Director, Research and Development at Skydance Media - Los Angeles, CA | Job Transparency - Job Transparency | Find Your Dream Job with Full Salary Transparency

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 Director, Research and Development at Skydance Animation is a member of the Technology organization and the department lead for Animation Technology R&D. The Director will oversee and supervise all R&D teams, including rendering, character, color, real-time, and others. The Director will drive research surrounding industry innovations and create a vision for future technology exploration within the studio. They will oversee the development of proof-of-concept solutions and deliverables targeted for production adoption with long term supportability.

Responsibilities

Drive research into new areas of technical innovation
Manage a team of R&D Supervisors, each managing their specific team, to set a vision, define a roadmap, and deliver solutions that align with broader studio goals
Drive an aggressive multi-year agenda of delivering next-generations tools and technologies for the studio
Partner with Production Technology and Information Technology departments to define the overall environment, its capabilities, and long term vision
Explore the industry landscape and identify opportunities to enhance internal processes, workflows, tools, and systems with external solutions, libraries, or tools
Identity gaps in industry innovation where internal research and development could deliver unique tools or solutions
Stay informed of and drive conversations around the future landscape of Visual Effects and Animation technologies both from other studios and academia
Build and maintain strong industry relationships to stay on the forefront of knowledge and innovation
Partner with other Skydance divisions (interactive, new media, sports, live action) to identify opportunities for joint R&D or knowledge sharing
Supervise and mentor direct reports, including managers and individual contributors, in their roles and along their career paths
Create and deliver presentations on research initiatives, development projects, roadmaps, and other topics as needed

Requirements

10+ years of R&D experience within the Visual Effects and/or Animation industry (15+ years without degree)
3+ years in a management position with multiple direct reports; strong leadership with the ability to effectively delegate and mentor individuals
Field-related undergraduate degree desired and advanced degree preferred
Previous experience developing software solutions in a studio setting; ability to define and execute new processes and workflows in an ever-changing environment
Expert-level knowledge in at least one of the following areas, multiple preferred: rendering, color science or image processing, animation/rigging systems, asset management, effects systems or solvers, cloth/hair/fur/feather solvers, or drawing tools
Go-to-market or production delivery of a significant application, toolset, or pipeline
Previous experience with C++ and Python languages
Experience with Linux OS
Experience with Adobe tools, Autodesk Maya, SideFX Houdini, The Foundry Nuke, and Pixar Renderman
Experience with real-time technologies such as Epic Games Unreal Engine and Unity a plus
Experience working in an agile environment, such as Scrum, Kanban, or SAFe
Comprehensive understanding of IT systems and Project Management best practices; demonstrated application of building infrastructure in on-premise and cloud environments
Experience with containerization/Kubernetes technologies and surrounding ecosystems in production environments a plus
Excellent communication skills; demonstrated ability to explain technical issues clearly and accurately to both technical and non-technical audiences

The salary range for this position in Los Angeles is $200,000-240,000. 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.

Skydance is proud to be an equal opportunity employer committed to building and fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workforce. We welcome and consider applicants for employment regardless of race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, citizenship, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, pregnancy status, military/veteran status, disability, or any other protected category. Diversity in the workplace is not just a commitment, it is who we are and a reflection of what makes our world special.

Recruitment Fraud Alert

It has come to our attention that there may be fraudulent activity by individuals impersonating our Talent Acquisition team. Skydance will only contact you from an official “@skydance.com” email address. If you suspect that you are being contacted by an unauthorized person or believe that the correspondence you have received is suspicious, please do not click on any links or attachments in such emails and submit any questions or concerns to our information security team at [email protected].

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