Senior Software Engineer
Job Summary
Job Description
As a Senior Software Engineer at Skydance Animation, you'll collaborate with artists and engineers to design and implement innovative workflows and cutting-edge solutions for the in-house character tool suite. Responsibilities include architecting and implementing a robust Python toolset for character assembly, collaborating on new workflows, evaluating code quality, developing scalable solutions integrating with DCC applications (Maya, Houdini), and mentoring team members. You'll need proficiency in Python, Qt, software architecture, and strong communication skills. The role demands a passion for collaborating with artists and engineers to solve filmmaking challenges and a strong understanding of character workflows, real-time animation, and geometry processing.
Must have:
- 5+ years VFX/animation experience
- Proficiency in Python & Qt
- Strong software architecture skills
- Experience with Maya/Houdini
- Excellent communication & teamwork
Good to have:
- C/C++ proficiency
- Knowledge of character rigging, animation, and CFX
- Understanding of real-time animation techniques
15 skills required
Job Details
Skydance offers a dynamic, inclusive, and ever-evolving culture where innovative ideas are welcomed, and growth fostered. The partnership between unique creativity and technological advancements are demonstrated within each pillar of the company. At the heart of it all is a commitment to boldly entertaining and relevant storytelling.
While all Animation studios look to hire people who are creative and hard-working, Skydance Animation is specifically looking for pioneers who seek to push the limits of what the world’s most collaborative art form can achieve, and to give those pioneers the space and the resources to build a new studio that’s doing something different.
For information on Skydance’s privacy practices, see the Skydance U.S. Personnel Privacy Notice located at https://skydance.com/privacy-personnel/.
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As a Senior Software engineer, you will partner with artists from modeling, rigging, animation, character effects (CFX) crowds, also engineers, and other stakeholders to design and implement innovative workflows and cutting-edge solutions, enhancing our in-house suite of character tools.
Responsibilities
- Architects and implements a robust Python toolset to streamline the character assembly pipeline, ensuring modularity, scalability, and maintainability.
- Collaborates with artists and technical teams to gather requirements and design new workflows and tools that enhance character-creation processes.
- Evaluates code quality and performance while contributing to the overall architectural design of the Python codebase within the Characters team.
- Develops scalable solutions that integrate into various Digital Content Creation (DCC) applications, such as Autodesk Maya and SideFX Houdini.
- Fosters a collaborative team environment, supporting technical guidelines and methodologies such as Agile and Scrum.
- Mentors team members by providing technical guidance and best practices.
- Demonstrates technical leadership through innovation and problem-solving.
- Builds strong relationships with peers, supervisors, stakeholders, and other teams across the studio.
- Keeps up on current artistic methodologies and on technology trends and tools that best suit the production and the company in the development of a stronger creative and technical environment.
- Works together with the team providing them with support, guidance and instruction in areas that contribute towards their artistic and professional growth. (mandatory)
- Follows the Supervisor’s and Lead's guidance.
Requirements
- 5+ years in VFX or animation industries.
- 3+ years in the animation industry.
- Experience designing and developing complex user-facing software, preferably in a studio environment.
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related field—or equivalent industry experience.
- Proficiency in Python, with the ability to write clear, testable, and maintainable code.
- Experience developing user-facing interfaces with Qt (PyQt/PySide), designing intuitive, responsive, and production-ready tools for artists and technical users.
- Strong understanding of software architecture and design patterns to create scalable, maintainable, and efficient tools.
- Experience with performance measurement, profiling, and analysis tools.
- Strong communication, teamwork, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to balance speed and sustainability in solutions.
- Ability to prioritize competing demands based on business value.
- Passion for collaborating with in-house artists and engineers to prototype, develop, and support solutions to our filmmaking challenges.
- Knowledge of character workflows, particularly in rigging, animation and CFX.
- Strong understanding of real-time animation, graphics techniques, and geometry processing algorithms.
- Strong mathematical fundamentals, including linear algebra, statistics, and numerical methods.
- Proficiency in C/C++, ideally C++11/14.
- High English level.
- Spanish desirable.
#Animation #LI-Hybrid
Skydance is a diversified media company founded by David Ellison in 2010 to create high quality, event-level entertainment for global audiences. The Company brings to life stories of immersive worlds across its feature film, television, interactive, and animation divisions.
Skydance is proud to be an equal opportunity employer committed to building and fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workforce. We welcome and consider applicants for employment regardless of race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, citizenship, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, pregnancy status, military/veteran status, disability, or any other protected category. Diversity in the workplace is not just a commitment, it is who we are and a reflection of what makes our world special.
Recruitment Fraud Alert
It has come to our attention that there may be fraudulent activity by individuals impersonating our Talent Acquisition team. Skydance will only contact you from an official “@skydance.com” email address. If you suspect that you are being contacted by an unauthorized person or believe that the correspondence you have received is suspicious, please do not click on any links or attachments in such emails and submit any questions or concerns to our information security team at information.security@skydance.com.
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