Avid and Production Support Engineer

USC’s School of Cinematic Arts is seeking a Computer Services Consultant II to join its Technical Support team in Creative Technology.  The School of Cinematic Arts is the premiere school for the study of cinematic arts and provides instruction in production, post production, animation, interactivity and gaming, writing, producing and cinema studies.  The facilities include state-of-the-art editing labs, animation labs, visual effects labs, interactive studios, scoring and mixing stages, film stages, and theatres, including a 55-seat IMAX theatre.

The Computer Services Consultant II will be a member of the Technical Support team responsible for end-user support and equipment maintenance of all audio-visual systems, computers and software used in the school’s instructional spaces.

The ideal candidate will have hands-on experience supporting end-users and advanced technology in the entertainment industry (production, post-production, visual effects, animation, gaming, interactive media and/or audio-visual spaces.)  The candidate should possess excellent technical troubleshooting and customer service skills and be adept at supporting A/V equipment.  The role also requires a strong working knowledge of media production software and both Mac and Windows computer support.  Programming, scripting or database skills are a plus.

There are 2 positions available: a day shift and evening shift.  Candidate must be flexible and available to work morning, mid-day or evening shift as needed.  Day shifts are typically 9:30AM to 6:00PM with one hour lunch.  Evening shifts are typically 12:00PM to 8:30PM with a one hour lunch.

Responsibilities:

• Provide Tier 1 and Tier 2 technical support for all audio-visual equipment, computers and software used in classrooms, labs, theatres and specialized spaces.

• Assist with deployment, maintenance, upgrades and inventory of all audio-visual equipment, computers and peripherals.

• Support on-site events and meetings.

• Maintain user accounts, permissions and quotas.

• May assist with training and supervising of student workers.

• Create procedures and documentation and provide technical training/presentation for students, faculty and staff.

Minimum Qualifications:

Industry experience in two or more of the following areas:

• Post-production and editing.  Experience with Avid Media Composer, ProTools and Adobe Premiere Pro including software troubleshooting, ingest, exporting, codecs and production workflows.  Hands-on knowledge of creating deliverables including DCPs.  Working knowledge of Avid Workspace management and maintenance on a centralized SAN storage device.  Ability to streamline and automate workflows by batching or scripting.  Experience with color correction and color calibration.

• Audio-Visual support including cinema projectors, A/V racks, conference rooms and AMX/Crestron control systems.  Skilled at troubleshooting, calibrating and optimizing A/V systems.  Experienced with DCPs, KDM management, media ingest, A/V switching and control, A/V signals, racks and cabling.  Knowledgeable with color management and color calibration.  Experience with 2K and 4K projectors including Christie, Barco and IMAX.

• Software programming and scripting.  Experience using command line tools for Mac and Windows.  Ability to create or edit scripts and programs in batch script, shell script, power shell, python, Visual Basic, HTML, MEL, C# or C++.  Working knowledge of software development tools including versioning systems.  Experience creating and automating processes and pipelines in the media or gaming industries.

• Animation and Visual Effects.  Experience with software such as Maya, Cinema4D, Photoshop, After Effects, Nuke, TV Paint and Toonboom.  Experience with render farms and render management, software installations, file management, project optimization, workflows and troubleshooting.  Working knowledge of VR, AR, and stereoscopic 3D.  Ability to create or edit batch, python, MEL or HTML scripts to automate processes.

• Advanced entertainment and gaming technologies.  Experience with VR/AR, motion capture, green-screens, visual effects, game design and/or game development.  Experience installing and troubleshooting cutting-edge technologies in the entertainment and gaming industries.

Preferred Experience:

• Bachelor’s Degree in computers, engineering, science, math, information technology, or entertainment technology fields
• 3+ years’ experience in a technical support role in the entertainment or gaming industry (Mac and Windows, media production software, audio-visual systems)
• Proficiency in two or more of the following areas:
  • Post-production and Editing
  • Audio-visual equipment used in the entertainment industry
  • Software programming and scripting
  • Animation and Visual Effects
  • Advanced entertainment and gaming technologies

The pay rate for this position is $25.64-$32.30 hourly; $50,000-$63,000 annually; 37.50 hour work week.

Minimum Education: Bachelor's degree, Combined experience/education as substitute for minimum education
Minimum Experience: 2 years
Minimum Field of Expertise: Knowledge of computing environments. Experience with networks, workstations, wireless communication, security software and procedures. Working knowledge of associated hardware, software, operating systems, and peripherals.

USC is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law or USC policy. USC will consider for employment all qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring ordinance. We provide reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities.