Fx Pipeline Technical Director

Summary

Join our team as an FX Pipeline TD and collaborate with artists and engineers to design, develop, and maintain custom tools and workflows within our USD-backed, Houdini-based FX pipeline. You will extend Houdini's capabilities through scripting and plugin development, integrate Houdini into our asset management system, and work with users to define tool requirements. Collaboration with other TDs and engineers to improve the pipeline is crucial. You will also provide support for existing tools and users. This role requires significant experience in Houdini, Python, and relevant FX technologies. On-site work in Hillsboro, OR, with remote work eligibility is available.

Requirements

• 4+ years of experience developing custom tools and workflows relevant to FX within an animation or VFX studio environment
• Experience developing with Python including familiarity with best practices, the Python core library, and industry standard libraries such as PySide and pytest, as well as Houdini’s domain specific languages - Vex and Hscript
• Experience integrating Houdini into a production pipeline, leveraging its various API
• Experience designing and authoring Houdini Digital Assets
• Experience with USD and its various APIs, both stand alone and in Solaris
• Experience with one or more production grade renderers, such as Renderman
• Experience with SCM tools such as Git and GitLab

Responsibilities

• Extend the capabilities of Houdini through custom scripts, digital assets, and plugins, collaborating with production and facility leadership to target high value projects and addressing the needs of FX artists, as well as various other departments to integrate Houdini into respective workflows
• Collaborate with the technology team to integrate Houdini-authored products into the asset management system
• Work with non-technical end users to help define requirements for novel tools and develop prototypes for systems that solve production problems
• Collaborate with other pipeline TDs and engineers to evolve the core pipeline by incorporating technological advances and addressing the evolving requirements of a growing facility
• Assist in the integration of Houdini into the production pipeline as identified by production and technology leadership
• Follow the processes and procedures of the software development life cycle, build and release system, and documentation and testing standards used in Technology
• Provide support of existing tools via bug fixes and version updates
• Support users on Linux with FX and Houdini related inquiries
• Support applications through documentation, training, and handling questions

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with additional DCCs such as Maya, Katana, Terragen, and/or Nuke
• Experience with Linux

Benefits

• On-site in Hillsboro, OR and eligible for remote work
• Salary is commensurate with skills and experience