Description
POSITION SUMMARY:
Are you a talented
systems administrator, looking for an opportunity to make science films that
change the world? Would you like to
apply your technical skills to transform how people see their connection to our
planet, nature and the cosmos? The
Planetarium Production Systems Administrator will play an integral role in the
creation of beautiful cutting-edge science content showcased in San Francisco
and planetariums around the world. You
will design and maintain the infrastructure of our in-house, award winning
science Visualization Studio (Viz Studio) comprised of a small team of visual
effects artists and engineers creating science visualizations, animations, and
fulldome imagery for planetarium programs.
This position reports to the Visual Effects Supervisor.
The California Academy of Sciences welcomes
people of all backgrounds, identities and beliefs to join us in achieving our
mission to explore, explain, and sustain life on Earth. We place diversity, equity, and inclusion at
the heart of our recruiting efforts and strive to build a culture centered on
mutual respect, equal treatment, and the opportunity to succeed.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND
FUNCTIONS:
? Design, implement and
maintain complex and high-performance systems to support the Viz Studio: improve network, storage, workstation and
render farm infrastructure in support of the science visualization team
creating high resolution image sequences and realtime content generated from 3D
models, animations, textures and scientific datasets
? Customize workstations
for 6-10 Viz Studio artists in Linux and Mac environments
? Configure visual
effects software and custom operating system environments
? Identify, negotiate,
and collaborate with expert consultants, vendors and Cal Academy staff on long
term design, planning and budgeting of future hardware and software
infrastructure and cloud-based services
? Design, spec, install
and manage equipment. Generate/maintain
documentation of systems
? Plan, construct and
maintain disaster recovery, backup and archive strategy
? Provide support and
coverage for planetarium systems operations and render farm, with periodic
night, weekend and holiday shifts
MINIMUM
QUALIFICATIONS:
To perform this job successfully, an
individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are
representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required or
preferred. A qualified candidate will
possess a combination of the following:
? Linux/Mac systems and
data server administration experience: RHEL7 or CentOS 7, macOSX
? Good understanding of
TCP/IP networking, ethernet configuration, fiber switches; proven ability to
troubleshoot and resolve network issues in a timely manner
? Knowledge of render
server, 3D and video production workstation architecture, custom CentOS and
MacOSX operating system image testing and deployment
? Comfortable scripting
with high level languages (e.g., Python)
? Works well with
cross-discipline and cross-departmental teams
? Open collaborator who
tracks/shares projects’ progress proactively and regularly
? Self-starter with solid problem solving
abilities, a willingness to learn, attention to detail, excellent communication
skills, and a sense of humor
PREFERRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:
? Experience working in
a visual effects, real-time graphics, science visualization or audio/visual
production environment
? Experience with visual
effects software (e.g. Houdini, Maya, Blender, Nuke, Adobe CC) and good
understanding of 3D and 2D computer graphics and visual effects workflows
? Virtual environments
and virtual machines knowledge
? Remote workstation,
cloud storage and computing familiarity.
? Job management
software experience (e.g. PipelineFX Qube)
? AR, VR or 360 Video
experience
LANGUAGE SKILLS:
Ability to read and fully comprehend documents such as
safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, and procedure manuals.
Ability to write daily reports and correspondence. Ability to speak effectively
before groups or individuals. Bilingual
(spoken and/or written) in Spanish, Cantonese, Mandarin, or other non-English
language preferred but not necessary.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS & WORK ENVIRONMENT:
The physical demands and
work environment described here are representative of those that must be met by
an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.
Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities
to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the
employee is frequently required to stand, sit, walk, and reach with hands and
arms, and talk or hear. Must be able to
lift 30 lbs.
Must be able to perform repetitive motions 50 % of the time. Must be able to climb a ladder and work on
aerial lifts. Must be able to experience
tight spaces and tolerate fan noise and low temperatures in server cold rooms.
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:
Please submit your cover letter and resume online at https://calacademy.snaphire.com/?job=25173CRTH Note that the recruitment timeline for positions vary and depend on many factors, so it is impossible to accurately predict when a position will close. We appreciate your patience during this process. No phone calls please.
The
California Academy of Sciences will consider for employment qualified
applicants with arrest and conviction records pursuant to the San Francisco
Fair Chance Ordinance. For more information visit: https://sfgov.org/olse/fair-chance-ordinance-fco.
The California Academy of Sciences
is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to ensure that all employees
and applicants receive equal consideration and treatment, regardless of race,
color, creed, gender (including gender identity or gender expression),
religion, marital or domestic partner status, age, national origin or ancestry,
physical, mental or medical disability, sex, sexual orientation, citizenship,
military service status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected
by state or federal law or local ordinance.
The California Academy of Sciences
is a non-smoking facility. There is also no smoking in Golden Gate Park.