Senior Staff R&D Engineer - All Disciplines

5 Hours ago • 15 Years +

About the job

SummaryBy Outscal

Must have:
  • Proficiency in C++ and Python on Linux
  • Knowledge of visual effects principles
  • Experience with Maya, Houdini, Katana, Mari or other commercial software
  • Experience with machine learning techniques
  • Working knowledge of standard data formats
  • Enthusiasm for designing artist-friendly interfaces
  • Appreciation of software development principles
Good to have:
  • Experience with GUI toolkits: Qt, PySide, QML
  • Experience leading and mentoring teams
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Job Summary:

Who We Are:

Industrial Light & Magic, founded in 1975 by George Lucas, has created some of the most iconic moments in motion picture history. From Star Wars to Jurassic Park, Pirates of the Caribbean, Transformers, The Avengers, theme park rides and interactive experiences, ILM continues to expand the possibilities of what visual entertainment can be.

ILM’s Research and Development (R&D) group develops the ground-breaking technology that empowers our artists to create dazzling visuals.  ILM’s innovations have won 34 Scientific and Technical Academy Awards®. Today, we are 70+ visually-minded software engineers, working side-by-side with over a thousand digital artists in a fast-paced, intensely collaborative, creative film production environment, across studios in San Francisco, Vancouver, London, Sydney, and Mumbai.

Summary of the Role:

This role is considered Hybrid, which means the employee will work 2-3 days onsite at a Company designated location and occasionally from home.

We seek engineers to join our R&D team and help us develop tools and production techniques across all areas of visual effects and feature animation production:

  • Image processing, compositing, and rotoscoping, including depth estimation, image segmentation, generative in-painting, and plate relighting.

  • Simulating natural phenomena, rigid-body destruction, crowds and procedural animation.

  • Lighting, texturing, look-development, and layered material definition.

  • Modeling, rigging, and animation of bodies and faces, including soft-body dynamic simulation of cloth, hair, and flesh.

  • Tools, structures, and pipeline systems that define how artists assemble and manage massively complex 3D scenes, and user interfaces for authoring, validating, publishing, and tracking 3D and 2D data as it moves through a network of automated batch processes.

We welcome engineers with a passion for applying the latest machine learning technology to these challenges and more!

At ILM, a good idea is a good idea, regardless of where it comes from! Do you thrive in a creative environment? Do you enjoy sharing knowledge and learning from others? If you love art, technology, and movies, then this might be the role you’re looking for.

ILM strives to be an inclusive environment, and the R&D group in particular embraces promising individuals with a variety backgrounds and experiences.

What You’ll Do:

  • A little bit of everything! Develop innovative algorithms, craft artist-friendly user interfaces, optimize data management processes, and build special purpose content creation tools that handle large-scale photo-realistic visual effects production. Occasionally, you might work on shots alongside artists. You’ll have an opportunity to lead teams and projects and influence our development where appropriate.

  • Work with engineers across all ILM’s studios, splitting time between long-term software development projects and day-to-day artist support, consultation, and problem-solving.

  • Collaborate with commercial software vendors in developing and deploying the next generation of machine-learning-based tools wherever applicable.

What to Bring:

  • Proficiency in C++ and Python on Linux.

  • Knowledge of and/or eagerness to learn principles of visual effects, potentially with a specialty such as modeling, animation, lighting, rendering, image processing, etc.

  • Experience with Maya, Houdini, Katana, Mari or other commercial software applications is helpful, but a readiness to learn works as well.

  • Experience with machine learning techniques, processes, and toolsets.

  • Working knowledge of standard data formats: OpenEXR, OpenVDB, Alembic, USD, etc. 

  • Enthusiasm for designing artist-friendly interfaces using GUI toolkits: Qt, PySide, QML, etc.  You don’t need to be a professional UX designer, but you should have a keen sense for how creative people use technology to work together in production.

  • Appreciation of software development principles: object-oriented design, test-driven development, source code management, build and release processes. 

  • Experience leading and mentoring broad multidisciplinary teams and others around you.

  • Expert level knowledge and substantial experience developing in at least one of the above listed niches within this industry.

Education / Experience:

  • BS and/or advanced degree in computer science or related field, or similar experience.

  • Typically 15+ years or demonstrated experience with professional software development and/or VFX production.

JoinILM


The hiring range for this position in Vancouver is C$153,600 to C$196,700 per year. The base pay actually offered will take into account internal equity and also may vary depending on the candidate’s geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors. A full range of medical, financial, and/or other variable pay or benefits, may be offered dependent on the level and position offered.
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About The Company

From classic animated features and exhilarating theme park attractions to cutting edge sports coverage, and the hottest shows on television, The Walt Disney Company has been making magic since 1923, creating unforgettable stories that connect with audiences around the world. And we’re just getting started!

The key to our success…. The Cast, Crew, Imagineers and Employees who honor Disney’s rich legacy by stretching the bounds of imagination to create the never-before-seen, bringing unparalleled entertainment experiences to people of all ages. Begin a career that delivers unparalleled creative content and experiences to audiences around the world and just imagine the stories you could be part of…

What is #LifeAtDisney like? It’s a series of magical moments with cast members and employees developing and telling our stories in the most innovative ways. Whether it’s a day spent as a Disney VoluntEAR, or celebrating the release of a new interactive experience, retail product or movie, our days are filled with the knowledge that we are creating entertainment experiences the whole family can enjoy. Follow @DisneyCareers on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for a peek behind-the-curtain, and discover how you could connect to a world of stories with Disney!

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