The Executive Director of North America IT Production Management isan important role servicing SPE’s domestic Motion Picture and Television Production business. SPE has a vast array of company owned production labels, as well as a diverse catalog of partially owned, joint venture and third-party productions. On average, SPE has ~20 active MPG features and 100 active TV shows (70 domestic, 30 international). We anticipate this will continue to grow year over year to support the Studio’s aggressive content growth strategy. Reporting directly into the VP Global IT Production Management (ITPM), this role will oversee the North American based IT Production Management Operations Team and partner closely with a wide range of stakeholders to deliver a comprehensive set of IT services / solutions tailored to SPE’s Production’s needs. 

Responsibilities: 

• Invest and maintain positive working relationships with our Production Administration Executives and their staff (VP, Director, Manager and coordinator level) across SPE productions including: MPG Productions (Columbia, Tristar, 3000 Films, Screen Gems, Sony Pictures Classics, Sony Pictures Animation), TV Productions (SPT Productions, SPT Non Fiction, SPT Kids, SPT Gameshows). The list of SPE production entities may evolve over time. 

• Serve as an invested business partner with our production clients to understand their challenges/pain points; work across IT and broader studio functions (Legal, Privacy, Information Security, Facilities, IT, P&O and/or other production centric technology operations functions) to propose and implement the required IT solutions. 

• Oversee the end-to-end IT Production Management Operations Framework including the development of our Production Tiering Program and continued roll out of the Content Security program across Sony Pictures Television Division.

• On a regular basis, evaluate and mature our ITPM technology offering to meet the evolving needs of our Production Companies/Labels, North American Production Admin exec’s and their teams. Where possible, look to rationalize, sunset and/or integrate disparate technology solutions and/or workflow to reduce IT’s population of applications. 

• Mature the North American IT Production Management Operations team (e.g., people, functions, internal workflows, and corresponding technology) to maximum efficiency and value delivered to our business clients. 

• Supervise and coach the North American ITPM Operations staff to ensure performance levels are met, if not exceeded. Right size, re-tool, and/or enact organizational changes for ITPM as required to create and maintain a high performing team.

• Centrally manage and prioritize a demand tracker to ensure workload aligns with capacity and the North American ITPM Ops team is focused on the highest value activities for the Business. 

• Serve as a primary line of defense (following Tiered 1-3 support model) for North American time zones critical IT outages and/or disruptions associated to Production Administration/Productions. Know when to escalate and engage Senior Leadership as required for awareness, triage, and support. 

• Develop, lead, and/or manage strategic and transformational projects for ITPM. Candidate should have strong proficiency in strategic planning, project management, communication, escalation management and scorecard/reporting. 

• For larger scale initiatives that require green-lighting, develop supporting documentation, including but not limited to memo-papers, cost benefit analysis, strategic narrative content to justify the investment of SPE resources. All proposals should be reviewed and approved by VP, ITPM.  

• Demonstrate strong proficiency in going from business problem to solution (assess, design, and recommend appropriate people, process, technology components) to execute. 

• Leverage PSTS’s Productions Operation Management framework to track which productions are receiving ITPM services, including type, health, any open risks/concerns, and/or net new requirements. Serve as secondary point on key metrics associated to the overall service delivery for ITPM. Maintain processes to link our production demand funnel (new technology needs) to our service catalog and supporting operating procedures.

• Ensure processes are followed to properly vet and evaluate new ITPM technology needs. This includes minimizing tool fragmentation, point solutions; while also ensuring we work towards standards for productions. All technologies should be vetted closely in partnership with Info Sec, Legal, Privacy and Procurement to ensure adherence to global policy and regulatory compliance requirements.

• Integrate and where possible standardize ITPM services across the globe considering regional / local preferences and requirements. 

• Partner with VP, ITPM on broader strategic programs, including expanding IT’s alliance with other internal production service providers and third-party technology partners.

• Support and lead (where required) the integration or divestiture activities for newly acquired or divested SPE production entities via SPE’s Integration Management Office (IMO) – specifically IT requirements to support Production stakeholders and business functions. 

• Identify and champion new innovative technology solutions to create operational efficiency, reduce cost, or further manage risk for our business partners. 

• Lead and facilitate senior level discussions with Production Administration executives to help them understand where their business challenges lie and how technology can be an enabler to solve their constraints – i.e., architect the art of the possible w/ our business clients. 

• Serve as a senior leader of the PSTS management team to help evolve / mature and transform the PSTS department to increase value delivery for our business clients. 

Requirements: 

• Experience and Education

• Bachelor’s degree or relative certifications preferred

• 10+ years employment in the IT industry working in mid to large enterprise environments

• 5+ years of experience working in the Media and Entertainment industry 

• 3+ years or more experienceworking and/or supporting Productions 

• 3+ years or more experience in Physical Production /Administration

• Prior Big 4 consulting experience as plus 

Skills and Knowledge

• Strong communication skills (oral and written) 

• High proficient in project management, strategic planning and tactical solutioning 

• Eagerness to learn, adapt, and implement new skill sets for individual and team 

• Effective customer services skillset to be able to onboard, support and effectively communicate with various ITPM clients.

• Possesses a good working knowledge of all common technical platforms (application, infrastructure, cloud based solutions – SaaS, PaaS, IaaS)

• Strong service orientation and focus.

• Carries “team first” mentality – demonstrates effective leadership behaviors to empower, motivate and lead her/his team across the finish line 

• Demonstrates ability to escalate / provide awareness to Senior Leadership when support and/or guidance is needed. 

• Working knowledge of continuous process improvement methodologies and customer satisfaction measurement practices.

• Has above-average, creative, intellectual, imaginative and original problem-solving skills and able to implement solutions for moderate to difficult software/hardware problems.

• Demonstrates the ability to be flexible and deal with change both internal and external to the organization.

• Has the ability to work independently under limited supervision to accomplish small tasks that require coordination between multiple departments and people.

Specialized Skill Sets 

• Strong proficiency in Physical Production processes & technology requirements.

• Strong proficiency in Physical Production vendor products & industry software (large and small scale) 

• Customer centric mindset for product design / development 

• Overall understanding of the end-to-end production lifecycle