Animation Assistant Technical Director

Sony Pictures Imageworks is located on the unceded traditional territory of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations. We are committed to respecting traditional lands, and working with communities towards reconciliation.

Sony Pictures Imageworks Canada Inc.

658 Homer Street., Suite 405, Vancouver, BC, V6B 2R4

Language in work environment - English

Benefits per company policy: include healthcare, tuition reimbursement, RRSP's, Sick and Vacation leave, standard increases as applicable

Summary
Reporting to the Pipeline Supervisor and Technical Supervising Animator, as well as the HOCA and Supervising Animators on their designated production, an Animation Associate Technical Director (Anim ATD) will be involved in the creation, development and ongoing support of a high-end animation pipeline and pipeline workflows.
Their main focus is improved efficiency and optimization of animation workflows and tools, as well as prototyping tools, and utilities to support the animation team.
This is a service-oriented role, working between productions and development, and the Anim ATD should have a helpful, proactive and accommodating personality. Candidates should have a strong passion for animation and computer graphics, bringing artistic visions to life with a focus on creative problem solving.

Role Specifics

• Optimize animation workflows by leveraging automation and defining best practices.
• Work alongside other show anim ATDs to assist the team in optimizing and reducing scene or workflow complexities.
• Coordinate with the Supervising Animators to proactively implement optimizations for sequences or assets.
• Develop and maintain scripts, tools and utilities for the animation team.
• Work in and understand the Imageworks’ proprietary animation pipeline.
• Help author tool or workflow specific training materials.
• Assist artists with technical issues anywhere in the production pipeline.
• Work closely with the pipeline department to evaluate and support best practices.
• Identify workflow inefficiencies and work with artists and the pipeline teams to build scripts, tools and/or systems to improve them.

Communication

• Provide regular updates to the Supervising Animators and Pipeline Supervisor on progress, and challenges on the production. 
• Communicate progress and challenges to the Animation HOD, Technical Supervising Animator, and animation development team, providing show context when needed.
• Actively participate in support chats, spotlights and department meetings, ensuring a broad understanding of best practices, workflows and tools in the animation team.
• Collaborate with other departments to address creative and technical dependencies.
• Work closely with the Supervising Animators on best practices and proactively help them solve sequence or asset related issues

Qualifications

• Strong interest in Visual Development, Film, Animation and general computer graphics is a plus
• Good Knowledge of Maya. Unreal Engine and Houdini are a plus.
• Programming experience in Python.
• C++ experience is a plus
• Excellent problem-solving and interpersonal skills.
• Bash/cshell/Linux knowledge.
• Experience in code-sharing, revision control is a plus.
• Experience with Docker or other software distribution systems.
• Some basic knowledge or experience as a 3D or 2D artist is a plus.
• Undergraduate or Graduate degree in Computing Science a plus.
• Individuals with a growth mindset eager to learn, ask questions, and unafraid to try, fail, and iterate.
• Confident in their abilities and knowledge, yet open to feedback and seeking improvement.

The anticipated base salary for this position is $25.96 to $34.62/hr CAD. Benefits are per company policy: which include healthcare, tuition reimbursement, RRSP's, Sick and Vacation leave, standard increases as applicable. The actual base salary offered will depend on a variety of factors, including without limitation, the qualifications of the individual applicant for the position, years of relevant experience, level of education attained, certifications or other professional licenses held, and if applicable, the location of the position.

We value unique perspectives, and want diverse, unique talent to work with us.  We encourage candidates from all identities to apply.

*Sony Pictures Entertainment is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, colour, religion, sex, national origin, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, or other protected characteristics.