Production Services Technician

Sony Imageworks; Vancouver; On-site; CAD 30,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading visual effects studio in Vancouver is seeking a Production Services Technician (PST) to manage production data and optimize workflows. The role involves technical support, data management, and ensuring operational efficiency during production. Ideal candidates have strong Linux or UNIX skills and programming experience in Bash and Python. Join a dynamic team that offers opportunities for career advancement and inclusive workplace benefits.

Benefits

Healthcare

Tuition reimbursement

RRSPs

Sick and vacation leave

Qualifications

• Strong experience with Linux or UNIX operating systems.
• High proficiency in coordinated software programming and troubleshooting.
• Ability to triage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

• Leverage software engineering to optimize tools and pipelines for production.
• Oversee production-related data and ensure compliance with facility standards.
• Serve as a liaison between production and digital artists.

Skills

Linux or UNIX operating systems

Bash programming

Python programming

GIT

Customer service

Problem-solving

Job description

Overview

Production Services Technician (PST) – Sony Pictures Imageworks Canada Inc.

1285 W Pender St, Vancouver, BC V6E 4B1

Language in work environment: English

Benefits per company policy: healthcare, tuition reimbursement, RRSPs, sick and vacation leave, standard increases as applicable.

The Production Services Technician (PST) role is a vital cornerstone of the facility, responsible for securing, manipulating, and managing production data throughout all stages of the production life cycle. PSTs collaborate with multiple departments to refine workflows, establish procedure guidelines, and ensure operational efficiency. Their work is critical to the success of every show, directly impacting all departments. PSTs are essential to maintaining the integrity and efficiency of the pipeline.

With deep expertise in the facility's departments, pipeline, and workflows, PSTs gain exposure across production, positioning them as strong candidates for career advancement within the company. Many former PSTs have advanced into roles in production management, technical direction, software development, systems engineering, and artist roles. For more information about the PST program, please watch our recruiting video.

Key Responsibilities

• Pipeline optimization and tool development: Leverage software engineering to optimize tools and pipelines for render farm management, media manipulation, reviews, client/vendor ingest, and deliveries. Automate processes to ensure seamless workflows and maintain production efficiency, including during high-pressure crunch times.
• Data management: Oversee all production-related data, ensuring integrity, accessibility, and compliance with facility standards, including backups, retrievals, show media final archiving, and both online and offline storage.
• Render and process monitoring: Monitor and prioritize rendering queues, troubleshoot issues, optimize render farm resources, and escalate concerns to artists, production, systems, or software teams to maintain smooth operations.
• Media handling: Develop automation to optimize efficiency and reduce bottlenecks while preparing media for artist use, third-party vendor I/O, daily and critical production reviews, and client review and delivery. Adhere to internal and show-specific standards for data locations, file types, naming conventions, resolutions/colorspace, audio/video codecs, and security allowances.
• Ingest/deliveries: Ingest and deliver high-priority media from vendors and clients, ensuring conformity to facility standards and secure transfers between locations, while automating processes to enhance efficiency.
• Technical support and communication: Serve as a liaison between production, digital artists, and support teams, providing technical expertise and effectively communicating with both technical and non-technical team members.
• Issue management: Submit detailed information through support channels, clearly communicating issues and potential solutions to Color Scientists, Resources, Production, Systems, and Software teams; monitor critical servers and networks to minimize disruptions and enable swift resolution.
• Documentation and testing: Test and document workflows, tools, and processes across I/O pipelines, command-line utilities, queuing plugins, directory/file structure management, proprietary software, and script-driven automation to ensure smooth production operations.
• Coverage support: Provide support across all phases of a project, including flexible shifts (early mornings, late afternoons, evenings, weekends) during critical production phases to maintain continuity.

Qualifications

• Strong experience with Linux or UNIX operating systems.
• High proficiency in coordinated software programming and troubleshooting (Bash, Python, GIT).
• Previous leadership or managerial experience (preferred).
• Customer service experience with the ability to effectively manage client interactions and resolve issues.
• Ability to triage multiple priorities in a fast-paced, high-pressure production environment.
• Detail-oriented with a proactive approach to problem-solving.
• Familiarity with graphics applications, production tools, network infrastructure, or file management systems is a plus.

Notes: At many studios, roles like pipeline engineer, render wrangler, data wrangler, and I/O technician are separate positions. At Imageworks, these functions are handled by the Production Services Technicians (PSTs), providing broad exposure and high visibility across the production pipeline.

Compensation and Benefits

The anticipated base salary for this position is $24.04 to $33.05 per hour. Benefits are per company policy: healthcare, tuition reimbursement, RRSPs, sick and vacation leave, standard increases as applicable. The actual base salary offered will depend on factors such as qualifications, years of experience, education, certifications, and location.

Equal Opportunity

Sony Pictures Entertainment is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, colour, religion, sex, national origin, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, or other protected characteristics.

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