Freelance Rendering Engineer Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

About Sony Music Entertainment
At Sony Music Entertainment, we fuel the creative journey. We've played a pioneering role in music history, from the first-ever music label to the invention of the flat disc record. We've nurtured some of music's most iconic artists and produced some of the most influential recordings of all time.
Today, we work in more than 70 countries, supporting a diverse roster of international superstars, developing and independent artists, and visionary creators. From our position at the intersection of music, entertainment, and technology, we bring imagination and expertise to the newest products and platforms, embrace new business models, employ breakthrough tools, and provide powerful insights that help our artists push creative boundaries and reach new audiences. In everything we do, we're committed to artistic integrity, transparency, and entrepreneurship.
Sony Music Entertainment is a member of the Sony family of global companies.
Black Sky Creative is a boutique experiential agency and part of Sony Music Entertainment. We design and build permanent retail and hospitality environments and produce pop up activations for leading brands. Our work ranges from ground up flagship buildouts to fast moving mobile experiences, and it demands both creative ambition and real operational rigor.
The Senior Director of Production is our senior operational leader, responsible for delivering projects from initial opportunity through final execution. This role combines operations, project management, production leadership, and client partnership.
You join early conversations with Sony stakeholders and clients as the operational expert, assessing feasibility, timelines, budgets, staffing needs, and risks. You help turn opportunities into executable plans and support leadership in securing new work.
Once approved, you own delivery. You serve as the primary client contact, lead internal teams, freelancers, vendors, contractors, and creative partners, and oversee projects through completion with minimal leadership involvement. We are a lean team, so success requires both strategic leadership and hands-on execution.
This role is especially critical to our permanent retail and hospitality buildouts, while also overseeing pop-ups, activations, events, and tours.
What You'll Do:
Client Partnership & Planning

• Partner with leadership and stakeholders to define project scope, objectives, timelines, and success metrics.
• Evaluate feasibility, operational requirements, risks, resources, and financial viability.
• Develop budgets, schedules, staffing plans, and execution strategies.
• Build accurate estimates by validating costs directly with vendors and partners.
• Support pitches, proposals, and business development efforts with realistic project plans.
• Build trusted relationships and identify opportunities for future work.

Project & Production Leadership

• Own the full project lifecycle from kickoff through delivery.
• Manage schedules, budgets, critical paths, and production plans across multiple projects.
• Serve as the primary day-to-day client contact once projects are underway.
• Lead internal teams, freelancers, and vendors while ensuring accountability and quality.
• Provide clear updates, recommendations, and risk assessments to stakeholders.

Construction, Permitting & Logistics

• Oversee permanent retail and hospitality buildouts from design through opening.
• Direct architects, contractors, engineers, permitting consultants, and inspectors.
• Lead site walks, punch-list completion, and project closeout.
• Manage permitting strategy and hold partners accountable for approvals and timelines.
• Oversee vendor relationships and execution of temporary activations and events.

Budget & Commercial Management

• Own project budgets from estimate through final reconciliation.
• Approve vendor proposals, contracts, and invoices.
• Manage scope changes and change orders proactively.
• Protect project profitability while balancing budget, timeline, and quality.

Creative Oversight

• Manage external creative partners and internal rendering resources.
• Translate client objectives into actionable creative briefs.
• Ensure creative quality and alignment with budget and production realities.

Team Leadership

• Lead and develop producers and technical production staff.
• Build project teams from internal resources, freelancers, and specialized partners.
• Create scalable systems and processes that enable efficient delivery across a growing portfolio.

Who You Are

• Extensive experience leading production, construction, or experiential project delivery.
• Proven success managing permanent buildouts, retail environments, hospitality projects, or themed entertainment.
• Strong executive presence with the ability to advise senior stakeholders on feasibility, risk, and execution.
• Skilled in project scoping, estimating, budgeting, and vendor management.
• Deep project management expertise with the ability to oversee multiple complex projects simultaneously.
• Experience leading architects, contractors, fabricators, and specialty vendors.
• Strong understanding of permitting and construction approval processes.
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and manage outsourced creative partners.
• Comfortable operating strategically while remaining hands-on when needed.
• Exceptional judgment, communication skills, and a solutions-oriented leadership style.

What we give you:

• You join an inclusive, collaborative and global community where you have the opportunity to channel your passion every day
• A modern office environment designed to foster productivity, creativity, and teamwork empowering you to bring your best
• An attractive and comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, vision, life & disability coverage, and 401K + employer matching
• Voluntary benefits like company-paid identity theft protection and resources for pets, mental health and meditation resources, industry-leading fertility coverage, fully paid leave for childbirth or bonding, fully paid leave for caregivers, programs for loved ones with developmental disabilities and neurodiversity, subsidized back-up child and elder care, and reimbursement for adoption, surrogacy, tuition, and student loans
• Investment in your professional growth and development enabling you to thrive in our vibrant community.
• The space to accelerate progress, positively disrupt, and create what happens next
• Time off for a winter recess

Sony Music is committed to providing equal employment opportunity for all persons regardless of age, disability, national origin, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, veteran or military status, marital and civil partnership/union status, alienage or citizenship status, creed, genetic information or any other status protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.
California based applicants have certain rights under California law. Please see our California Recruitment Privacy Policy for more details.
The anticipated annual base salary does not include any other compensation components or other benefits that an individual may be eligible for. The actual base salary offered depends on a variety of factors, which may include as applicable, the qualifications of the individual applicant for the position, years of relevant experience, specific and unique skills, level of education attained, certifications or other professional licenses held, and the location in which the applicant lives and/or from which they will be performing the job.
California Pay Range
$140,000 - $170,000 USD
The anticipated annual base salary does not include any other compensation components or other benefits that an individual may be eligible for. The actual base salary offered depends on a variety of factors, which may include as applicable, the qualifications of the individual applicant for the position, years of relevant experience, specific and unique skills, level of education attained, certifications or other professional licenses held, and the location in which the applicant lives and/or from which they will be performing the job.
California Pay Range
$140,000-$170,000 USD