Principal Machine Learning Engineer - ESPN+ Personalization

Disney Entertainment and ESPN Product & Technology is seeking a Principal Machine Learning Engineer to lead the technical architecture and development of ESPN's next-generation video experience personalization platform. This role will be crucial in designing and implementing real-time recommendation systems that directly impact user engagement and satisfaction.

The position offers a unique opportunity to shape the future of sports content personalization at one of the world's leading media companies. You'll work at the intersection of cutting-edge machine learning technology and sports entertainment, building systems that serve millions of users globally.

As the technical architect, you'll lead the design and implementation of large-scale ML pipelines for real-time retrieval, ranking, and personalization. This involves working with modern deep learning architectures, embedding systems, and real-time serving infrastructure. You'll collaborate with cross-functional teams including engineering, product, and data science to define personalization strategies and drive continuous improvement.

The role requires deep expertise in machine learning systems, particularly in recommendation algorithms and real-time serving architectures. You'll need to balance model quality, system latency, and operational reliability while establishing best practices for the team. This is an opportunity to work with state-of-the-art technology while having significant impact on how millions of users experience sports content.

Disney offers a comprehensive benefits package including competitive salary, bonus potential, equity, and full medical coverage. The company's unique position at the intersection of technology and entertainment provides opportunities to work on challenging technical problems while delivering experiences that delight users worldwide.

The ideal candidate will bring both technical depth in machine learning systems and the leadership skills to influence cross-functional teams. You'll have the opportunity to mentor other engineers while helping to grow the technical capabilities across the organization. If you're passionate about using technology to transform how people experience sports content, this role offers the perfect blend of technical challenge and real-world impact.