Director, Software Engineering - Emerging Technology

This position will report to the SVP, Products & Experiences and based in Orlando, Florida. Emerging Tech & Product is where Disney Experiences (DX) identifies, prioritizes, explores, tests, and productizes the cutting edge technologies shaping our future. We leverage deep technical expertise and strategic rigor to identify high impact opportunities and turn them into scalable, value-driving solutions. The Director, Software Engineering is responsible for our early stage innovation pipeline, in close partnership with Emerging Product as well as business and technology leaders throughout the Parks, Experiences, and Products segment. As Director, Software Engineering, you will lead the management of the Emerging Tech Labs, with a focus on driving business value through three primary areas: 1) managing relationships with external partners to foster innovation and collaboration; 2) overseeing stakeholder testing to validate concepts, user experience, and business value; and 3) directing engineering efforts to evaluate both vendor and internal solutions through proof-of-concept development and testing. This role provides managerial oversight to engineers on the Emerging Technology team and serves as a technical thought leader across the organization. As the steward of our early stage innovation pipeline, your focus will be on producing well-documented insights, validated prototypes, technical evaluations, and architectural guidance that can be directly applied by delivery teams and the Emerging Tech Initial Tech Implementation team to accelerate implementation and reduce risk. You will ensure that all work is rigorously prioritized and aligned with the approved quarterly Emerging Product opportunity map, and that sound engineering and architectural practices are consistently followed. You will be accountable for ensuring that the Emerging Technology portfolio generates actionable outcomes that inform strategic decision-making and enable downstream teams. Success in this role is measured by the clarity and quality of technology evaluations, the effectiveness of knowledge transfer, and the ability to clearly articulate and quantify the business value derived from…