Job Summary

In this role, you will be part of realizing our commitment to Compression from within the Marketing & Communications Post Production Services team.

The Video Compression Engineer manages the output of incoming video and motion graphics projects. As such, this role requires someone with a keen eye for pixelation, dithering, moray, etc., and the willingness and ability to make recommendations for best practices to production teams based on dailies.

This is a fast-paced environment, best suited for an adept multi-tasker with low-level scripting ability who can help manage massive amounts of data on tight deadlines — in addition to core job responsibilities. In this highly visible role, you will be at the heart of the creative process, and should show a strong ability to apply technical concerns to creative projects.
 

Key Qualifications

The ideal candidate will have a Bachelor’s of Science in a Video, Motion Graphics, or a related field. Preferred work experience includes current or recently-performed duties as a motion graphic artist, video editor, or technical role with focus on web delivery as the final output. A minimum of five years’ video compression experience and at least two years’ experience in a fast-paced post house or broadcast studio is required.

Strong knowledge of digital audio and video standards, codecs, and formats including H264/H265, HEVC, MPEG2/4, ProRes, HLS, HDR-10, and Dolby Vision is a must. The candidate will also need to demonstrate strong understanding and comfortability with software (i.e., Compressor, Episode Engine, Adobe Media Encoder, etc.), hardware, technologies, and processes related to the production of digital media (i.e., mobile devices, broadcast, and web). You must also be a proven communicator and team player in order to facilitate efficient execution of projects.

Strong command-line skills and basic coding knowledge is a must, as scripting is a necessity. It is also highly desirable if you have experience and/or familiarity with advanced coding languages. Also critical to success in this role is a strong understanding of clustering and server management — with SAN experience a bonus. A working knowledge of video production, signal processing, transcoding technologies, and control room equipment will be essential to accomplishing daily workflow needs, as required.

Importantly, the Video Compression Engineer must be able to communicate effectively with team members in the Ingest and Accessibility teams, and should be prepared to develop a deep understanding of post production workflow and procedures. Ideal candidates will possess — or be eager to develop — an expertise in video compression, audio/video technical specs, scripting, and a fundamental understanding of video workflow procedures.
 

Description

• Maintain existing video encoding workflows and best practices, build new workflows, and ensure video QC and workflow builds meet guidelines.

• Perform research assignments into new tools and workflows and provide discovery reports, contributing ideas on how to improve all aspects of video compressions.

• Use data metrics to uncover trends in video consumption, system utilization, and internal workflow processes, and work with teams to understand behaviors and make improvements.

•Use our internal compression request tool to generate reports, track work, and perform accurate resourcing and scheduling.

• Communicate effectively with cross-functional teams to implement plans and improvements in video workflows.

• Establish and maintain positive working relationships with Producers, Colorists, Creatives, cross functional teams, and third-party vendors to support both internal and external post production.

• Assist other Post Production teams with transcoding needs during low compression periods.

• Proven ability to work quickly and independently — anticipating, recognizing, and resolving problems with minimal supervision.

• You have the ability to work well under the pressure of tight deadlines and conflicting priorities.

• Must be a team player with strong people skills and be willing to roll up your sleeves and dig into tasks.

• Willing to work long hours and weekends.

• Perform other duties as may be assigned.

• Knowledge of FFMPEG a must.

• Knowledge of DolbyVision/HDR workflow and specs a must.

• Knowledge of Swift/Objective-C, Python, and C++ is preferred.