Pipeline Technical Director

Job Description

Description

Position at Industrial Light & Magic

The 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 appropriate engineering team
• 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
• Work effectively with artists, production supervisors, and technical staff across ILM studios in San Francisco, Vancouver, Singapore, and London
• When not crewed to shows, serve on software teams working on projects that improve the efficiency of asset setup, caching, and shot-data handoff between artists across the entire pipeline
• 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
• Provide front-line assistance and gather information about artist problems and obstacles; resolve user errors; guide artists with deeper problems to appropriate technical support
• 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

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 a computer graphics environment
• At least 2 years production experience in visual effects for film, commercials or television
• Proficiency in Linux
• Strong 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 trouble shooter
• Good 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 a plus

Jobcode: Reference SBJ-r09y66-3-142-35-75-42 in your application.