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 Senior DevOps Engineer is a senior member of the Information Technology organization, responsible for applying modern DevOps practices to a large, existing production environment.
This role is not greenfield. You will work within a mature, heterogeneous infrastructure, on-premises and cloud, progressively introducing automation, standardization, and reliability improvements without disrupting active production.
You will partner closely with Pipeline, Production Technology, Security, and Engineering teams to influence how infrastructure is designed, delivered, and operated, acting as a technical driver for DevOps principles across the studio.
Responsibilities
Apply DevOps principles to an existing, production-critical IT environment, balancing modernization with stabilityDesign, implement, and operate a global Linux ecosystem supporting workstations, servers, and animation production pipelinesPartner with Pipeline, Production, and Technology teams to introduce infrastructure-as-code, automation standards, and repeatable deployment patternsIdentify high-value manual, error-prone, or inconsistent operational processes and replace them with automated solutions using Terraform, Ansible, and PythonArchitect, provision, and maintain infrastructure across AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, and OCI, including compute, storage, networking, and virtualizationOwn end-to-end technical designs for infrastructure projects, including prioritization, implementation, documentation, and operational handoffMaintain a deep understanding of studio workflows and collaborate with Production Technology to evolve systems alongside production needsDesign, build, and maintain CI/CD pipelines; guide development teams toward reliable build, test, and deployment practicesDefine and promote best-in-class CI/CD, source control, and branching strategies in collaboration with Engineering and Security teamsDesign, operate, and maintain render farm infrastructure, with a focus on configuration management and performance monitoringPresent technical options to leadership, including architectural trade-offs, cost analysis, and risk considerationsAct as a technical advocate for automation, observability, and reliability across IT and production-facing teamsParticipate in a 24×7 production on-call rotation, focusing on root-cause analysis and long-term remediationMentor junior engineers and help raise the overall operational maturity of the IT organization
Requirements
8+ years of experience as a DevOps Engineer, Site Reliability Engineer, or equivalent role supporting production systemsStrong hands-on experience with infrastructure automation and configuration management (Terraform, Ansible, Puppet, or similar)Proficiency in scripting and programming for systems integration and automation (Python required; Bash, Go, or similar preferred)End-to-end experience designing and operating CI/CD pipelines in production environmentsDemonstrated experience architecting and operating infrastructure in one or more major cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP, and/or OCI)Solid Linux systems administration experience, including application deployment, service troubleshooting, and containerized workloadsExperience operating and supporting source control platforms (e.g., GitHub), including branching and release workflowsHands-on experience with containerization and Kubernetes-based platforms in production environmentsStrong communication skills with the ability to clearly explain technical concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholdersProven problem-solving ability and a pragmatic approach to operational reliability
Nice to Have
Experience with identity and access management systems, including MFA providers (Okta, Duo) and authentication protocols (LDAP, Active Directory, SAML, OAuth), a plusWorking knowledge of NFS and SMB file protocols across Linux, macOS, and Windows environments, including performance and reliability considerations, a plusExperience operating file transfer and content distribution systems (e.g., Box, Dropbox, OneDrive, Signiant, Aspera, FTP, Filerunner), a plusPrior experience in animation, visual effects, or media and entertainment environments, a plus
How You’ll Be Successful
Reduce manual, ad-hoc infrastructure changes by replacing them with reproducible, automated workflowsIncrease consistency and reliability across environments without disrupting active productionImprove system observability, debuggability, and operational confidence through better tooling and standardsDeliver incremental modernization that leaves systems more maintainable than you found themBuild trust with engineers, pipeline, and production teams by shipping practical improvements that solve real problemsRaise the overall DevOps maturity of the IT organization through example, documentation, and mentorship
The compensation for this exempt position in Los Angeles, CA is $145,000-175,000 annually. The rate 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.
#animation
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.
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