Job Details

Technical Assistant I – Industrial Light & Magic

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The Technical Assistant I (TA) provides front line rendering and data management support for ILM VFX Production teams and the facility. TAs manage storage by wrangling data through archiving, removing data and following resource management best practices. The TA team ensures full utilization of the render farm during their shift and communicates any technical issues affecting throughput.

This role is considered Hybrid: employee works 2-3 days onsite at the San Francisco, Presidio office and occasionally from home.

What You'll Do

• Prioritize overnight renders; coordinate processor allocations with Core Pipeline & Show Production teams; balance processor demands within show, between shows, and as a share of facility pool.
• Report issues with frames post render to digital artists and CG Supervisors and work to find a solution.
• Ensure full resource utilization during the night; manipulate priorities to ensure renders are completed by next business day; report machine problems or general issues that hinder completion to appropriate department.
• Monitor disk usage for the facility, focusing on individual shows and shot‑by‑shot basis; coordinate show storage needs long‑term with Digital Resource Manager.
• Work with Digital Resource Manager, CG Supervisors and Core Pipeline team to ensure show follows proper data management procedures.
• Prioritize, manage, maintain archives of show data, including creation of archival backups, maintenance of archive databases, storage and retrieval of physical media; fulfill all data restoration requests, including archival research.
• Maintain and update department tools; work closely with Core Pipeline to ensure code is clean and well maintained.
• Participate in development projects; write production and pipeline scripts as required to assist ongoing technology efforts.

What We're Looking For

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Film Production or equivalent.
• 1+ years relevant work experience.
• Proven knowledge of and experience with Linux, Mac and Windows operating systems.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to effectively interact with diverse personalities.
• Strong time‑management skills; ability to multi‑task and prioritize.
• Aesthetic eye and/or artistic background highly desired.
• Familiarity with film and video post‑production and/or computer graphics techniques highly desired.
• Proven ability to work autonomously and in team settings.
• Self‑motivated.
• Strong problem‑solving skills.
• Ability to adapt to a high‑pressure, fast‑paced, dynamic environment.
• Ability to work shift hours as required, including evenings and weekends.
• Nice to have: strong scripting language (Python, Shell) is highly desired.
• Knowledge of, and experience with, 3D animation software (Maya, Katana) highly desired.
• Database knowledge preferred (Oracle, Redis, MongoDB, Cassandra).
• Knowledge of networking, tape backup systems, hardware a plus.
• VFX, Feature Animation or Episodic production experience a plus.

Compensation

Hiring range for this position in San Francisco, CA is $48,700 to $62,200 per year. Base pay takes into account internal equity and varies by geographic region, job knowledge, skills, and experience. A bonus and/or long‑term incentive units may be provided, along with the full range of medical, financial, and other benefits.

Seniority Level

Mid‑Senior level

Employment Type

Full‑time

Job Function

Other (Entertainment Providers)