Systems Engineer

We are BLACK KITE, an independent creative studio offering world-class visual effects and design. Our community is home to a collective of world-class talent, including artists, creators, designers, producers, and technologists who come together to create exceptional artistic visual content.

What is IMPORTANT to US

We aim to try new things and break some rules. Our ethos is to build a creative community with our people and culture at its heart. We believe that great work should be accessible to all who seek it, and we foster an environment where people can develop and succeed. We are committed to creating a sustainable studio model that looks after our people and inspires them to create the extraordinary while taking good care of the environment.

The BLACK KITE CULTURE

We are building a team of world-class talent, working with the best creative clients and creating an exciting future for everyone involved in the Black Kite adventure. We pride ourselves on our people, our work, and our space, and we are dedicated to developing a sustainable creative community. We want to create an environment where trying new things is not only possible but also exciting and different. Our purpose is to produce brilliant creative work that engages audiences and leaves a lasting impression.

The ENGINEER ROLE at BLACK KITE

As an Engineer at Black Kite Studios, you will be a key part of our Technology team, responsible for implementing and maintaining core studio-wide systems and infrastructure that contribute to the smooth running of all technology at Black Kite Studios. You will be part of a small, agile team responsible for defining, implementing, and supporting our current and next-generation infrastructure.

Responsibilities:

• Deploy, manage, and support high-performance workstations and servers, large storage systems, complex network infrastructures, and services.
• Provide support for all desktop and technology-related queries and issues.
• Deploy and test standard artist workstation/render builds (PXE, kickstart, ansible).
• Deploy resources in public clouds as required (Sherpa, AWS, Google, Azure).
• Assist Technical Operations with Storage and Archive requirements.
• Maintain Production laptops.
• Assist with Production Cloud Services such as Microsoft Office.
• Maintain AD services.
• Maintain the Asset Management database.
• Document all changes and procedures.
• Develop and maintain digital and physical technology security policies and systems.
• Support the technology purchasing process.
• Co-ordinate and maintain annual software license agreements and support contracts.
• Contribute to and support our cloud computing strategy.
• Develop our core services for improved efficiency in licensing, software deployment, security, machine identification, and user login.
• Keep up with the latest technical innovations.
• Liaise with outside technical service providers and vendors.
• Mentor other members of the Technology team.

Why YOU?

You have previous experience working within Technology or Engineering in the VFX/Post Production environment. You possess a good working knowledge of VFX or Post-Production pipelines, systems, and tools, such as Nuke, Flame, Baselight, Houdini, RV, Maya, and Deadline. You have a solid understanding of Networking principles and strong Linux knowledge, along with familiarity with Windows and MacOS. You have experience deploying and managing production-related services such as databases, render farm queues, configuration management systems, and license servers. You have had exposure to modern cloud technologies and automation tools like Terraform, Ansible, and Puppet. You are a tenacious problem solver with a proactive and positive approach to your work. You understand the dynamics of a deadline-driven, client-facing environment and are interested in new technology and creative software tools. You are an excellent communicator, both orally and in writing, and possess a customer service mindset.

Why US?

We want you to grow with us and help create a sustainable future for everyone in the Black Kite family. We believe in talent, creativity, and innovation, with creativity being the differentiator at the heart of everything we do. We are committed to supporting your ongoing career development and will work closely with you to establish your personal progression plan. We value teamwork and togetherness to achieve the extraordinary – Once a Kite, always a Kite. We are ambitious and excited about the future.

Black Kite Studios is committed to a policy of equal opportunity in all aspects of recruitment and employment regardless of age, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy or maternity, marriage and civil partnership, race, religion or belief, gender identity, or disability (whether registered as disabled or not).