Lead Machine Learning Engineer, Ads Research

Disney Entertainment and ESPN Product & Technology is seeking a Lead Machine Learning Engineer for Ads Research to shape the next generation of advertising technology across its portfolio. This leadership role blends generative AI with traditional ML methods, guiding development, deployment, and cross-functional collaboration to improve ad marketplace operations and the overall user experience.

Responsibilities

• Implement and productionize cutting-edge AI technologies, including generative AI for mixed media, video, and agentic LLM applications, alongside traditional ML models.
• Design, evaluate, and refine new ML solutions to improve performance and reliability.
• Lead the adoption of state-of-the-art AI across advertising domains such as inventory forecasting, ad experiences, pacing, pricing, targeting, and delivery efficiency.
• Create and iterate on novel solutions to complex advertising challenges through rapid prototyping and fast deployment cycles.
• Architect, build, and scale robust ML systems that power core ad platform capabilities.
• Promote engineering excellence through best practices in code quality, system design, and operational reliability.
• Mentor and support junior engineers, fostering a culture of continuous learning and technical growth.

Requirements

• Bachelor's in computer science or equivalent experience.
• Proven experience in developing, researching, or productionizing generative AI models or AI-based editing domains (image, video, mixed media, audio, LLMs, or agentic flows), including diffusion or flow models.
• Strong motivation to self-learn via publications and training resources in generative modeling, including generative video and diffusion modeling.
• Experience creating ML datasets (notably in computer vision or generative AI) or establishing rigorous quality evaluation and data labeling processes.
• Experience developing language-processing applications using LLMs or agentic flows.
• Rapid creative prototyping with generative AI is a plus, with examples from research labs or hackathons being beneficial.
• Minimum 7 years of hands-on experience developing and deploying large-scale machine learning systems.
• Strong knowledge of AI/ML technologies, mathematics, and statistics.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills with both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Solid foundations in algorithms, data structures, and numerical optimization; proficient in Python (primary), with experience in Java and SQL.
• Familiarity with deep learning tools and frameworks such as TensorFlow, PyTorch, Jax, and HuggingFace libraries.
• Expert knowledge of traditional (tabular) ML modeling and methods.
• Proven proficiency in deep learning methodologies, fine-tuning, and transformer architectures.
• A track record of thriving in fast-paced, data-driven, collaborative environments.
• Experience working closely with UX and frontend designers to build production-grade generative AI products.

Technologies

• Python
• Java
• SQL
• TensorFlow
• PyTorch
• Jax
• Hugging libraries

Benefits

• Bonus and/or long-term incentive units
• Medical benefits
• Financial benefits

Nice-to-haves

• MS or PhD (preferred) in computer science or equivalent experience.
• Experience with multimodal models and embedding techniques.
• Computer vision or visual content understanding experience.
• Experience in digital video advertising or digital marketing domain.
• Diffusion model or generative AI controls research experience, or strong interest to learn.

Location

• Seattle (onsite)
• Santa Monica (onsite)
• Glendale (onsite)

Salary

USD 171,600 - 241,000 per yearly