Pipeline Technical Director, Level II

Position Summary

The Pipeline TD II develops and maintains software tools, providing front-line assistance to artists, and general troubleshooting of the CG pipeline in a fast-paced, feature film visual effects production environment. The primary focus is ensuring artist efficiency.

We are currently hiring for our downstream team, which supports Compositing, DMP, Editorial, Media Creation, Show Media Setup and Production tools.

What You’ll Do

• Provide front-line production assistance across a wide range of disciplines, troubleshoot assets and shots, and help artists with general problem-solving
• Develop pipeline and asset management tools to meet immediate, show-directed production demands, ensuring facility-wide consistency as directed by show and technical supervisors 
• Work on tools of high complexity and sophistication
• Guide and mentor fellow Pipeline TDs by offering initial support, establishing coding standards, and sharing advancements in the specific domains of the pipeline
• Collaborate directly with engineering teams on technical projects; driving the development and evolution of standards and conventions used in production
• Test and validate tools and techniques in production, working closely with engineering teams in testing, and releasing new and modified software systems
• Collaborate effectively with artists, production supervisors, and technical staff across ILM’s studios globally
• Identify day-to-day priorities in conjunction with show supervisors and team leadership; acting autonomously
• Update documentation for the pipeline and tools to reflect any changes that are made

What We’re Looking For

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in Computer Science or a related technical field
• Demonstrated experience developing and maintaining tools for use in computer graphics
• At least 5 years production experience in visual effects for film, commercials or television
• Proficiency in Linux
• Advanced Python scripting required
• Experience in one or more of Maya, Nuke, Houdini, Mari, Katana, RenderMan or similar
• Ability to communicate cross-discipline and provide innovative solutions to pipeline issues
• Detail oriented and strong self-sufficient troubleshooter
• Thorough knowledge of the entire visual effects process, from shooting to modeling and texturing, animation, rendering and compositing

​Nice to have:

• Experience with production database systems
• Experience with C, C++
• Experience with Windows development and applications such as 3ds max

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