Taxonomist, Editorial Creative

Job Description

At Netflix, we strive to be the most engaging entertainment platform and storyteller marketer in the world. A big part of that engagement is the interaction our members have with our content and how they discover a new story they'll love. Behind that discovery is a wealth of creative material -- images, trailers, featurettes, 3D models, synopses, factoids, tags, and genre categorizations, to name just a few -- that leads the industry in its scale and utilization. We are evolving and creating internal products to improve the efficiency of creative assets conceptualization, development, production, and deployment for on and off-service title discovery. In this role, you will be supporting the strategy, construction, adoption/migration, maintenance and governance of taxonomies that underpin these efforts.

We are seeking an intermediate-level Taxonomist who has experience with and passion for bringing structure to large-scale, disparate databases of creative assets that include audio-visual, static image, and production assets. Your experience includes implementing best practices and driving adoption of taxonomies or supporting other Taxonomy Team members in these efforts. The taxonomies this person works on will involve asset metadata that can be both technical and creative in nature. You should have experience setting up users for success in applying both objective and subjective points of metadata. You will be involved with the scoping, creating, and maintaining of data dictionaries, controlled vocabularies, schema governance, and data integrity/enforcement.

We are looking for someone who has experience in taxonomy projects related to asset management. The ideal candidate will be confident in making informed decisions after receiving input and asking for critical feedback from Taxonomy Team members and cross-functional partners. They possess the communication skills to successfully advocate for and gain acceptance of new taxonomy-related processes and governance policies. They must be concise, definitive, and convincing in their well-founded recommendations. The Taxonomist role is an opportunity to hone your existing taxonomy experience and develop new skills by working in evolving metadata landscapes.

As a Taxonomist, you will work closely with our Studio, Product and Marketing teams to define, develop, maintain and govern common taxonomies that will allow Netflix to maximize the efficiency of its creative assets. You will also partner with Operations and Engineering to introduce user-focused, scalable solutions for applying metadata to creative assets.

You are comfortable working in an environment where giving and receiving feedback is the norm and successful teammates do not shy away from difficult conversations.

Reporting to the Editorial Creative Curation & Taxonomy Manager, this is an exempt role, located in our Los Angeles or Los Gatos office.

Responsibilities
• Defining new and developing current taxonomies and metadata on small to mid-scale projects and supporting Taxonomy Team members on large-scale projects, related to both the technical and creative attributes for AV, still image and other assets.
• Surveying and interviewing stakeholders and observing current workflows.
• Reconciling disparate taxonomies and metadata across teams.
• Creating, maintaining and/or leading a governance framework for taxonomies.
• Creating and maintaining documentation to support taxonomies.
• Auditing existing taxonomies and improving their efficiency.
• Ensuring metadata is defined such that its integrity will not be compromised by cultural bias.
• Working with subject matter experts to define workflows and standards for metadata application.
• Working with engineering partners to identify solution requirements, including intuitive UI for metadata application.
• Evangelizing the importance of the adoption of common taxonomies.
• Reviewing other taxonomies and collaborating with Taxonomy Team colleagues.
• Working with team experts to develop training materials and sessions.

Requirements
• Experience maintaining and governing taxonomy and metadata schemas.
• Experience working with asset management systems like DAMS or MAMS for creative and production assets.
• Experience working in a high-volume content environment.
• Experience working with systems shared across internal teams and vendors.
• Excellent communication skills: written, verbal and presentation.
• Experience working with a governance committee to maintain taxonomies.
• Able to work with and manage multiple stakeholders expectations and priorities.
• Ability to set goals and work independently in a highly cross-functional, non-hierarchical workplace.
• Ability to influence across various function groups.
• Experience working in a global context.
• Familiarity with software development cycles and practices.

Nice to Have
• BS in related fields: Data Management, Computer Science, Library & Information Science.
• Experience defining and developing taxonomy and metadata schemas.
• Experience working in the entertainment industry.
• Interest in Machine Learning and/or Artificial Intelligence capabilities.
• Interest in Information Architecture, User Experience and/or Human Computer Interaction.
• Experience with Rights Management.
• Experience with Multilingual Taxonomies.
• Familiarity with Ontologies.

Jobcode: Reference SBJ-r0b1wm-3-135-217-228-42 in your application.