Sr. Manager, Machine Learning Engineering

Job ID 10144136 Location New York, New York, United States Business Disney Entertainment Television Date posted Mar. 05, 2026

Apply Now

Job Summary:

This is not a remote role. You must be in the area or open to relocating.

Department/Group Overview:

The cross-media measurement and advanced analytics organization is responsible for data strategy & management, cross-platform content measurement, Content marketing measurement, and linear and digital inventory forecasting. The team provides advanced analytics and actionable insights related to Disney entertainment's content, monetization, and audience development.

The Data and Analytics Operations team is part of the Cross-Media Measurement and Advanced Analytics organization (CMAA). Reporting to the Executive Director of Data and Analytics Operations, this team leverages advanced machine learning techniques to deliver a robust suite of analytics solutions. Their portfolio includes descriptive, predictive, and prescriptive analytics, underpinned by strong data management practices and an interoperability layer. These capabilities are structured to support a range of business goals, such as content production, marketing and monetization.

Job Summary:

The Senior Manager, Machine Learning Engineering will lead a team responsible for building and operating production ML systems that deliver predictive outcomes at scale for cross-media measurement, identity resolution, and audience development. This role requires deep hands-on understanding of applied machine learning and ML engineering and is accountable for ensuring that machine learning techniques are applied in code (e.g., supervised / unsupervised learning, deep learning/neural networks where appropriate, and related modeling frameworks) and operationalized reliably through robust MLOps practices. The position also includes ownership of key data and pipeline foundations required to capture, manage, store, and utilize large-scale structured and unstructured data from internal and external sources to support model training and inference, while enforcing privacy, governance, and audit readiness.

Responsibilities and Duties of the Role:

• Lead delivery of machine learning systems for identity, audience modeling, and cross-platform measurement; ensure ML techniques are applied in code and deployed as scalable, production-grade services and/or pipelines.

• Oversee ML data and feature foundations: design and maintain pipelines that capture, transform, and deliver structured and unstructured cross-media datasets from internal/external sources; ensure interoperability and data integrity across platforms (Airflow/Dagster; Snowflake/Databricks)

• MLOps & monitoring ownership: implement and standardize CI/CD, model versioning/registry practices, automated evaluation/testing, drift detection, dashboards/alerts, and operational runbooks to ensure reliability and reproducibility.

• Lead a team of ML engineers: hiring, onboarding, coaching, performance management, code/design reviews, and career development; set technical direction and quality standards.

• Lead cross-organization decision-making: align stakeholders, define success metrics, and drive complex trade-offs to deliver durable, scalable ML solutions.

• Stakeholder collaboration & roadmap execution: partner with product, analytics, engineering, and governance stakeholders to translate business needs into technical requirements, success metrics, and delivery plans.

• Champion data privacy, governance, and compliance: enforce GDPR/CCPA principles, PII safeguards, documentation, and audit readiness across ML workflows.

Required Education, Experience/Skills/Training:

Minimum Qualifications:

• Must have 10+ years of experience in machine learning engineering and/or applied ML roles delivering production ML systems (models + pipelines + monitoring)

• Must have 4+ years in a technical leadership capacity, including people leadership and/or strong delivery ownership in ML environment

• Must have knowledge of data privacy regulations (GDPR, CCPA) and implementing privacy-aware data and modeling practices

• Proven experience applying machine learning techniques in code to develop predictive systems at scale (including deep learning where appropriate)

• Strong proficiency in Python and SQL; software engineering best practices (version control, CI/CD, automated testing)

• Hands-on experience with cloud-native data platforms and distributed processing (Snowflake/Databricks/BigQuery/Spark) and orchestration (Airflow/Dagster)

Preferred Qualifications:

• 12+ years total experience, with hands-on work in media, advertising technology, or cross-platform audience measurement

• Flagship production ownership experience with ML, deep-learning, genAI, or retrieval-augmented systems (PyTorch, vector databases) and real-time data pipelines (Kafka, Pub/Sub, Kinesis)

• Strong understanding with modern MLOps stacks (e.g., MLflow, Kubeflow, Vertex AI, SageMaker) and model-governance practices (metadata, lineage, drift detection)

• Certifications such as Google Professional Machine Learning Engineer, AWS Certified Machine Learning – Specialty, or equivalent cloud/data credentials

• Contributions to open-source ML or data-engineering projects, conference presentations, or peer-reviewed publications

• Experience in media/ad tech, identity graphs, audience measurement, or interoperability layers

• Experience with modern MLOps platforms (MLflow, Kubeflow, Vertex AI, SageMaker) and model governance practices

Required Education:

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant technical or science field (e.g. computer science, data science, mathematics, or a related discipline)

Preferred Education:

• Master’s degree or PhD in a relevant field (e.g., Applied Math, Computer Science, Computational Science, Operation Research, Data Science)

#DISNEYTECH

The hiring range for this position in New York City is $217,300.00-$270,000.00 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.

Apply Now

About Disney Entertainment Television:

Disney Entertainment Television is a collection of renowned content brands at The Walt Disney Company creating original entertainment and news programming for the company’s streaming platforms Disney+, Hulu and Star, and its broadcast and cable networks. Its extensive portfolio is comprised of ABC Entertainment, ABC News, ABC Owned Television Stations, Disney Branded Television, Freeform, FX, Hulu Originals, National Geographic Content and Onyx Collective, in addition to Disney Television Studios, which include 20th Television, 20th Television Animation, ABC Signature and Walt Disney Television Alternative. Responsible for over 4,500 hours of programming a year across more than 300 programs of all genres, Disney Entertainment Television’s creative brands are at the forefront of groundbreaking storytelling, captivating audiences and generating critical acclaim. In 2023, Disney Entertainment Television’s programming excellence earned 163 Emmy® nominations across daytime, primetime, news & documentary, and children’s & family categories.

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 American Broadcasting Companies, Inc., which is part of a business we call Disney Entertainment Television.

American Broadcasting Companies, Inc. 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, visit the Disney candidate disability accommodations FAQs. We will only respond to those requests that are related to the accessibility of the online application system due to a disability.

Having technical issues? View the FAQs for help.

Hiring Process

Where Does Your Story Begin?

Explore Disney Careers and the Life at Disney blog to learn about all the amazing opportunities waiting to be discovered at The Walt Disney Company.
Be Part of the Story

There are many different brands and businesses to explore. Once you've found the opportunity that is right for you, take the next step by completing your application.
The Next Chapter

Once you've applied, you will receive an email allowing you to access your candidate dashboard. Create your login and make sure to check your dashboard often to see your application progress.

Explore this Location New York, NY

With a globally recognizable skyline and 8.4 million people who call it home, New York City is bursting with diversity and excitement – from iconic attractions to hidden gems waiting to be uncovered.