Associate Pipeline Technical Director

Position Summary

The Associate Pipeline TD is responsible for developing and maintaining software tools, providing front-line support 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. Receives day-to-day direction and priorities from show CG Supervisor; reports to R&D supervisor for technical and career guidance.

What You’ll Do

• Develop pipeline and asset management tools to meet immediate, show-directed production demands, ensuring facility-wide consistency as directed by show and technical supervisors. Help maintain a wide array of existing workflows and scripts.
• Provide front-line production assistance across a wide range of disciplines, troubleshoot assets and shots, and help artists with general problem-solving. Monitor email requests, package up problems and redirect to the appropriate engineering team.
• Gather information about artist problems and obstacles; resolve user errors; guide artists with deeper problems to appropriate technical teams.

Test and validate tools and techniques in production. Work closely with engineering teams in testing, and releasing new and modified software systems. Act as an on-call resource for show production staff

• When not crewed to shows, serve on software teams working on projects that improve the efficiency
• Take direction from show supervisors to determine day-to-day and hour-to-hour priorities
• Work primarily on workflow tools, requiring introductory knowledge of the larger pipeline
• Develop basic knowledge of software, systems, and standards and conventions used in production
• Update documentation for the pipeline and tools to reflect any changes that are made

Education/Experience

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in Computer Science or a related technical field.
• Demonstrated experience developing and maintaining tools for use in a computer graphics environment.
• At least 2 years production experience in visual effects for film, commercials or television.

Required Skills/Competencies

• 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 understanding of the entire visual effects process, from shooting to modeling and texturing, animation, rendering and compositing

Preferred Skills/Competencies

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