Technical Support Specialist - Virtual Art Department

Position Summary

We are looking for a Technical Support Specialist to join our Virtual Art Dept team, who reflects the innovative spirit, collaborative mindset and passion for great filmmaking that defines ILM.

This role will provide direct day to day onsite and remote technical support for our Virtual Art Department teams and technology, including software applications, workstations, peripherals, and other associated IT and VR hardware. This role will also provide proactive maintenance and handle break/fix as well as any other technical and time-critical issues that arise.

Partnering closely with the ILM Client Services team, you will contribute to ensuring the Virtual Art Department teams are operating efficiently with as little downtime as possible. You will demonstrate the ability to work closely with IT and engineering teams globally , including coordinating and making repairs with both external vendors and internal teams, as well as providing recommendations to improve uptime and artist efficiency.

This role may from time to time require you to work and travel to other ILM offices and sites and may involve out of hours support cover at short notice in order to support client-driven operational needs.

What You’ll Do

• Monitor the health of the infrastructure, and engage teams and vendors as needed to ensure problems are resolved quickly
• Develop operational best practices with other teams, such as proactive systems maintenance and scheduled downtime
• Build, deploy and maintain computer systems and associated client VR equipment
• Communicate effectively with both IT and client teams to ensure technology is operating efficiently
• Act as point of contact for all aspects of technical VAD client setups at the studio, providing onsite support as needed to various ILM IT team members
• Maintain accurate inventory of all hardware components including peripherals, VR headsets, tablets, monitors, laptops and workstations
• Attend to break/fix requests and demonstrate ownership of the problem until resolved
• Perform occasional site visits to other ILM locations or clients as needed to assist in deployment, pullback or maintenance of customized technology solutions
• Contribute to the testing and validation of newly deployed or released hardware and software solutions in collaboration with other IT and engineering teams

What We’re Looking For

• Experience with VR applications like Unreal Engine and VR hardware is a plus
• 2-4 years of desktop support experience in a fast-paced, high pressure, Film and TV production environment is required
• Proven track record working in film production / post production facilities, including examples of solving problems on the fly
• Strong organizational skills and ability to self-prioritize tasks based on production needs
• Scripting experience is required (PowerShell)
• Ability to manage time effectively, and triage and prioritize based on production needs
• Solid knowledge of complex pipelines and distributed computer platforms
• Good level of knowledge of networking principles and equipment including switches, routers, cabling, VLANs etc
• Good grasp of rendering, game engine technology, and real time rendering concepts
• Technical Skills
• Detailed, methodical approach to troubleshooting and resolving issues
• Familiarity with Linux operating systems (CentOS primarily)
• Energetic, self-starter with ability to follow a task through to completion
• Required Skills / Competencies
• Demonstrated ability to perform typical network troubleshooting and debug performance issues
• Strong Windows OS administration skills
• Able to lift 50lbs on a regular basis
• Rapid response to technical challenges - must be able to “think and act quickly” to resolve new technology needs for production
• Awareness of own capabilities and knowing when to escalate for assistance, information or approvals
• Experience with VFX tools such as Maya, Photoshop, ZBrush, Substance Designer/Painter
• Ability to be flexible and adjust schedules based on production timelines
• Exceptional level of communication - listening, understanding and ability to demonstrate to the ILM teams that you can solve their problem
• Remote management and assistance with high-profile clients
• Friendly, approachable and a “can do” attitude working with VIP clients
• Proactive approach to supporting technology; ability to anticipate and prevent problems and not just fix them
• Experience supporting macOS is a plus
• After hours support duties are required

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