Associate Director of Animation, Interactive & Environment Design

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Job Category:

Academic Staff

Employment Type:

Regular

Job Profile:

Creative Associate Director (C)

Job Summary:

PBS Wisconsin is looking for a creative leader to guide a dynamic and wide-ranging team. The Associate Director of Animation, Interactive & Environment Design oversees a group of artists and designers working across three interconnected disciplines: animation, interactive design, and scenic and environment design. If you're energized by leading creative people doing varied, meaningful work, and you want to do it in service of a mission that genuinely matters to Wisconsin, this is the right position for you.

This role is responsible for the creative leadership, day-to-day management and strategic direction of a small team of designers and artists. The team produces animated content for broadcast and digital media, builds scenic environments for studio and live production, and leads the station's emerging media work including interactive storytelling and game development. The team functions as an integrated creative unit part of the larger Design department at PBS Wisconsin.

The Associate Director works closely with the Associate Director of Graphic Design & Motion Design and the Associate Director of Digital Strategy & Engagement, collaborating across the broader department to deliver cohesive creative work. This role is also a connector across the organization, working with production, education, operations and other teams to ensure the animation, interactive and environment work reflects and supports PBS Wisconsin's mission and strategic priorities.

We care deeply about the work and make room for joy alongside it. We care about culture as much as craft, and we actively build both. If that sounds like the kind of place you want to be, we'd love to meet you.

This is a full-time, 40-hour-a-week position. 

This position is Ongoing/Renewable. 

This is a full-time position that works core business hours, Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., with occasional evenings or weekends required for production events and expos.

This is a hybrid position, with a minimum of 4 days per month in person on the University of Wisconsin Madison campus in Madison, WI. In-person presence is required on a regular, but flexible basis. The final schedule can be discussed in the offer stage, but fully remote candidates will not be considered.

Remote work requires an approved flexible work arrangement (FWA). A FWA requires successful candidates to possess their own high-speed internet and phone to perform the work on a university provided computer. Per University policy, transportation between home and assigned work location is not payable/reimbursable and will be at the expense of the employee.

It is expected that employees will make individual arrangements for transportation adequate to meet position responsibilities and essential job functions. Information about UW-Madison Driver Authorization can be found at https://businessservices.wisc.edu/managing-risk/driver-authorization-and-insurance/driver-authorization/. 

Key Job Responsibilities:

• Researches, evaluates and advocates for emerging creative technologies, media formats and tools that advance PBS Wisconsin's mission and expand the station's creative capabilities, with a focus on interactive storytelling, immersive experiences and game-based content. Brings forward new ideas and approaches that position the organization at the forefront of public media innovation.

• Exercises supervisory authority, including hiring, transferring, suspending, promoting, managing conduct and performance, discharging, assigning, rewarding, disciplining, and/or approving hours worked of at least 2.0 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees

• Develops, implements, and maintains work unit identity, design standards, policies, and procedures to ensure appropriate use of financial, administrative, and staffing resources

• Serves as a subject matter expert and liaison between external and internal stakeholders providing information regarding creative design strategies and representing the interests of the unit

• Develops and monitors creative communication plans and dissemination protocols, workflows, and progress measurements to ensure production adheres to unit objectives in alignment with strategic initiatives

• Maintains unit budget and financial records to ensure adherence with institution and rules and regulations

• Creates, designs, and produces artwork per client specifications through various mediums

Department:

Wisconsin Public Media, PBS Wisconsin, Design, Animation & Scenic

The Design & Digital department at PBS Wisconsin is a team of 25 creative professionals spanning animation, interactive media, scenic design, graphic design, motion design, UX, web development and digital strategy. Together we shape how PBS Wisconsin looks, feels and shows up across every platform and production, collaborating with every corner of the organization on work that is always varied, always meaningful and rarely predictable.

PBS Wisconsin and Wisconsin Public Radio are part of Wisconsin Public Media. The person in this position will be required to comply with the Wisconsin Public Media Code of Ethics: https://wpm.wisc.edu/policies/, in addition to the UW-Madison code of ethics.

#PBS 

Compensation:

Expected salary range for this position is low $80,000s to low $90,000s. Actual pay will depend on experience and qualifications. 

This position offers a comprehensive benefits package, including generous paid time off, competitively priced health/dental/vision/life insurance, tax-advantaged savings accounts, and participation in the nationally recognized Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS) pension fund. For a summary of benefits, please see https://www.wisconsin.edu/ohrwd/benefits/download/fasl.pdf.

Required Qualifications:

• At least 5 years of experience leading and managing creative teams or direct reports, including providing creative direction, feedback and mentorship to artists and designers of different disciplines.
• At least 5 years of hands-on experience in one or more of the following: animation, interactive media or game design, scenic or environmental design
• Demonstrated experience leading innovative work, including a track record of identifying gaps, taking initiative and stepping in to provide creative solutions that push the work or team in a new direction. Examples may include experimenting with emerging technologies or media formats, developing new creative workflows, or expanding the team’s creative work in a meaningful new direction.
• Demonstrated commitment to building team culture, including active efforts to foster connection and belonging, combined with an adaptability to change.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, including experience working across departments and with a wide range of internal and external partners.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Background in public media, entertainment, games or a similarly complex production environment.
• Experience with animation production and pipelines.
• Experience with interactive storytelling, game design or immersive media.
• Experience with scenic design, shop tools or live events and studio production.
• Strong project management skills, including experience managing multiple concurrent workstreams, vendor relationships and production budgets.

Education:

A Bachelor's Degree in animation, design, interactive media, theater or a related field is preferred. Equivalent professional experience will be considered.

How to Apply:

 Click the "Apply" button to start the application process. Please note, there is only one attachment field. You must upload all of your documents in the attachment field, either as one combined document, or separate documents.

The following must be received for your application to be complete. Failure to submit the required documents will result in no longer being considered for the position:  

1) A cover letter referring to your related work experience,

2) A resume detailing your educational and professional background,

3) A PDF or Word document that includes three links to work samples or case studies that demonstrate your approach to leading creative teams or projects. For each example, include a brief description of your role and your specific contributions. Materials may include examples from animation, interactive work, scenic design or any combination. We are interested in seeing how you think, guide and lead creative work, not just what you've personally made. 

Failure to follow these application instructions will result in applications receiving less competitive consideration.

We are eager to learn more about how your experience may align with this position. Please submit a cover letter referring to your related work experience and a resume detailing your educational and professional background. Please keep in mind your cover letter and/or resume should address your experience and how it relates to the position qualifications. The application reviews will be relying on application materials to determine who may advance to the first-round interviews. 

Please note that successful applicants are responsible for ensuring their eligibility to work in the United States (i.e. a citizen or national of the United States, a lawful permanent resident, a foreign national authorized to work in the United States without need of employer sponsorship) on or before the effective date of appointment.

Finalists will be asked to provide a list of at least three professional references with titles, emails, and phone numbers (including at least one supervisory reference). Note that references will not be contacted without your prior knowledge.  

Contact Information:

Fred Schulze, [email protected], +1-608-262-4722,

Relay Access (WTRS): 7-1-1. See RELAY_SERVICE for further information.

Institutional Statement on Diversity:

Diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for UW-Madison. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, background, experience, status, abilities, and opinion enrich the university community. We commit ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, outreach, and diversity as inextricably linked goals.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison fulfills its public mission by creating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from every background - people who as students, faculty, and staff serve Wisconsin and the world.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is an Equal Opportunity Employer. 

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, including but not limited to, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, pregnancy, disability, or status as a protected veteran and other bases as defined by federal regulations and UW System policies. We promote excellence by acknowledging skills and expertise from all backgrounds and encourage all qualified individuals to apply. For more information regarding applicant and employee rights and to view federal and state required postings, visit the Human Resources Workplace Poster website.

To request a disability or pregnancy-related accommodation for any step in the hiring process (e.g., application, interview, pre-employment testing, etc.), please contact the Divisional Disability Representative (DDR) in the division you are applying to. Please make your request as soon as possible to help the university respond most effectively to you.

Employment may require a criminal background check. It may also require your references to answer questions regarding misconduct, including sexual violence and sexual harassment. 
 
The University of Wisconsin System will not reveal the identities of applicants who request confidentiality in writing, except that the identity of the successful candidate will be released. See Wis. Stat. sec. 19.36(7). 
 
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