Summary:
Cosm is looking for a Senior Systems Administrator to keep our creative infrastructure running โ render farms, remote VFX/post workstations, and large-scale media asset management and archival systems, alongside the broader storage, network, and compute environment that supports them. This is a hands-on role covering local and cloud systems as well as employee workstations, with primary focus on the high-performance infrastructure our creative and production teams depend on daily.
We're looking for someone methodical and detail-oriented under pressure, organized enough to manage complex systems independently, and collaborative enough to work cross-functionally with production, creative, and IT teams.
This role may require nights and/or weekends for scheduled maintenance, deployments, and emergency response, and requires the ability to maneuver around a server room and lift up to 50 lbs, with or without reasonable accommodation. This is a hybrid role based in El Segundo, CA, with a minimum of 3 days per week on-site.
Temporary Position: This is a six-month temporary assignment supporting Cosm. The selected individual will be employed and paid by a third-party staffing partner.
Responsibilities:
- Perform system imaging, software deployment, patching, and OS hardening across servers, virtual infrastructure, and remote workstations (Windows, Mac, Linux).
- Administration of render, storage, network, and virtual infrastructure devices and core services (e.g. AD, DNS, DHCP).
- Monitor and optimize performance and security for real-time creative workflows and high-speed data transfer.
- Support and optimize industry-standard creative applications (e.g., Nuke, Resolve, Cinema 4D, Houdini) for artists and production teams.
- Develop and maintain automation/scripts to reduce manual administration overhead.
- Manage backup and disaster recovery for critical media assets and pipeline infrastructure.
- Provide Tier 2 assistance with multi-site ticket escalations and incident resolution that may include on-call rotation.
ย Experience:
- Education: BS/BA in a technical field Is preferred but overall experience will be considered.
- Experience: 5+ years in infrastructure/system administration, preferably in media production, animation, or VFX environments.
- Expert knowledge of Windows, Mac, and Linux administration; comfortable in terminal/shell environments across all three.
- Experience with system imaging and deployment tools (e.g., WDS, WSUS, SCCM/ECM, PDQ Deploy).
- Scripting/automation proficiency: PowerShell, Bash, or Python.
- Advanced understanding of remote access protocols/platforms used in creative pipelines (e.g., HP Anyware, Parsec, Splashtop, Jump Desktop).
- Hands-on support experience with VFX/post creative tools (Nuke, Resolve, Cinema 4D, Houdini, or similar).
- Advanced understanding of high-performance unstructured storage, compute, and networking (protocols, architectures, and models relevant to media workflows).
- Intermediate to advanced understanding of hyper-converged virtual infrastructure
- Render farm administration experience (e.g., Thinkbox Deadline, AWS Deadline Cloud, RenderMan).
- Familiarity with system monitoring platforms (e.g. LogicMonitor, Grafana)
- Familiarity with AWS services (e.g. S3, EC2, VPC)
- Familiarity with network configuration management tools (e.g. Cisco Prime, Arista CloudVision, Aruba Central, Ruckus SmartZone)
Preferred Experience:
- Working knowledge of Windows and Apple device management platforms (e.g. Intune, Apple Business, JAMF Pro)
The hourly pay range for this position in California is $60.00โ$70.00. The hourly rate offered will depend on job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and other relevant factors.