Production Technology Supervisor - Pre-Production/Post

Skydance offers a dynamic, inclusive, and ever-evolving culture where innovative ideas are welcomed, and growth fostered. The partnership between unique creativity and technological advancements are demonstrated within each pillar of the company. At the heart of it all is a commitment to boldly entertaining and relevant storytelling.

While all Animation studios look to hire people who are creative and hard-working, Skydance Animation is specifically looking for pioneers who seek to push the limits of what the world’s most collaborative art form can achieve, and to give those pioneers the space and the resources to build a new studio that’s doing something different.

If you’ve ever dreamt of what the early days of Hollywood must have been like, of what it takes to roll up your sleeves and break new ground, figure out a new process, and to one day say, “I was there when it all began,” then welcome aboard…

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The Production Technology Supervisor for Pre-Production at Skydance Animation is responsible for managing the team of pre-production/post TDs and Pipeline Engineers. This team is responsible for the Art, Story, Editorial, and Post/IO Delivery workflows as well as the Production Management and Review toolsets. A successful candidate for this role has experience supporting pre-production departments in an Animation or Visual Effects studio, including building tools and pipeline to integrate these departments into the production pipeline. 

• Develop and support workflows and tools for Art, Story, Editorial, Production Management, and Post departments
• Technically support artists and production staff from the pre-production and post departments
• Assure that the Productions are properly staffed with technical support
• Define strategic use and best practices for tools and systems delivered to Production
• Partner with global Production Technology and IT teams to solve studio challenges
• Maintain, monitor, and report on the status of the pre-production pipeline to stakeholders
• Directly supervise and lead the team of pre-production Technical Directors
• Act as the primarily contact person for the pre-production TD team
• Ensure that pre-production facing tools are well integrated
• Project manage the team tasks and initiatives to meet production needs on schedule
• Coach Technical Directors to meet their professional career goals
• Collaborate with the VP and Director of Production Technology regarding strategic planning and staffing of the current and future development projects
• Keep up on current technology trends and tools (hardware and software) that best suit the production (and the company) in the development of a stronger creative technical environment
• Identify technical problems, and design practical solutions that meet stakeholder needs
• Collaborate with the Pipeline and IT teams to ensure that the core infrastructure and the pre-production facing tools satisfy the needs of the productions
• Deliver high-level project roadmap to executive teams
• Maintain clear and collaborative communication with the other Production Technology, Information Technology and Engineering departments
• Build and maintain relationships with external peers, software vendors, and partner studios to drive technical discussions related to animation, pre-production, and studio pipelines

• 8+ years in visual effects or animation industries
• BS degree in Computer Science, similar technical field of study, or equivalent practical experience
• Experience developing tools, and solutions in an Animation or Visual Effects studio environment
• Excellent problem-solving, analytical, and technical troubleshooting skills
• Experience with common media encoding, transcoding, and review tools like ffmpeg, OpenImageIO, RV, Cinesync, and others
• Experience with production tracking software like Shotgrid/Flow or Ftrack
• Familiar using and extending various third party software packages, including Adobe Creative Cloud, Autodesk Maya, The Foundry Nuke, SideFX Houdini, Pixar Renderman, DavVinci Resolve, and others
• Experience with global production pipelines, collaborating with teams in multiple locations and time zones
• Knowledge of software development and deployment of best practices
• Extensive coding, scripting, and debugging experience in Python
• Experience with other languages, such as C++, a plus
• Experience with source control services and infrastructure (GitHub, GitLab, etc)
• Familiar with web application development frameworks
• Motivates others to assume greater responsibility, frequently and voluntarily
• Promotes teamwork in and across teams
• Encourages open communication and keeps the team informed by transmitting new ideas in presentations or in writing to clearly articulate strategic ideas
• Strive to deliver beyond expectations with the highest level of professionalism, commitment, and ownership
• Explain technical topics clearly and accurately to both technical and non-technical audiences, including production leadership and studio executives

The salary range for this position in Los Angeles is $185,000-215,000.  The salary offered may vary based on the candidate’s location, qualifications, experience and relevant expertise, among other factors.  The range indicated is for base salary only and does not reflect the total compensation package, including bonus, benefits, etc. 

We realize that skills and expertise can come from many different experiences and paths, and we encourage you to apply even if you don’t meet all of the requirements as written in the job description. 

#Animation #LI-hybrid

Skydance is a diversified media company founded by David Ellison in 2010 to create high quality, event-level entertainment for global audiences. The Company brings to life stories of immersive worlds across its feature film, television, interactive, and animation divisions.

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