Sr. Pipeline Engineer

Job Description

Your New Role...

Warner Bros. Animation is looking for a well-experienced individual to join the studio as a Senior Studio Pipeline Engineer. The position will work with WBA across multiple projects and divisions to improve their workflows through technology and help unify the pipeline anywhere efficiencies can be had. This position will focus on editorial but will touch on all parts of the pipeline from design to shipping, editorial to reporting. You'll work with existing tools as well as develop new software working with artists and management alike.

About Warner Bros. Animation

Warner Bros. Animation (WBA) is one of the leading producers of animation in the entertainment industry, producing and developing projects both domestically and internationally. As home to the iconic animated characters from the DC, Hanna-Barbera, MGM and Looney Tunes libraries, WBA produces highly successful series, shorts, specials, and animated films - including the DC Universe Movies - for release on multiple platforms including HBO Max, Netflix, and Hulu. One of the most-honored animation studios in history, WBA has won six Academy Awards®, 40 Emmy® Awards, the George Foster Peabody Award, a BAFTA Children's Award, an Environmental Media Award, a Parents' Choice Award, the HUMANITAS Prize, two Prism Awards and 21 Annie Awards (honoring excellence in animation).

Your Role Accountabilities...
• Design, develop and deploy custom software tools across multiple pipelines.
• Work with artists and managers in all departments identifying needs for new software tools, and troubleshooting workflow problems.
• Extend and integrate the use of Autodesk ShotGrid (Shotgun) and other systems to meet production needs across all departments, with specific focus on integrating the editorial pipeline (Avid and Premiere Pro).
• Develop post/editorial tools to facilitate collaborating with vendor studios and sharing edit/cut data to keep production in sync.
• Work across studios, and with the Pipeline Supervisor identify and drive high priority projects and tool rollouts.
• Develop and maintain tools and workflows to facilitate shipping and ingest processes, as well as both internal and external (remote) review workflows.
• Collaborate with other engineers, artists, and leadership to ensure consistency and scalability of tools and APIs across the pipeline.
• Provide front-line support for a variety of technical pipeline tools, troubleshoot bugs, and provide documentation for new workflows.
• Conduct ongoing research and recommend improvements that will elevate productivity and/or communication.
• Support best practices in the development lifecycle including documentation, code reviews, testing, and CI/CD.

Qualifications & Experience...

Work Experience

Education, Professional Training, Technical Training or Certification

College preferred

Knowledge/Skills
• 5+ years of experience as a pipeline engineer or TD in the animation, VFX, or similar industry.
• Strong team development experience in Python, PySide/PyQt, including delivery of standalone tools, as well as shared libraries. Javascript and associated web development experience a plus.
• Proven extensive experience with Autodesk ShotGrid (Shotgun), its API, and SG Toolkit.
• Experience with NLEs and building tools specific to the edit/post workflow (specific Premiere experience a plus).
• Experience working with/integrating with artist DCCs like Photoshop, Harmony, AfterEffects, Maya, Nuke, SB Pro, etc.
• Thorough knowledge of animation production workflows and pipelines.
• Understanding of common production formats, tools, and processes: image file formats, color management / OCIO, editorial EDL, AAF, XML and OTIO, etc.
• Supreme problem-solving skills and desire to help people.
• CI/CD experience preferred.
• Experience with Python web frameworks (Flask/Django) a plus.

Preferred…
• Communicate well and listen to stakeholders about their needs.
• Don't work in a black box, preferring to gather continual feedback while working your magic.
• Write clean, readable code and document it.
• Excel at finding ways to reduce manual steps and help improve efficiency.
• Have strong problem-solving skills and are able to troubleshoot and resolve challenges independently but also work well in a collaborative environment.
• Is able to seamlessly balance immediate needs with ongoing projects.

How We Get Things Done…

This last bit is probably the most important! Here at WBD, our guiding principles are the core values by which we operate and are central to how we get things done. You can find them at www.wbd.com/guiding-principles/ along with some insights from the team on what they mean and how they show up in their day to day. We hope they resonate with you and look forward to discussing them during your interview.

The Legal Bits…
In compliance with local law, we are disclosing the compensation, or a range thereof, for roles in locations where legally required. $94,506.00 - $175,511.00 salary per year. Other rewards may include annual bonuses, short- and long-term incentives, and program-specific awards. In addition, Warner Bros. Discovery provides a variety of benefits to employees, including health insurance coverage, an employee wellness program, life and disability insurance, a retirement savings plan, paid holidays and paid time off (PTO).

Warner Bros. Discovery embraces the opportunity to build a workforce that reflects the diversity of our society and the world around us. Being an equal opportunity employer means that we take seriously our responsibility to consider qualified candidates on the basis of merit, without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, mental or physical disability, and genetic information, marital status, citizenship status, military status, protected veteran status or any other category protected by law.

If you're a qualified candidate with a disability and you need a reasonable accommodation in order to apply for this position, please contact us at recruitadmin@wbd.com.

Jobcode: Reference SBJ-gxxkk1-13-58-39-23-42 in your application.