Okay, I've searched for Principal Software Engineer roles in New York, NY within the Media & Entertainment industry, requiring 10+ years of experience, skills in Python and Spark, and full-time positions. I have found 142 positions for you.

Sure. Here's the analysis:

Job Analysis:

The Principal Software Engineer - Activation at Disney Entertainment & ESPN is fundamentally tasked with architecting and delivering large-scale, reliable data platforms that support both real-time and batch processing across Disney's extensive media ecosystem. This role is at the intersection of advanced software engineering and data infrastructure, requiring the candidate to lead not only the technical design and implementation but also cross-organizational projects that align with Disney’s ambition to innovate media consumption globally. The emphasis on technologies like AWS, Databricks, Snowflake, Spark, and languages including Scala, Python, and Java underscores a need for versatile, high-level technical fluency essential for building scalable, fault-tolerant systems capable of processing immense data flows seamlessly. Beyond coding expertise, this role demands strong leadership, mentorship, and collaboration skills, as the principal engineer will champion engineering best practices and drive development efforts in a complex, evolving business context—balancing architectural trade-offs around performance, scalability, and maintainability. Success here means reliably powering data sharing capabilities that enable personalized, engaging experiences on platforms like Disney+, ESPN+, and Hulu while continuously improving system performance and supporting the adaptive business needs driven by a media giant. The candidate must be comfortable navigating ambiguity, multi-stakeholder environments, and the operational complexity of merging streaming, advertising, and content delivery technologies at scale.

Company Analysis:

Disney Entertainment & ESPN operates at the forefront of global digital media transformation, uniquely positioned as a leader with vast scale across beloved content franchises and innovative streaming platforms. Their Product & Technology arm reflects a culture deeply committed to innovation, quality, and delivering unparalleled user experiences to hundreds of millions worldwide. The environment is both fast-paced and visionary, requiring talent that thrives on technical excellence and collaboration across diverse teams—from engineering to product management. The Activation team’s work feeds directly into Disney’s strategic goals of evolving streaming and advertising technologies, meaning that this role is not siloed but integral to company-wide ambitions. Candidates who value working for an established yet constantly evolving powerhouse will find opportunities here for long-term career growth and significant impact. Organizationally, the position is likely high-visibility, serving as a technical linchpin within a complex ecosystem, with expectations to influence both the engineering team and broader business stakeholders. The culture seems to emphasize mentorship, best practices, and cross-functional teamwork, which aligns well with candidates who bring both deep technical skill and a collaborative mindset. The competitive pay range and mention of benefits highlight Disney’s commitment to attracting elite talent capable of shaping the future of media technology.

Absolutely. Here are some mock interview questions that could come up:

• Behavioral: Tell me about a time when you led a large-scale data engineering project that involved multiple stakeholders across different teams. How did you manage coordination and ensure project success?
• Behavioral: Describe a situation where you had to mentor junior engineers on complex technical topics. How did you approach this, and what was the outcome?
• Behavioral: Share an example of when you faced a significant technical challenge with data streaming or batch processing. How did you resolve it?
• Behavioral: How have you advocated for engineering best practices such as CI/CD, automated testing, or code review in your previous roles?
• Technical: Can you walk me through your approach to designing a fault-tolerant and scalable data pipeline using tools like Spark, Databricks, and Snowflake?
• Technical: How do you balance competing architectural considerations like performance, reusability, and scalability when developing big data applications?
• Technical: Which strategies or tools have you found most effective for managing real-time event-driven architectures in a cloud environment like AWS?
• Technical: Describe your experience with infrastructure as code technologies such as Terraform or CDK. How do you integrate these into data platform deployments?
• Situational: Imagine you discover a critical bottleneck in a real-time data processing pipeline that’s affecting streaming platform personalization features. How would you diagnose and address the problem?
• Situational: A junior engineer on your team proposes a design for a new batch processing job that conflicts with established best practices. How would you handle this situation?
• Situational: You are asked to lead a cross-functional project involving engineering, product, and data science teams with tight deadlines and shifting requirements. How do you approach this to maintain delivery and team alignment?
• Company Fit: Why does Disney Entertainment & ESPN excite you as a place to contribute your expertise in big data engineering?
• Company Fit: How do your personal values and career aspirations align with Disney’s mission to innovate media experiences and reach millions globally?
• Company Fit: Given the fast-paced and collaborative culture described, how do you maintain productivity and technical excellence while working with cross-disciplinary teams?
• Candidate Questions: Can you tell me more about how the Activation team partners with other departments like product and research to drive innovation?
• Candidate Questions: What are the biggest technical challenges the Activation team expects to tackle in the next 12 months?
• Candidate Questions: How does Disney support professional growth and mentorship for senior engineers in this role?