Head of Lighting, CG

Wildbrain Studios; Canada; Hybrid; CAD 125,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

An innovative studio is seeking a visionary Head of Lighting to lead a talented team in creating stunning visuals for animated productions. This role combines creativity and technical expertise, allowing you to shape lighting processes and mentor emerging talent. You'll collaborate closely with various departments to ensure that lighting enhances storytelling and visual style. With a focus on innovation, you'll implement best practices while enjoying a supportive workplace culture that prioritizes employee wellbeing. Join a dynamic team dedicated to excellence in animation and make a significant impact in the industry.

Benefits

RRSP matching

Multi-tiered benefits

Free mental health resources

Half-days in summer

Extra holidays in winter

Regular team events

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience leading Lighting teams in productions.
• Strong knowledge of CG pipelines and lighting integration.

Responsibilities

• Lead and define Lighting processes and workflows.
• Mentor Lighting Supervisors and foster a collaborative team.

Skills

Lighting processes

Gaffer

Katana

Maya

Nuke

Unreal Engine

Rendering software

Python programming

Communication skills

Tools

Arnold

RenderMan

Flow Production Tracking

Job description

General information

Reference number2025-4555Job title

Head of Lighting, CG

Overview

WildBrain is looking for a CG Head of Lighting to join our studio and lead the creative and technical direction of our lighting department.

As Head of Lighting you will lead our lighting department creatively and develop new processes and standards to push innovation, quality, efficiency, and the continued evolution of our lighting workflows across all premium productions.

Reporting to the Head of Technology, you will work at the intersection of art, technology, and leadership; defining best practices, mentoring teams, and ensuring lighting contributes meaningfully to the storytelling and overall visual style of our animated content. You will implement studio best practices for premium animation production while pushing the creative possibilities of this department. This role is both visionary and hands-on, supporting department growth, innovation, and production-ready solutions.

Responsibilities & Qualifications

What You'll Do:

• Define and re-evaluate our Lighting processes, workflows and tools to support and further the Lighting department’s toolset in conjunction with production and pipeline
• Develop Lighting rigs and resources that streamline the efficiency of production
• Partner with the Pipeline team to develop tools that support the needs of the department
• Participate in new project bids defining capabilities, costs, and process
• Mentor Lighting Supervisors and help foster a high-performing, collaborative team environment. Collaborate with fellow Heads of Departments to ensure our teams continue to work together towards the same goals and timelines
• Manage the recruitment, development, succession planning and casting of the Lighting department working primarily through your direct reports the studios Lighting Supervisors
• Provide feedback, assessments and recommendations to Senior Management to improve the quality and performance of the Lighting/Compositing pipeline
• Evaluate development and pre-production work from a creative perspective to drive results
• In development, supervise CG tests and be on the box if necessary to execute lighting tasks
  
  

What You'll Bring:

• 5+ years’ experience leading and supervising Lighting teams in feature and/or episodic productions
• Demonstrable knowledge of modern Lighting practices in Gaffer, Katana, Maya, Nuke or Unreal Engine and their application in breaking down complex Lighting problems to solutions achievable within budget and schedule
• Extensive knowledge of rendering softwares or real-time engines such as Arnold, RenderMan or Unreal Engine
  Deep understanding of lighting rig creation, look development, and asset-based workflows
• A passion for building up and mentoring others to be better supervisors and artist
• Strong knowledge of CG pipelines and how lighting integrates within them
• Good knowledge of Flow Production Tracking (formerly known as ShotGrid)
• Ability to troubleshoot complex problems across both creative and technical domains

Nice to Have:

• Experience working in studios with multiple concurrent projects
• Familiarity with USD workflows and real-time rendering pipelines.
• Experience developing with Python, or other object-oriented programming language
• Experience defining and collaborating on tools and software in a production environment
• Strong knowledge on how to build Render Layers/Setup and templates in Gaffer, Katana or Solaris.
• Exceptional communication skills in dealing with both technical and artistic groups

Why WildBrain

We make sure to take care of all our hard-working Wild Brains by offering a comprehensive benefits package and a workplace culture that values our employees’ wellbeing. Our staff enjoy RRSP matching, multi-tiered benefits so you can pick the coverage that’s best for you, free mental health resources, and additional perks like half-days in the summer, extra holidays in the winter and regular events to connect our teams virtually, and in-person.

In short – life is good on the Wild side!

Visit wildbrain.com/studios to learn more!

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" WildBrain Studio provides an atmosphere free from barriers to promote inclusion, equity and diversity. We demonstrate our commitment to this by providing a supportive work environment and a culture that welcomes and encourages equal opportunities for all employees. WildBrain Studio also accommodates people with disabilities throughout the selection process. Should you require accommodation, please let us know your requirements when contacted.”

Pay Range: $3175 - $3550 per week.

Candidates are paid within the range posted, but their exact pay will vary based on the level, responsibilities and expectations of the role. We also take into consideration the experience and skills that individual brings, with consideration of our internal equity

Job location

Hybrid/Flexible, Vancouver

Applicant criteria

Level of experience

Supervisor/Manager