Netflix Procedural Assets & FX Technical Director 

Canada, British Columbia, Vancouver 

266153820

Job Summary:

What You’ll Do:

• Understand the visual requirements for productions, and suggest new technologies, or design procedures, techniques, and tools that will enable these to be met.

• Provide technical expertise and guidance for all technology within the Procedural Assets & FX department.

• Lead the direction, evolution & maintenance of the technology within the Procedural Assets & FX Department.

• Design, develop, and write well-maintainable and consistently high-quality code.

• Track and resolve the most complex technical issues within Procedural Assets & FX in partnership with Lead TDs, Supervising TDs & R&D.

• Work closely with other TD’s within Procedural Assets & FX to drive the technical success of key development initiatives.

• Ensure that technology, tools, and procedures within the Procedural Assets & FX Craft Group support the creative process.

• Provide solutions to visual problems through existing tools or by leading the implementation of new tools.

• Take responsibility for the troubleshooting & optimization of the Procedural Assets, CFX, Crowd, and FX tools, software, and workflows.

• Actively drive the QA, technical testing, and validation of new technology, tool releases, or pipeline changes, such that artist workflow is not impacted.

• Understand the processes of adjoining departments, provide input where required to maximize pipeline efficiency and quality.

• Actively participate in brainstorming and problem-solving, contributing technical expertise and insight, to create and maintain technology within the canonical production pipeline.

• Support the organisation’s overall technical goals as required.

• Be aware of the deadlines for own development initiatives (both show-based, and facility) and actively engage in keeping these on track.

• Continuously monitor the scope of the most technically challenging development initiatives within the Procedural Assets & FX department and help to ensure scope adjustments have additional estimates, etc.

• Prioritise and break down technical projects into organised parts.

• Work with the Supervising TD to prepare estimates and pitches as required.

• Work with Supervising TD for Procedural Assets & FX to provide technical guidance to Procedural Assets & FX TD’s with day-to-day issues and escalation through the right channels when necessary.

• Work with Technology Talent Management and Supervising TDs to help further develop the skills and abilities of mid-level TDs within the Procedural Assets & FX Craft Group.

• Mentor mid-level TDs within the team and assist in orientation with senior new starters.

• Create synergies between different work groups to promote efficiency and optimization and to generate innovative ideas and approaches to how we do things.

• Strong communication skills for technical ideas, project status, problems, requirements, rollout plans, etc.

• Able to communicate with Program Managers to contribute to scheduling and planning of complex technology initiatives.

• Able to discuss complex issues with Senior Software engineers, developers, and supervisors.

• Able to present to small teams (tool demos, Show Contract process, Support Dashboards, etc.).

• Good written communication skills for specs, tickets, status updates, etc.

What You’ll Need:

• Relevant education in software engineering and/or film creation process.

• 5+ years of proven pipeline TD experience in large-scale animated features, animated TV series, and/or VFX feature films.

• Proven technical achievements within feature animation or VFX.

• An understanding of traditional techniques appropriate to the Procedural Assets & FX craft group.

• Comprehensive experience using and troubleshooting in Maya, Houdini, Nuke, and/or other similar software in the animation domain.

• Comprehensive understanding of technical details within the Procedural Assets & FX department.

• Ability to code review and troubleshoot problems as they arise.

• Expert knowledge in Python as well as PyQt or another GUI toolkit.

• Knowledge of concepts like data flow, data dependencies, metadata, publishing, and retrieval.

• Solid understanding of C++ a plus.

• A strong understanding of USD and its general concepts.

• Knowledge of Flow Production Tracking (shotgrid).

• Knowledge of code management software such as git and github and code review processes.

• Knowledge of software development practices such as Agile and how to apply them in software such as Jira.

• Degree in Animation, Film, Computer Science, Design, Engineering, Math or Physics, or equivalent combination of education & work experience in animation/VFX.
  

Job is open for no less than 7 days and will be removed when the position is filled.