Creature Supervisor

ILM builds interactive experiences for Virtual and Augmented Reality and other emerging platforms.  Our mission is to tell stories in new ways that leverage real-time graphics on ultra high-end hardware.  We combine techniques from film VFX production with techniques from the video game industry to produce real-time experiences of the highest fidelity.

We are looking for a real-time Creature Supervisor to supervise a team of exceptional artists by both personally setting the bar in terms of skill-level, and managing artists’ performance. This role is responsible for establishing the techniques and processes that bridge the gap between experienced artists/animators and programmers through ownership of the character/prop animation pipeline and implementation of tools to efficiently facilitate the creation of animated assets.

This role is considered Hybrid, which means the employee will work 2-3 days onsite at our San Francisco office and occasionally from home.

What You'll Do

• Lead a team of real-time Creature Technical Directors (“Creature TDs”) in creating and supporting a complete character pipeline to  accomplish ILM’s mission. Develop and hone the team’s skills to continuously raise the quality bar.

• Set the discipline’s standard for artistic and technical excellence, efficiency and performance by creating exemplary work that meets project requirements, and providing training and guidance to direct reports.  

• Work closely with artistic directors, cross-functional peers and product owners to achieve the artistic vision of the director(s) and deliver the highest quality characters possible.

• Oversee the optimization of animated assets to achieve optimal scene performance in the 3D engine.

• Collaborate with tools engineers to develop appropriate art pipelines, scripts, and plug-ins necessary to ensure the high productivity of the animators and artists. When the development of systems is required, contribute to the visual prototyping of tools, as well as R&D with systems programmers. 

• Work with Producers in the planning stages of proposed projects to advise on the scope of the work and resource requirements, and make recommendations accordingly.  Work with production to provide task estimates, track progress, and solve production issues that arise.

• Establish best practices and workflow for the discipline, and partner with other discipline supervisors to establish cross-functional workflow with other disciplines.  

• Through continuing hands-on work on projects, maintain deep knowledge and user experience on workflow and tools.  Innovate discipline workflow and keep up to date on new tools/applications/trends in the industry.

• Collaborate with Talent Managers to inform talent planning, provide guidance on casting assignments, and offer feedback to support artist growth, skill development, and career goals. Partner with Talent Management and Recruiting on staffing needs and contribute to the evaluation of potential third-party production partners, working with new vendors to define and implement effective workflows.

• Set the cultural tone & reinforce positive behavior within your group. Work with studio leadership  to define and continually refine and shape the team culture.

• Define the discipline’s ‘Lead Artist’ project role per project.  Help project leads solve scope, workflow, etc. issues throughout the project as needed.

• Speak on behalf of the discipline in technology development discussions to ensure that new development aligns with the discipline’s strategy and workflow.

What We're Looking For

• Undergraduate or graduate degree in game development, digital art, computer graphics, game design, or related field or equivalent experience.

• Minimum of 10 years experience in game development as a Character Technical Artist (or equivalent) and a minimum of 3 shipped/released AAA titles as a Lead artist.

• Expertise in Maya rigging techniques and experience with being responsible for supporting animation workflows and developing character pipelines and tools on a AAA product.

• Experience leading and mentoring artists and helping them develop and grow their skills.

• Artistic eye with advanced understanding of the creation & integration of 3D art & animation.

• Advanced working knowledge of all the DCC standard software (Maya, 3Ds Max, ZBrush, Photoshop, Substance Tools) and end-to-end content creation pipeline.

• Excellent technical knowledge and familiarity with AAA game engines, particularly Unreal Engine.

• Experience in tools and pipeline engineering utilizing Python, PySide/PyQt, and Maya API/Mel scripting.

• Experience with source control via Perforce or equivalent.

• Collaborative, team-player attitude: open & receptive to new ideas, constructive criticism, artistic direction and changes.

• Experience leading artists to meet deadlines and mentoring artists to help them develop and grow their skills.

• Strategic and analytical thinker with exceptional execution and problem-solving capabilities

• Excellent communication skills, especially with regards to illustrating technical processes.

• Experience in and passion for real-time graphics and content creation for emerging platforms (XR, etc.)

• Portfolio that demonstrates professional tech art experience in the following areas: programming, tools and pipeline building, content management and optimization, character modeling, rigging, and animation.

Nice to Have

• Computer Science Degree or equivalent experience programming in C# or C++

• People-management experience

• Experience managing outsourced work.

* A portfolio / reel submission - including a detailed breakdown of your work in each section - is required with all applications.

The hiring range for this position in San Francisco, CA is $142,900 to $187,500 per year. The base pay actually offered will take into account internal equity and also may vary depending on the candidate’s geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors. A bonus and/or long-term incentive units may be provided as part of the compensation package, in addition to the full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the level and position offered.