Technical Assistant

Job Description

Description

Position at Industrial Light & Magic

ILM opened its Sydney studio in the summer of 2019. The youngest of all of the ILM studios, the Sydney studio leverages the expertise and technological know-how developed over 40 years at Industrial Light & Magic combined with the top artists and technicians in the region. Knowledge and culture flow freely between the company’s five studios and the global team shares tools and workflow allowing for seamless collaboration on all shared projects.

As we grow ILM Sydney, we are seeking a Technical Assistant II to join the team and be a part of this exciting opportunity.

The Technical Assistant II (TA2) is primarily responsible for managing internal computer and storage production resources and the management of data flow between ILM and third party partners. You will work very closely with artists, production, and other technical staff to ensure resources are allocated appropriately and used in the most efficient manner possible. You will also be responsible for the managing, tracking and reviewing of all work sent and received by third party partners. Working closely with production, TAs are afforded the opportunity to learn the artistic workflows, pipelines and tools first-hand.

Primary Responsibilities
• Works with the CG Supervisors, Assistant Technical Directors, and Production Engineering Team to ensure shows follow proper data management procedures and smooth flow of data in and out of the studio with external partners.
• Prioritizes overnight renders on both Linux and Windows render farm. Coordinates processor allocations with Production. Balances processor demands within show, between shows, and as a share of facility pool.
• Monitors processor and file server utilization and health of jobs in the farm throughout the day and overnight. Identifies problem shots and works with artists to fix issues.
• Monitors disk usage for the facility, with a particular focus on individual shows, and on a shot-by-shot basis within those shows. Coordinates show storage needs on a long-term basis with Resource manager. Coordinates and executes the finaling process for shots and shows.
• Prioritizes, manages, and maintains archive of show data, including creation of archival backups for shows, maintenance of archive database, storage and retrieval of physical media for recent show archives. Fulfills all data restoration requests, including archival research to locate requested data.
• Manage reference materials through our internal image library system. This includes uploading/removing images and providing assistance when users encounter issues with the system.
• Handle any data management requests such as file transfer, image conversion, archive/restore, and data removal.
• Responsible for maintaining and updating department software as a team. Works closely with our Production Engineering team to ensure that code is clean and well maintained.
• Understand how assets integrate and are used when returned or sent to a vendor.
• To work with supervisors to help define or document technical turnover details and gross aesthetic requirements for shot requirements sent to/from vendors.
• Working with department supervisors and representative to develop scripts or tools to facilitate workflow
• To ensure images or assets are maintained within ILM’s current security standards and notify management of any security breaches or misuse of company or client assets.
• Checking of file formats, debugging and monitoring of ILM/vendor file transfers, packaging and unpacking of incoming and outgoing assets to external vendors or clients.

Education / Experience
• Diploma or Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science or equivalent.

Required Skills / Competencies
• Proven ability and experience working well on teams
• Excellent interpersonal, and communication skills (both oral and written)
• Excellent computer skills with good knowledge in Unix/Linux environment
• Strong programming and scripting experience; Python
• Strong analytical and organizational skills
• Ability to manage sensitive and confidential situations effectively and professionally
• Ability to multi-task and strong self directed work ethic
• Ability to communicate with all levels of employees and understand cultural differences
• Proven ability to think critically and anticipate potential situations
• Proven ability to interact effectively within department, across and outside the organization
• Proven ability to work efficiently, effectively as part of a team, and independently where assigned.

Jobcode: Reference SBJ-ro1566-3-145-94-130-42 in your application.