-functional teams.
• Strong knowledge of the latest advancements in Generative AI technologies, frameworks, and platforms.
• Knowledge of ethical considerations and responsible Generative AI practices.
• Strong communication and presentation skills, with the ability to explain complex artificial intelligence concepts and insights to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Robust expertise with both deep learning models and traditional machine learning algorithms.
• Hands-on experience on popular AI/ML platforms and tools like Tensorflow, Pytorch and Xgboost.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in designing and developing artificial intelligence solutions Ad industry using generate a video output on the spot using a generative AI text, audio, image, or video.
• Experience in ads domain projects like CTR prediction, Contextual targeting, user segmentation model, inventory forecasting.

The hiring range for this position in Los Angeles, CA is $184,300 – $247,100 per year and in Seattle, WA is $193,100 – $258,900 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.