Senior Director of Technology

Description

About Us

DHX Media’s animation studios are recognized worldwide for our diverse original properties and for our work on some of the top brands in children’s entertainment. Our staff can dig into a wide variety of projects, from action to comedy and preschool to tween, and they get to enjoy awesome benefits and company events while they’re at it. With some of Canada’s top artists, writers and producers on our team of 800+, our studios are bursting with creative energy. So what are you waiting for? Come join us!

About the Position

The senior director of technology is responsible for the IT and technology (software and pipeline) strategies and teams for DHX Media’s content division. 

As the senior director of technology, you will bring solid leadership and technical credentials to DHX, along with a results-driven and collaborative approach.

In this role, you will lead the overall direction of the technology teams, which include systems administration, network/storage operations, database administration, software development and pipeline development and maintenance. You will be responsible for leading the strategy for designing, implementing and maintaining the Linux and Windows production environments for the animation studios at DHX. You will ensure that the technology infrastructure effectively and efficiently supports DHX’s creative/production business operations and strategic direction.

Responsibilities

• Oversee deployment and management of mission critical systems
• Plan scalability/capacity architecture to support business growth every year
• Assess and approve design recommendations for software and hardware projects in collaboration with the SVP
• Steer the technology towards inter-studio collaboration with a greater sharing of resources      

Infrastructure Management

• Provide overall direction, plan and budget management for hardware/software infrastructure needs between production, pipeline, IT and software departments
• Follow through to ensure that all infrastructure services are meeting or exceeding business requirements
• Lead the infrastructure design of the new studio building in Vancouver and the transition from two studios to one, meeting the varous production infrastructure needs
• Matrix across the studio, working with other departments to define hardware/software needs with consideration to issues such as budget, deployment schedules and resource availability
• Establish and maintain relationships with vendors and approve sourcing decisions, expenditure and planning to ensure production stability

Business Strategy and Management

• Lead the technology strategic planning process
• Collaborate in defining team goals based on production requirements
• Lead the integration of technology across the division, identifying where common platforms and solutions can be leveraged
• Assess current tools/pipelines/software to identify current state, and recommend alternatives where appropriate along with budgetary requirements
• Stay abreast of new technologies, including open source, to understand possible implementations in the studios
• Provide cost effective solutions with well-articulated risks to allow for the best understanding of how to meet business needs.

Customer Relationship Management

• Establish and maintain relationships with supported business units and their development and production teams
• Oversee regular needs assessment of the division’s infrastructure to ensure support, services, and solutions are effectively meeting the needs of production
• Act as the escalation point for operational issues

Qualifications

• Minimum 10 years progressive technology experience including at least 7 years of experience leading teams in an operations environment
• 10+ years of experience of managing systems design/architecture with both Windows and Linux server support
• Experience of working with pipeline technology in the animation industry—specifically, experience working with Maya, Shotgun, Flash, Toonboom and Renderman would be an advantage
• Ability to manage large infrastructure projects—a history of progressively complex project management experience is a plus
• Direct experience with managing multi-site production environments.
• Strong leadership and team building and development skills are essential
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills including both oral and written proficiency.
• Must be able to present effectively to and facilitate meetings with a wide variety of audiences including senior management, business units, development teams and technology partners
• Strong technical aptitude for operating systems, databases, networks, etc., including vendor hardware
• Experience in large server environments (1000+ employees)

Please APPLY at: https://hire.jobvite.com/j?aj=ouzy1fwm&s=Creative_Cow

THANK YOU to all those who express interest in being a part of the DHX Media team. Unfortunately, due to the volume of applications we receive, we may be unable to reply to all applicants. If we feel that you may be a good match for one of our current openings, you will be contacted.