Director of Technology

Description

  Help transform the strategic decision-making for a Bay Area arts and media institution that serves thousands of people each year. If you are collaborative, have a start-up spirit and an education background, and believe in power of stories to make social change, BAVC is looking for you!

ABOUT BAVC (Bay Area Video Coalition)

BAVC is a 38-year-old media arts center that brings together new and seasoned media makers to learn new-to-them technologies and tell stories that spark social change. In all of BAVC’s work there is a belief that shared learning and teaching can be a catalyst for people to make change in their own lives and in their communities. Central to this work is the simple idea that people can express themselves through art in a way that is otherwise impossible-- in a way that is engaging, exciting, and provocative.

BAVC is one of the last media centers of its kind, and thrives because of its ability to evolve, shift, and grow with changing technology while remaining dedicated to its mission of social justice through creation, preservation and sharing of diverse stories.

As technology evolves, filmmakers, artists, nonprofit cultural organizations, and creative freelance workers need a place to develop community and learn from one another. With the shift from shared editing spaces to laptops, technologists and filmmakers are seeking a place to come together and work collaboratively – get and give feedback to and from peers. BAVC plays a crucial role as creative convener, innovator, lab, education center, creative space, and community builder.

The following statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work to be performed and are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required of personnel in this position.

JOB SUMMARY

As the Director of Technology you will be responsible for creating a vision for the department that supports all technology-related and video, web, audio, and preservation programming for the organization as well as management of BAVC’s internal technology functions. This position occasionally represents BAVC externally, supports preservation client development and field outreach, and understands and advocates for IT that supports storytelling and preservation from diverse communities. The position will also work internally with the development team to leverage grant opportunities, with the training and youth programs team to ensure all students receive top quality instruction on industry-standard hardware and software, with the independent media team to ensure smooth functioning of San Francisco’s public access television station, and with other team members to ensure project deliverables and work flow systems are optimized. The Director of Technology will oversee a project manager in media preservation, three technical staff, and consultants hired on an as-needed basis.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

    Work with Executive Director and Director team and contractors to sustain and grow all programs within the department
    Create and manage the department’s budget
    Insure that systems and other resources are in place to meet the requirements of the preservation program
    Support the staff in the department in meeting their annual goals and objectives related to program deliverables and expected financial outcomes
    Work with the development department to strategize grant opportunities
    Serve as a liaison to the tech and media preservation communities both locally and nationally
    Envision and roadmap future technology direction and standards for BAVC and implement that vision
    Support the planning for a digital storage repository for organization media and other data
    Support annual planning for the department in collaboration with departmental staff and directors
    Ensure that the Salesforce database system is being used effectively across departments
    Document programs and support the writing of funder reports related to all program areas
    Oversee the development of new programs as they are funded within the department and in collaboration with other BAVC departments
    Support the development of a project management system for Tech staff and Preservation staff and continually check in on project deliverables
    Support the upgrade of systems as needed
    Support the work of the team members in developing relevant programs for BAVC technical infrastructure including preservation
    Enforce organization policies and provide staff reviews every six months

QUALIFICATIONS:

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE REQUIRED

    Graduation from a four-year college or university
    Minimum of five years tech experience in a mission driven organization and/or higher education
    Demonstrable familiarity with the media preservation field
    Successful record of managing projects and people
    Experience setting up and managing deliverables and timelines for clients and/or grant-funded projects
    Experience overseeing documentation of technical projects
    Understanding of development and implementation of project workflow and quality controls
    Budget and financial management experience
    Experience developing strategic partnerships with other organizations
    Understanding of institutional funding
    Understanding of Salesforce or similar system for client relations
    Understanding of standards and practices of analog & digital preservation
    Experience producing/ managing technical metadata
    Experience managing maintenance of video and computer hardware
    Familiarity with Preservation standards
    Understanding of video production/engineering/broadcasting, systems administration and digital asset management systems
    Understanding of computer networking and network security standards and practices
    Familiarity with backup and digital storage technologies and practices

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

    Familiarity with complex tech systems and teaching lab set-up
    Familiarity with preservation standards such as (PREMIS, OAIS, PBCore), post production workflows (FinalCut, Compressor, MPEG Streamclip) and FFmpeg, OSX, Linux, Windows Server administration
    Understanding of the community and public media fields
    Public presentation skills
    Sales experience
    Previous management of client relations
    Understanding of outreach and marketing for programs
    Experience negotiating with vendors
    Knowledge of Preservation funders and providers in the nonprofit space
    An understanding of public media and independent media fields

SPECIAL ADA REQUIREMENTS

BAVC is in full compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and does not discriminate with regard to applicants or employees with disabilities, and will make reasonable accommodation when necessary. For the purposes of ADA, the “Responsibilities” and “Qualifications” are essential job functions.

Significant work is performed in a typical interior community meeting space or classroom work environment, with typical noise and other disruption. Required to lift, carry and transport technical and specialized equipment and handle with appropriate caution.

Both standing and sitting are required for long periods of time. High use of computers and related equipment is required.

Various types of equipment/supplies are used to accomplish the job requirements and include, but are not limited to, video and editing equipment, instruction supplies, computers, classroom materials, telephones and other common communication devices.

TO APPLY

All applicants must send a resume and cover letter by March 19 to hr@bavc.org, with the subject line: Director of Technology.

BAVC believes in a diverse workforce and applicants from diverse communities are encouraged to apply.