The Walt Disney Company · 16 hours ago
Lead Innovation Engineer
Burbank, CA, USA
Full-time
Hybrid
Lead/Staff
8+ years expThe Walt Disney Company is seeking a Lead Innovation Engineer - AI to join their Disney StudioLAB team, which focuses on technology innovation within Disney Studios. The role involves developing rapid prototypes and leveraging emerging AI technologies to enhance storytelling and transform productions.
Amusement Park and ArcadeAnimationConsumer GoodsDigital MediaE-CommerceMedia and EntertainmentMulti-level MarketingPerforming ArtsResorts
Responsibilities
Develop rapid prototypes and demos using in-market AI models and tools to inform business decisioning and accelerate adoption of new technology
Develop tooling and methodologies to evaluate emerging AI models, APIs, and tools for production or operational needs
Work with internal stakeholders to ensure that development is meeting the needs of Disney’s business and iterate the technology and approach based on stakeholder feedback
Document and communicate key learnings, approaches, and instructions for other teams to leverage the results of your prototypes and experiments
Stay up to date on state-of-the-art AI techniques and production technology to evaluate emerging technologies and drive innovation
Optimize and adapt AI systems for quality, efficiency, and controllability to meet the needs of Disney’s stakeholders
Provide requirement and direction to teams of vendors or external partner resources to complete engineering tasks in support of the work that you are driving
Qualification
Required
Bachelor's degree in computer science, machine learning, AI, or related field - or equivalent experience
8+ years of experience in software engineering or AI/ML engineering
Proven experience in working in new and emerging technologies for a variety of business applications
A proven track record of adaptability in working across different technology tools and languages
Previous experience working in technology for creative, media, or film production
Technical proficiency in working with generative AI models for imagery and video
Ability to problem solve, debug, refine, and evaluate prototype quality with minimal technical supervision
Strong collaboration skills: must be able to work in a collaborative team environment with creative and technical stakeholders
Ability to balance the technical needs and capabilities with the human and creative centric approach to filmmaking
Comfortable working in a creative environment with iterative feedback, evolving ideas, and often ambiguous inputs
Preferred
Experience with real-time and game-engine technologies (e.g. Unreal, Unity)
Familiarity with film and TV production processes and pipelines
PHD in Computer Science or related field
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
Jamie Power
SVP, Addressable Sales
Karen Van Kirk
Sr. Vice President, Viewer Experience, Direct-to-Consumer
Recent News
Light Reading
2026-02-04
2026-02-03
Company data provided by crunchbase