Head of Systems Development

Framestore ,
London, Greater London
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Overview

Job Description

At Framestore the Systems Development team, have a long history of designing, delivering and supporting the core compute and storage tool sets used by the Systems, Pipeline and Production departments. This includes tools such as FQ, an industry leading proprietary job distribution manager, and a variety of fundamental storage management tools which exploit the NFS stack to manage tens of thousands of CPU cores and terabytes of data. These advanced tools provide highly optimized applications and utilities. The team's development process is underpinned by the core software principles of the unix philosophy: simplicity, modularity and stability. The successful candidate will have strong communication skills to assist in identifying key production priorities. They will work alongside stakeholders to set expectations and will liaise with both production and the adjacent technical departments to best determine product roadmaps. As the Engineering Manager, they will be able to maintain multiple code bases with heavy emphasis on engineering discipline and best practices. S/he will cultivate and encourage autonomy and experimentation while also ensuring the team adheres to best practices and delivery commitments of an agile development environment. Whilst this is primarily a management role, the candidate should be comfortable with hands-on development. They will be expected to make contributions to the team and the code base, in the form of mentoring, code review and commits of their own. As a leader, s/he will be responsible for ensuring that the training and skills development activities relating to the systems development team are kept up to date with industry standards and are in line with the business requirements of Framestore. They will report directly to the CTO, VFX and will be a key member of the core senior technology management team contributing to the overall technical strategy of Framestore. Key Responsibilities: * Provide technical leadership, supervision and mentoring to the Systems Development team * Guide the Systems Development roadmap working alongside the Product Manager to define key technical and business objectives for the team * Ensure that the requirements gathering process for software proposals and features request is an open, well documented process * Implement proof of concept for technical project proposals and encourage innovative thinking in the team. * Analyze and assess emerging technologies and methodologies to ensure that the company maintains a industry leading technology infrastructure * Drive performance metrics, benchmarking and explore opportunities to surface data and computational patterns to better inform production resource decisions * Ensure that the core utility code base is robust, well-structured and well maintained * Ensure that the rollout of new versions includes proper test methods, installation Standard Operating Procedures and is delivered in sync with production delivery timing * Organize relevant technical training and motivational events to ensure the widest possible relevant audience has exposure to the use and benefits of Sys Dev provided tools * Represent the company at relevant external events (e.g. conferences, trade shows), and with relevant suppliers as required * Involvement as applicable in the recruitment of Senior Systems Administrators and Systems Developers * Remain open to and aware of new programming methods * Keep a keen eye on maintain familiarity with the Open Source community Essential Skills: Leadership/ Management skills * A strong leader with good analytical, organizational and communication skills and a strong ability to provide positive influence across all levels of Framestore business * A proactive leadership style coupled with a client-centric approach to service * Ability to lead, motivate and support the systems engineering team towards shared goals and responsibilities * Ability to solve problems as they arise and remain calm in a fast-paced environment * Ability to manage and prioritize conflicting demands and to demonstrate flexibility and tact in resolution * Ability to quickly understand and communicate the needs of the business and respond accordingly * Experience in managing performance and appraising productivity Technical skills * An up to date knowledge of key emerging software technologies * Minimum 8 years hands on programming experience. * A solid grounding in core languages (shell, python, C, C++) Employment Type: Full time

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