Full-Time

Pipeline Engineer

Skydance

Skydance

201-500 employees

Produces films, television, and interactive media

No salary listed

Madrid, Spain

Hybrid

Category
Software Engineering (1)
Required Skills
Bash
Kubernetes
FastAPI
Python
GitHub Actions
Git
Postgres
GraphQL
Docker
JIRA
MongoDB
REST APIs
Flask
DevOps
Linux/Unix
Django

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Requirements
  • 3+ years of experience in software engineering, ideally in VFX, animation, or a related media/tech industry
  • Exposure to animation or VFX production workflows is a plus but not required
  • BS degree in Computer Science, or equivalent practical experience (3+ years) in a software engineering role
  • Solid foundational engineering skills, with an understanding of code quality, readability, and maintainability
  • Ability to contribute effectively within a team in a fast-paced, deadline-oriented environment
  • Working knowledge of Python 3+ — ability to write clean, functional scripts and tools independently
  • Familiarity with Agile workflows and task tracking tools such as Jira, daily standups, and sprint planning
  • Basic familiarity with USD and its role in production pipelines; experience with integrations in DCC apps (Maya, Houdini/Solaris, Nuke) is a plus
  • Some experience with PyQt or PySide for tool development
  • Awareness of ASWF libraries such as OpenColorIO, OpenVDB, or OpenTimelineIO
  • Familiarity with Rez (package management) and/or Autodesk ShotGrid/Flow is beneficial
  • Comfortable working in a Linux development environment — bash scripting, common command-line tools (grep, find, sed, etc)
  • Experience with Git or another version control system
  • Basic understanding of relational or non-relational databases (e.g. PostgreSQL, MongoDB)
  • Awareness of containerization and deployment concepts (Docker, Kubernetes, or similar)
  • Some exposure to web service patterns (REST APIs preferred; GraphQL or RPC a bonus)
  • Familiarity with a Python web framework (FastAPI, Flask, or Django) is a plus
  • Understanding of CI/CD concepts; hands-on experience is a plus (GitLab or GitHub Actions preferred)
  • Experience with pytest or another Python testing framework
  • Build system knowledge (such as CMake) is a bonus
Desired Qualifications
  • Exposure to animation or VFX production workflows is a plus
  • Some exposure to web service patterns (REST APIs preferred; GraphQL or RPC a bonus)
  • Build system knowledge (such as CMake) is a bonus

Skydance is a media company that creates and distributes content across several entertainment formats, including feature films, television series, animation, and interactive VR experiences. Its films and shows are released to global audiences, and it also develops original virtual reality games and IP-based experiences, collaborating with partners like Ilion Animation Studios. Revenue comes from box office sales, streaming licensing, and selling interactive games. Unlike organizations that focus on a single medium, Skydance operates across multiple formats and genres to build and monetize intellectual property worldwide. Its goal is to provide high-quality entertainment that spans cinema, television, animation, and immersive interactive experiences, growing its brands and audiences across platforms.

Company Size

201-500

Company Stage

Debt Financing

Total Funding

$2.4B

Headquarters

Santa Monica, California

Founded

2010

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Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Swapped entering Netflix Top 10 validates long-term animated slate investment strategy.
  • Paramount-WBD merger EU approval enables Paramount+ to rival Netflix and Disney in scale.
  • Neuromancer with Apple TV+ reinforces Skydance Television's dominance in sci-fi genre TV.

What critics are saying

  • State attorneys general and WGA lawsuits threaten to block or delay the $110B Paramount-WBD merger by late 2026.
  • Marvel 1943's 2027 delay with a small team risks Paramount Game Studios revenue recovery and Amy Hennig's credibility.
  • John Lasseter's leadership at Skydance Animation creates reputational risk due to his prior sexual misconduct ouster from Pixar.

What makes Skydance unique

  • Skydance uniquely spans film, TV, gaming, VR, and animation under founder David Ellison.
  • Its Netflix animation partnership delivers blockbuster hits like Swapped with 133.5 million views.
  • Skydance Sports blends legacy franchises and sports docs, including Rafael Nadal series on Netflix.

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Benefits

Hybrid Work Options

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

-2%

1 year growth

-4%

2 year growth

2%
Bonnier Business (Polska) sp. z o.o.
Jul 20th, 2026
A US court has ordered a temporary halt to Paramount's acquisition of Warner Bros.

A US court has ordered a temporary halt to Paramount's acquisition of Warner Bros. published: 2026-07-20 19:48 A federal court in Oakland on Monday ordered a temporary halt to Paramount's acquisition of Warner Bros., Reuters reported. A complaint against the planned merger was filed on July 13 by a coalition of 12 state attorneys general, led by California. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Oakland, could lead to the blocking of Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison's plans to transform the company into a major competitor to Netflix and Disney, Reuters noted. Paramount said the complaint distorts well-established principles of antitrust law. It also argued that delaying the transaction would only harm entertainment industry workers, who have already been feeling the effects of disruptions in the sector for several years. State authorities warn against restricting competition. The coalition of 12 states demanded that the transaction be halted until the court reviews the case. They argued that allowing the deal to close would cause irreparable harm to competition. It was emphasized that this would create a media giant that could raise prices in the film and television industry. According to them, after the acquisition, Paramount would begin reducing jobs and sharing confidential information with Warner Bros. (WBD), actions that would be difficult to reverse if the merger were later found to be illegal, Reuters wrote. Last week, the American screenwriters' union, the Writers Guild of America (WGA), also filed a lawsuit to block the acquisition. The union believes the merger would harm film and television writers across the US. Paramount's management rejected these allegations, claiming that the combined company would expand opportunities for writers, not limit them. The company reiterated its commitments to release at least 30 films per year with a 45-day exclusive window for theaters, maintain two separate film studios, and continue working with independent producers. The merger is still awaiting a decision from the European Commission. The merger was approved by WBD shareholders in April. The transaction includes two major film studios, as well as streaming platforms and television channels, including CBS, CNN, and Polish TVN. The deal has come under scrutiny from regulators both in the US and Europe, including with regard to foreign financing that was part of Paramount's offer. In mid-June, the US Department of Justice approved the merger, denying allegations of violating federal antitrust laws. The merger has also received approval from authorities in several countries around the world, though not yet in the European Union. The European Commission is still reviewing the deal, with a new deadline for a decision set for July 22. The EC said in a public letter that Paramount has agreed to concessions to ease concerns about the transaction. Reporters Without Borders raises alarm about TVN24. Paramount Skydance is pushing to close the deal as quickly as possible. According to industry portal Status, management had hoped it would happen in July, although public statements and documents set a date of September 30. If the merger does not go through by then, WBD shareholders will receive an additional 25 cents per share for each quarter of delay. Paramount Skydance agreed to buy WBD shares at $31 each, with the total value of the transaction estimated at $110 billion. The proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery by Paramount Skydance could directly threaten the independence of TVN24, the organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF) warned on Monday. The group appealed to the European Commission to condition approval of the possible acquisition on guarantees for TVN24.

The Artbook Collector
Jul 17th, 2026
Video preview - The Art & Making of Swapped.

Video preview - The Art & Making of Swapped. July 17th 2026 The latest preview on The Artbook Collector YouTube channel is for the deep dive into one of Netflix's biggest hits, The Art & Making of Swapped! The book was published on June 16th by Titan Books in partnership with Skydance Animation, giving fans a look at 192 pages of artwork and insights into the animated movie. The story of Ollie and Ivy working together as two different species won people over, and like them, the two companies come together to create something wonderful for Swapped. You can check out a preview below. Early artwork for the different species, including the Pookoo, Javan, and Boogle, are shared to highlight how the designs changed before settling on what was seen on-screen. The characters each get to shine too, with the artwork capturing their personalities on the page. Location and keyframes are featured to give Swapped fans the chance to see the incredible artwork that created the look of The Valley, with renders and storyboard included to share other looks too. All of this is alongside interviews with the team about how it all came together. I reviewed the book and gave it strong praise for the variety of artwork included, as well as the informative interviews from the creative leads. A small issue aside, this is a book I'm happy to recommend to those that came away wanting more from the body-swapping fantasy adventure. Read my thoughts in full here - Book Review - The Art &Making of Swapped. This is not the first time that Titan Books and Skydance Animation have partnered for an artbook, as last year they also released WondLa: The Art & Making of the Limited Series. This was also a superb book and has helped cemented the SKydance artbooks as a series as strong as the ones from Chornicle Books for Pixar and Abrams Books for Dreamworks Animation. The Art & Making of Spellbound was also released by Titan Books in 2024. If you enjoyed the look at The Art & Making of Swapped, you can order a copy for your own shelf here;

What's on Netflix
Jul 17th, 2026
Skydance Animation's 'Swapped' to officially break into Netflix's all-time Top 10 Movies list.

Skydance Animation's 'Swapped' to officially break into Netflix's all-time Top 10 Movies list. Netflix executives have confirmed that the Michael B. Jordan-led animated movie 'Swapped' is on track to become one of the streamer's biggest animated releases of all time. Netflix and Skydance Animation have a monster hit on their hands. Just 73 days after its global premiere, the family comedy Swapped is officially on track to break into Netflix's Most Popular English Movies of All Time list - and Netflix executives just confirmed it's due to enter the all-time top 10s in the next couple of weeks. Released on May 1st, 2026, the Nathan Greno-directed feature starring Michael B. Jordan and Juno Temple has proven to have incredible legs. As of today, the body-swap adventure has amassed an incredible 226.9 million viewing hours and 133.5 million completed views (CVE), putting it right on the cusp of entering the all-time Top 10. Get the latest Netflix news, reviews, and releases in your inbox. The movie's stellar performance even earned it a special shoutout during Netflix's Q2 2026 earnings interview this week. When asked about the performance of the current content slate, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos highlighted the Skydance picture as a massive Q2 win. "Swapped is on track to become the second biggest original animated film right behind KPop Demon Hunters, which is exciting," Sarandos told investors. To put that into perspective, cracking the all-time list and chasing a juggernaut like KPop Demon Hunters is no small feat. Netflix calculates its "Most Popular" lists based on views during a title's first 91 days on the platform. With Swapped currently sitting at day 73 of its lifecycle, it still has 18 days left to close the gap and secure its spot on the charts. Based on its current trajectory, our internal estimates project Swapped will top out at around 143.6 million views by the time its 91-day window closes in early August which would place it around seventh. It'd be the second 2026 English-language movie to break into the all-time charts this year following War Machine although it's worth noting that both APEX and The Rip weren't a million miles off. According to the seventh Netflix Engagement Report, covering January to June 2026 viewership, the movie was the third biggest in terms of views. The 10-week journey of Swapped. So, how did Swapped get to the edge of the Top 10? By having phenomenal week-over-week holds. While the movie debuted at #2 globally during its opening weekend (a partial week, given its Friday release), word-of-mouth carried it to a staggering 149% increase in its second week, racking up 38.7 million views and taking the #1 spot globally. Even more impressive is the film's endurance. It has remained firmly in the global Top 5 for 10 consecutive weeks. Here is the complete breakdown of its Top 10 run so far: | Week | Date Range | Hours Watched | Views / CVE | Weekly Rank | | 1 | Apr 26 to May 3, 2026 (Initial Release) | 26,400,000 | 15,500,000 | 2 | | 2 | May 3 to May 10, 2026 | 65,800,000 (+149%) | 38,700,000 | 1 | | 3 | May 10 to May 17, 2026 | 44,800,000 (-32%) | 26,400,000 | 1 | | 4 | May 17 to May 24, 2026 | 27,400,000 (-39%) | 16,100,000 | 2 | | 5 | May 24 to May 31, 2026 | 17,800,000 (-35%) | 10,500,000 | 3 | | 6 | May 31 to Jun 7, 2026 | 12,800,000 (-28%) | 7,500,000 | 3 | | 7 | Jun 7 to Jun 14, 2026 | 9,700,000 (-24%) | 5,700,000 | 3 | | 8 | Jun 14 to Jun 21, 2026 | 8,300,000 (-14%) | 4,900,000 | 5 | | 9 | Jun 21 to Jun 28, 2026 | 7,800,000 (-6%) | 4,600,000 | 4 | | 10 | Jun 28 to Jul 5, 2026 | 6,100,000 (-22%) | 3,600,000 | 5 | (You can track the ongoing performance of Swapped and other titles using our Top 10 Title Search tool.) This is a massive win for the multi-year partnership between Netflix and Skydance Animation. Families clearly resonated with the gorgeous visuals, the sharp comedy from Michael B. Jordan and Juno Temple, and that unforgettable twist with Tracy Morgan's character. We'll keep this post updated throughout the remainder of the movie's 91-day run. Have you contributed to the 133.5 million views for Swapped? How many times has your family watched it? Let us know in the comments below!

TPWW
Jul 14th, 2026
Paramount's acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery update - court hearing set for state Attorneys lawsuit against Paramount, Writers Guild of America also Files Lawsuit trying to Block acquisition d...

Paramount's acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery update - court hearing set for state Attorneys lawsuit against Paramount, Writers Guild of America also Files Lawsuit trying to Block acquisition deal. Jul 14, 2026 As noted before, Warner Bros Discovery announced this past April that their shareholders had voted in approval of Paramount Skydance's acquisition deal for the company. The United States Department of Justice officially approved Paramount's acquisition deal for WBD this past June. Several state attorneys filed a joint lawsuit on Monday against Paramount to try to prevent the acquisition deal. WBD is the current media broadcast partner of AEW. PWInsider's Mike Johnson reported that a federal judge has scheduled a court hearing for Friday, July 17 on an emergency request from a group of state attorneys seeking to block Paramount's acquisition and merger deal with WBD. Johnson reported that the state attorneys are asking the court to issue a temporary restraining order that would pause the transaction deal while their antitrust lawsuit moves forward. Johnson also reported that Paramount has been ordered by the court to file its opposition to the temporary restraining order by this Thursday. Besides the state attorneys, the Writer's Guild of America also has filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against Paramount to block their acquisition and merger deal with WBD. In their filing, the WGA claims that this merger deal violated federal antitrust laws and would cause specific harm to writers if allowed to go through. WGA Files Lawsuit to Block Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery Merger Los Angeles and New York - Today, the Writers Guild of America West and Writers Guild of America East (jointly WGA), filed suit to block the proposed merger of Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery on the grounds that it violates federal antitrust law and would cause specific harm to writers. "With fewer competitors, the merged Paramount-Warner Bros. entity would have both the incentive and the ability to lower costs by suppressing writers' wages and reducing output. Writers will be paid less and have fewer employment opportunities," the WGA complaint states. The complaint details how the merger would reduce opportunities, lower pay and worsen working conditions for writers. The elimination of a key competitor and the creation of a new dominant firm would result in reduction in the quantity and variety of theatrical films and television series as the merged company would have a greater ability to reduce output. Furthermore, the complaint asserts that the merger would increase the ability for the few remaining companies to tacitly coordinate to further suppress competition for writers' work. "If Paramount succeeds in buying Warner Bros., the merged firm will be the largest buyer of original film and television programming in the United States," said WGAW President Michele Mulroney. "This would eliminate competition in an already consolidated industry, threatening the livelihoods of entertainment workers and the creative diversity of TV and film. We applaud the dozen state Attorneys General who have stepped up to enforce our antitrust laws and are proud to file suit alongside them." Since Paramount's proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery was announced, the WGA has raised awareness about this threat to State Attorney General offices and federal legislators, submitted comments to regulatory agencies and Congress, and participated in press events as part of a coalition of democracy and arts organizations. The WGA complaint focuses on the anticompetitive effects of the merger in three markets for writing services: anticipated top grossing films, episodic television and streaming series, and overall deals. "The Writers Guild of America will not stand idly by as Paramount attempts to violate our country's antitrust laws and deepen the contraction entertainment workers already feel," said WGAE President Tom Fontana. "This proposed combined entity would be the largest employer of writers, with tremendous power to suppress our wages, eliminate opportunities for emerging writers, cut jobs across the industry, and produce less programming, effecting the range of storytelling. This merger is not inevitable and we are fighting to stop it." The WGA is represented in this lawsuit by Shinder Cantor Lerner LLP, Cuneo Gilbert Flannery & LaDuca, LLP, and Platkin LLP. The lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. Read the WGA full complaint. See the fact sheet for more on the lawsuit. The WGA has also publicly opposed the recent mergers of Disney-Fox, Amazon-MGM, AT&T-Time Warner, and Comcast-Time Warner Cable, among others.

Columbia Journalism Review
Jul 13th, 2026
If they can't block this merger, can anyone?

If they can't block this merger, can anyone? State attorneys general are trying to stop Paramount Skydance from merging with Warner Bros. Discovery. It's the best shot left at preventing - or at least stalling - what seems inevitable. Last month, the Department of Justice officially blessed Paramount Skydance's merger with Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), praising the proposed deal for its potential to boost competition "across the media and entertainment ecosystem." On July 13, a coalition of twelve state attorneys general, including Rob Bonta of California and Letitia James of New York, filed a federal lawsuit in the Northern District of California arguing more or less the opposite. "The unlawful merger of these two entertainment behemoths would lead to higher prices, lower quality, and less content for film and television," Bonta said in a statement. "Film and television are not commodities," the lawsuit itself states, adding that "the competitive health of markets" determines "the breadth of voices and viewpoints that reach the public." David Ellison, the chairman of Paramount Skydance and the son of Larry Ellison, the billionaire Oracle founder and a close ally of Donald Trump, wants to combine Paramount and WBD, as well as their streaming services Paramount+ and HBO Max. The merger would also bring Paramount's CBS News under the same roof as WBD's CNN. According to Axios, Bari Weiss - the embattled head of CBS News, who shares pro-Israel views with the Ellisons - may oversee CNN as well. According to the Wall Street Journal, Larry Ellison has explicitly told Trump that CNN will undergo an "overhaul" under his son's control. The DOJ and the Federal Trade Commission have historically been the most powerful antitrust regulators in the United States. But under the second Trump administration, the federal government has voluntarily ceded that role to the states. Earlier this year, after the DOJ dropped an antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation/Ticketmaster, state attorneys general picked up the case - and won. While regulators in the United Kingdom and in Europe are reviewing the merger, experts told me that the suit brought by the attorneys general has the best chance of slowing or stopping the deal. "This thing is not remotely over," said Alvaro Bedoya, a former commissioner of the FTC under President Joe Biden and now a senior adviser at the American Economic Liberties Project. "Of course Paramount is going to tell you it's inevitable. But as a former law enforcer responsible for enforcing the nation's antitrust laws, I see red flag after red flag, which makes me think this deal is illegal." John Newman, a law professor at the University of Memphis and a former deputy director of the FTC under Biden, said that while Paramount Skydance "will likely try to turn it into a media circus," ultimately this is "a very traditional antitrust case. The states are facing a tough battle, but it's one they can win." Part of Bedoya and Newman's confidence stems from the nature of the transaction itself. The deal is a horizontal merger, meaning one taking place between two competitors. Historically, such tie-ups have been easier to block than vertical mergers, Andrew Schwartzman, a senior counselor at the Benton Institute for Broadband and Society, told me. According to Schwartzman, "the question becomes, can they use their clout to unlawfully exercise monopolistic-type control over the market?" Paramount Skydance argues that the merger will in fact boost competition in the movie industry by creating a new megacorporation that can compete with Netflix, Amazon, and other streaming platforms. In the lawsuit, the states say they believe the merger would harm competition not only in Hollywood but across the movie theater and basic-cable industries as well. The states have asked Paramount Skydance to stop the merger while the legal process plays out, according to Bonta's office. If it refuses, the states will then seek a temporary restraining order. If the merger is paused, either by Paramount Skydance voluntarily agreeing to do so or by court order, the companies would then have to sit idly by awaiting trial, which Schwartzman estimated could take six months to a year to begin. He pointed out that California's Northern District is known as a slow court, which would theoretically benefit the states. Under ordinary circumstances, the prospect of a drawn-out trial process would certainly spook a company in Paramount Skydance's position, Newman told me. "But this is not exactly an ordinary deal," he said. "It's the son of one of the richest men on earth buying himself a position of influence and power. That weighs in favor of Paramount being willing to drag out a fight up to the appellate courts where another company might just walk away." Newman also noted a "wild card" factor: "If the states are right, this merger is going to harm a bunch of people who are really good at telling stories." He pointed to the Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster merger, which the Biden administration's DOJ blocked in 2022 after a trial featuring testimony from celebrity authors. "People say that the day Stephen King testified is the day the DOJ won," Newman said. "At the end of the day, it's just persuading another person that your story is right." Paramount Skydance did not respond to a request for comment. In a statement, the company said that the states' challenge "reflects a fundamentally flawed application of the antitrust laws." It also said that "delaying this transaction will only harm entertainment workers who have already suffered over recent years as technology has disrupted their livelihood and cost California tens of thousands of entertainment jobs." Newman is skeptical that regulators in the UK or EU have the resources to pose a genuine challenge, or that they see it as a priority. "I don't see any non-US enforcers being the roadblock to stopping the deal," he said. But he did say that it is possible the EU and the UK could "slow things down" by forcing Paramount to agree to small compromises. (According to Reuters, the EU may grant the merger approval if Paramount abandons a joint venture with Universal Pictures to distribute films.) The potential consolidation of CBS News and CNN into one entity overseen by Weiss has sent panic through the journalism industry. But the crux of the deal is a movie studio merger, meaning its impact on journalism is almost inadvertent. "Just because it's our motivation to defend democracy doesn't mean it's David Ellison's motivation to destroy it," Matt Stoller, the director of research at the American Economic Liberties Project, put it. "But that is what he's doing. He'll incidentally destroy democracy." Paramount has hired Jeffrey Kessler, an antitrust "rock star," to defend against the states' lawsuit. "CBS News is a tiny part of the CBS network, which itself is a small part of the overall thing," Kessler told me. "And frankly, with respect to the news, most of the people who have expressed opposition to this - it's not really because of the merger. It's because they don't like what happened with 60 Minutes," where Weiss has recently fired veteran anchors and leaders. "That might be a political issue for some people one way or the other. But it's not an antitrust case." If the deal does go through, it will saddle the new corporate entity that emerges with nearly eighty billion dollars in debt. Paramount Skydance has declared that the merger will net six billion dollars of value out of various "synergies." But Graham Smith, a former investor and the host of the financial-news podcast What's the Big Deal?, called that figure "crazy." To find billions of dollars of savings, Smith is assuming that, post-merger, David Ellison plans on utilizing AI on a mass scale while gutting the company's combined workforce. According to Smith, "the only way" to save money on that scale "is to say, 'Yeah, we're just not going to use people anymore.'" Has America ever needed a media defender more than now? Help us by joining CJR today. Amos Barshad is the staff writer and senior Delacorte fellow at CJR. He was previously on the staff of New York magazine, Grantland, and The Fader, and is the author of No One Man Should Have All That Power: How Rasputins Manipulate The World.