Director, Metadata & Taxonomy

The Director, Metadata & Taxonomy is responsible for strategically designing and maintaining metadata models for digital assets governed by the Content Licensing group, working with both internal and external stakeholders to manage and optimize workflows for metadata tagging and client deliverables. The ideal candidate is detail-oriented, agile, and creative, with a strong background across three key areas: data management, project management, and technical implementation. The role reports to the Vice President, Content Licensing & Metadata Services  

Responsibilities include:

• Identify strategic metadata opportunities for the Content Licensing business and for the broader studio as it relates to the curation of time-based metadata and clip re-use across all lines of business
• Drive strategic decision making and implementation related to metadata creation, acquisition, and modeling
• Oversee the operation of (and serve as the internal public face for) SPCL’s Village Well, SPE's clipping solution and metadata repository describing longform studio assets using both AI/ML and human-generated time-based metadata
• Manage projects related to the further development and integration of SPCL’s Village Well across the studio, defining objectives, timelines, and deliverables in collaboration with system users
• Audit metadata to ensure adherence to standards and resolve data integrity issues
• Use SQL and other query languages to standardize inconsistent or incomplete metadata, as well as perform analysis that influences metadata strategy
• Develop and improve workflows for metadata tagging and client deliverables (video clips/still images)
• Train Content Licensing team members on new metadata tagging standards and in the creation of metadata deliverables
• Coordinate between SPE IT and 3rd party providers to integrate various data systems, automate reporting, and streamline data workflows
• Evaluate new AI/machine learning technologies and project manage their integration with existing systems
• Onboard content partners, provide training, and develop custom metadata schemas as required
• Query and analyze search data to support strategic metadata decisions
• Maintain familiarity with new technologies and other developments in the entertainment industry as they relate to metadata creation, collection, or modeling
• Advocate to improve content discoverability and user experience through innovative metadata models

Experience:

5+ years of direct experience within the following areas:

• metadata management - taxonomies, ontologies, metadata standards, metadata management, data extraction & transformation, and digital asset management (DAM)
• project management – technical implementation, system integration, communication, planning, coordinating, operations, reporting, and problem-solving
• personnel management - including supervision, scheduling, training, evaluation, and development

Familiarity with the following areas is preferred:

• content licensing - stock footage, VFX elements, film clips, photography, license administration, rights and clearances, CRM systems, sales, and customer service
• post-production - post-production workflows, color-grading, editing, VFX, encoding/transcoding, subtitling, and delivery formats

Knowledge, skills, and abilities required:

• Strong understanding of metadata, taxonomies, and ontologies
• Excellent verbal and written communications skills
• Adept research and problem-solving skills
• Deep knowledge of the studio’s catalog and the stock footage library
• Ability to multi-task and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment
• Sound analytical skills (both qualitative & quantitative)
• Understanding of rights and clearances
• Understanding of compliance standards and practices
• Able to build rapport with clients, partners and cross-functional teams
• Decisive & effective problem-solving ability with a strategic mindset
• Detail-oriented with strong organizational and project management skills
• Master’s degree in Library or Information Science preferred

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