Senior Lighting TD

Flying Bark Productions is seeking a Senior Lighting TD to join their team in Sydney for a high-profile CG Animated Series. The role involves collaborating with CG Supervisors and Assets TD, developing and maintaining Maya and Katana tools to streamline asset creation, management, and lighting workflows, and debugging technical issues. The ideal candidate will have a minimum of 3 years of high-end feature film VFX/Animation experience and strong technical skills in relevant software and Python.

Must Have

• Troubleshoot and debug technical issues related to asset workflows, including performance optimisation and rendering problems
• Develop and maintain Maya and Katana tools to streamline asset creation, management and deployment
• Develop and maintain Katana tools for Lighting and the upkeep of Katana templates
• Collaborate closely with other departments to ensure seamless integration of assets
• Take a proactive and solutions-driven approach to technical problems
• Work within a team and maintain good team dynamics
• Self-manage and complete tasks within production deadlines
• Communicate and seek information when necessary
• Minimum 3 years of high-end feature film VFX and/or Animation experience
• At least 5 years of experience with software packages such as Maya, Katana, Substance, and Nuke
• Advanced knowledge and experience in Python
• Strong troubleshooting and debugging skills, particularly in asset workflows
• In-depth knowledge of rendering technologies such as Arnold or similar renderers
• Ability to support, assist, and mentor other team members
• A thorough knowledge of the animation pipeline from modelling, surfacing, grooming, rendering through to compositing
• A demonstrated understanding of shading networks

Good to Have

• Experience in Houdini
• Experience with Katana LUA
• Familiarity with Shotgrid API and Shotgrid Toolkit

Perks & Benefits

• Work on cool projects (e.g., Avatar: The Last Airbender, Ghostbusters, Stranger Things animated series)
• Industry-leading studio space in Alexandria with cinema, quiet room, Zen Garden, games room
• Daily breakfast provided
• Cake days, movie nights, wrap parties & culture club social calendar
• Paws for a Cause fundraising arm for charities
• Dog-friendly studio
• Hybrid work approach with flexible work from home days
• Career development, training and support opportunities
• Inclusive and welcoming culture
• Access to mental health resources and free counselling via Employee Assistance Provider, Support Act
• Holistic wellbeing support through discounted health insurance with Bupa
• Financial wellbeing initiatives from Media Super
• Access to staff qualified in Mental Health First Aid

Flying Bark Productions is a dynamic and innovative animation studio dedicated to pushing the boundaries of character animation and storytelling. We are working on exciting projects such as Avatar: The Last Airbender feature film, Netflix's Ghostbusters animated series and Stranger Things animated series, as well as our production Tales From Outer Suburbia by Shaun Tan.

*Prioritising candidates based in Sydney, no remote opportunities available.*

We’re looking for a Senior Lighting TD to work closely with our CG Supervisors and Assets TD on a high profile CG Animated Series for a major streaming network.

The Senior Lighting TD will liaise with them on coding and creating tools to streamline processes in Maya and Katana for predominantly the Assets & Lighting teams, as well as being responsible for debugging issues and finding solutions to avoid recurring problems.

About the role:

• Troubleshoot and debug technical issues related to asset workflows, including performance optimisation and rendering problems.
• Develop and maintain Maya and Katana tools to streamline asset creation, management and deployment.
• Develop and maintain Katana tools for Lighting and the upkeep of Katana templates.
• Collaborate closely with other departments, such as modelling, texturing, lighting and compositing, to ensure seamless integration of assets.
• Taking a proactive and solutions-driven approach to any technical problems experienced by crew, or escalated by leads or supervisors
• Work within a team and maintain good team dynamics.
• Self-manage and complete tasks within production deadlines.
• Communicate and seek information when necessary.

About you:

• Minimum 3 years of high-end feature film VFX and/or Animation experience.
• At least 5 years of experience with software packages such as Maya, Katana, Substance, and Nuke (experience in Houdini is considered a bonus).
• Advanced knowledge and experience in Python (experience with Katana LUA is a bonus).
• Strong troubleshooting and debugging skills, particularly in asset workflows.
• In-depth knowledge of rendering technologies such as Arnold or similar renderers.
• Familiarity with Shotgrid API and Shotgrid Toolkit is a plus.
• Ability to support, assist, and mentor other team members.
• A thorough knowledge of the animation pipeline from modelling, surfacing, grooming, rendering through to compositing.
• A demonstrated understanding of shading networks.

What do we do?

Flying Bark Productions is a renowned independent producer of family-focused animation entertainment. For over 50 years, our 2D and 3D production facility has created award-winning feature films and TV series.

Why work with us?

• We work on some pretty cool projects - check out our website: https://www.flyingbark.com.au/
• We have an industry leading studio space in Alexandria, complete with a cinema, quiet room, Zen Garden, games room, and state of the art animation facilities.
• Breakfast is served daily - on us!
• We have cake days, movie nights, wrap parties & a culture club dedicated to coordinating our busy social calendar!
• The Barkers have big hearts too, with our Paws for a Cause fundraising arm raising much needed funds for charities such as Beyond Blue, RSPCA and the Cancer Council.
• We love dogs and you will often see some of our regular fluffy companions in the studio.
• We have a hybrid approach to work with flexible work from home days on offer.
• Career development is important to us so we offer training and support opportunities whenever possible.
• Our employees say our culture is the best they've ever experienced - everyone is welcome and celebrated!
• You'll have access to mental health resources and free counselling via our Employee Assistance Provider, Support Act.
• Enjoy holistic wellbeing support through discounted health insurance with Bupa, financial wellbeing initiatives from our superannuation partner Media Super, and access to staff qualified in Mental Health First Aid.

Flying Bark Productions is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer.