Staff (Lead) Software Engineer

Description Hybrid 4 Days a week on-site in Burbank, CA Our client seeks a Staff (Lead) Software Engineer to build the next generation of intelligent infrastructure for the Studio Digital Supply Chain. The role blends backend engineering, workflow, and AI to design and deliver agentic platforms that support mastering, localization, and delivery. This hands-on role requires strong execution, adaptability, and comfort working at the pace of evolving AI technologies. Due to client requirements, applicants must be willing and able to work on a w2 basis. For our w2 consultants, we offer a great benefits package that includes Medical, Dental, and Vision benefits, 401k with company matching, and life insurance. Rate: $83.00 to $93.00/hr. w2 Responsibilities Translate AI prototypes into production-ready microservices in Java, Kotlin, Python, or TypeScript using Kubernetes and CI/CD.Implement event-driven services with Kafka, SNS/SQS, or EventBridge for loosely coupled, fault-tolerant communication.Build and maintain reliable, observable APIs with clear contracts and long-term maintainability.Lead technical planning, system design, and delivery reviews across engineering and product.Partner with platform teams, product managers, and ML engineers to deliver business-ready AI capabilities.Mentor team members and track trends in LLM tooling, orchestration, and agent frameworks.Design and build API gateways, wrappers, and middleware that expose studio systems and data to AI agents.Manage secure access to tools, metadata, and content systems through model context protocol (MCP).Standardize agent interfaces with internal services across the supply chain.Deploy agentic platforms such as LangGraph or LangChain to manage tool execution, context routing, and decision logic.Implement tracing, audit logging, and governance checkpoints including human approval and fallback paths.Integrate orchestration into media workflows including mastering, localization, and delivery. Experience Requirements 8+ years in backend or systems engineering with 3+ years building AI-powered or workflow-centric platforms.Deep proficiency in Java or Kotlin, testing practices, observability, and operating systems at scale.Production experience with AWS and container orchestration using Docker and Kubernetes.Hands-on experience with infrastructure as code such as Terraform or CDK.Experience building or integrating workflow engines, ideally in LLM or GenAI contexts.Clear, structured communication and a track record of technical leadership in cross-functional teams.Preferred: Experience with LangGraph, LangChain, OpenAI, or Anthropic.Preferred: Background in media, entertainment, or content operations, including localization or post-production workflows.Preferred: Experience with the Spring ecosystem and multi-tenant or shared platform services.Preferred: Exposure to Agile delivery practices and DevOps automation at scale.Preferred: Contributions to GenAI open-source projects or internal AI/ML infrastructure tooling. Education Requirements Bachelor’s or master’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related field.