Pipeline Technical Director, AYON & Data I/O

Promise Studios; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health & Wellness

Time Off

401(k) matching

Hybrid work environment

Job summary

Promise Studios in Los Angeles is seeking a Pipeline Technical Director to manage the studio's production tracking and asset management backbone. You will own data I/O for productions, ingest, transcode, QC, packaging, and delivery to spec, ensuring every asset lands as a clean, versioned, addressable record.

You will collaborate with the pipeline lead and lead technologist, bridging implementation with production needs, and the role offers a path to senior/lead responsibilities as the studio

Qualifications

• Hands-on experience administering AYON or OpenPype: project setup, anatomy, permissions, and publishing.
• Experience in pipeline TD, data I/O, or production engineering roles at a VFX, animation, or post studio, or on productions where data I/O was yours to run.
• Delivery-spec literacy: codecs, color pipelines, naming, and the discipline of getting it right every time.
• Python for pipeline scripting and comfort with REST APIs.
• A working understanding of how shots, bids, and task assignments move through a production.
• Comfort configuring a pipeline to a studio's own standard, with the understanding that every studio pipeline is its own.
• Los Angeles preferred, with on-site availability.

Responsibilities

• Administer the production backbone across shows: project setup, anatomy and naming conventions, users and permissions, and status workflows.
• Own data I/O for every show: ingest, transcode, QC, packaging, and delivery to client spec, on the dates productions depend on.
• Run and refine the publish workflow artists use to get approved work into the system.
• Keep the production database clean and reconciled: versions, links, and metadata that hold up at delivery.
• Set up new shows in the pipeline, from folder structure and task assignment through handoff to coordinators and artists.
• Support the pipeline lead and the lead technologist on integrations with the DCC and review tools artists use daily.
• Document how the pipeline works so it outlives any one person's memory.

Skills

Python scripting

REST APIs

Pipeline TD experience

Data I/O expertise

Production engineering

Tools

AYON

OpenPype

ftrack

ShotGrid

OpenRV

Nuke

Maya

Resolve

Job description

About Promise

Promise is a pioneering film and TV studio at the forefront of the generative AI revolution. Our mission is to reimagine what's possible in entertainment by bringing together the world's most visionary storytellers and GenAI creators, empowered by cutting-edge tools and proprietary workflows. Through bold collaborations and a forward-thinking approach to sourcing IP, we are building a dynamic slate of original and licensed projects that push creative boundaries. Backed by premier VC firms, Promise is shaping a new era in GenAI-powered storytelling, where creativity knows no limits.

Role Overview

Promise's productions run on a pipeline where generative AI and traditional VFX workflows meet. Every show depends on material moving into it, through it, and out to delivery cleanly, and on a production backbone configured the same way every time.

As Pipeline Technical Director, you administer the studio's production tracking and asset management backbone day to day (projects, users, permissions, statuses, and publish workflows) and you own data I/O for productions: ingest, transcode, QC, packaging, and delivery to spec, with every asset landing as a clean, versioned, addressable record. When a show arrives with a drive of material, you already know where it goes and how it gets there.

You work alongside the pipeline lead and the lead technologist, and you are the link between implementation and what productions need. The role grows with the studio, with a path to senior and lead responsibility.

Key Responsibilities

• Administer the production backbone across shows: project setup, anatomy and naming conventions, users and permissions, and status workflows.

• Own data I/O for every show: ingest, transcode, QC, packaging, and delivery to client spec, on the dates productions depend on.

• Run and refine the publish workflow artists use to get approved work into the system.

• Keep the production database clean and reconciled: versions, links, and metadata that hold up at delivery.

• Set up new shows in the pipeline, from folder structure and task assignment through handoff to coordinators and artists.

• Support the pipeline lead and the lead technologist on integrations with the DCC and review tools artists use daily.

• Document how the pipeline works so it outlives any one person's memory.

Qualifications

• Hands-on experience administering AYON or OpenPype: project setup, anatomy, permissions, and publishing.

• Experience in pipeline TD, data I/O, or production engineering roles at a VFX, animation, or post studio, or on productions where data I/O was yours to run.

• Delivery-spec literacy: codecs, color pipelines, naming, and the discipline of getting it right every time.

• Python for pipeline scripting and comfort with REST APIs.

• A working understanding of how shots, bids, and task assignments move through a production.

• Comfort configuring a pipeline to a studio's own standard, with the understanding that every studio pipeline is its own.

• Los Angeles preferred, with on-site availability.

Preferred

• ftrack or ShotGrid administration alongside AYON.

• Experience with review tools and DCC integrations (OpenRV, Nuke, Maya, Resolve).

• On-set or virtual production experience where data I/O was live.

• USD familiarity.

• Exposure to generative AI production workflows.

Compensation

We offer a highly competitive compensation package commensurate with experience, including equity.

Benefits

We believe in supporting our team’s well-being and growth. Our comprehensive benefits package includes:

• Health & Wellness: Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance coverage, with employee premiums covered 100%.

• Time Off: Generous paid time off (PTO) policy, including company holidays and sick leave.

• Financial Security: 401(k) matching program to help you plan for your future.

• Work Environment: A dynamic, creative, and inclusive hybrid work environment based out of our innovative studio.

Promise is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.