Pipeline Technical Director

One Of Us; City Of London; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading production studio in London is seeking a Pipeline Technical Director to enhance their production tools and workflows centered on Houdini and USD technologies. This role involves collaborating closely with artists, troubleshooting issues, and documenting processes. Ideal candidates should have experience in pipeline development and be proficient in Python. The position offers a flexible working pattern with the expectation of working in the office two days per week.

Benefits

25 days holiday, plus bank holidays

Company pension and life insurance

Medicash healthcare cash plan

Qualifications

• Experience in pipeline development for Maya and Houdini.
• Proficient in Python programming.
• Solid understanding of production pipelines and workflows.

Responsibilities

• Provide expert technical support to artists across multiple shows.
• Troubleshoot and resolve pipeline/tool-related issues.
• Create documentation to support adoption and change management.

Skills

Houdini

USD technologies

Python

Linux environments

Communication skills

Troubleshooting

Education

Degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

ShotGrid

PySide / PyQt

Version control (e.g., Git, Perforce)

Job description

As a Pipeline Technical Director (Pipeline TD), you will be instrumental in driving the development and maintenance of our production tools and workflows, with a primary focus on Houdini and USD technologies. While your core responsibilities will center on these areas, you will also provide flexible support across other disciplines as needed, ensuring the smooth operation of our tools and pipelines across multiple award-winning shows.

Our Pipeline TDs are highly technical and creative problem solvers who collaborate closely with artists and production teams to deliver efficient, artist-friendly solutions.

Responsibilities

• Provide expert technical support to artists across multiple shows and departments
• Troubleshoot, resolve, or escalate pipeline and tool-related issues
• Contribute to pipeline development projects, including coding, code reviews, and production testing to enhance efficiency and user experience
• Participate in regular sprint planning, demos, and retrospectives to share progress and gather feedback
• Collaborate closely with production and project management to deliver development milestones on schedule
• Work with show and department leadership to collect and implement stakeholder feedback
• Create clear, comprehensive documentation to support adoption and change management
• Assist in scoping and leading development projects under the guidance of the Head of Pipeline and Pipeline Leads, aligned with the broader pipeline roadmap
• Demonstrable experience in pipeline development for both Maya and Houdini
• Demonstrable experience developing USD tools, workflows, and supporting backend technologies
• Demonstrable experience using PySide / PyQt
• Excellent proficiency in Python and strong familiarity with Linux environments
• Solid understanding of production pipelines, workflows, and industry-standard tools used in Animation and VFX
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to effectively support both technical developers and non-technical artists

Nice to Have

• Experience with ShotGrid and ShotGrid Toolkit
• Degree in Computer Science, Computer Graphics, or a related field
• Experience implementing Machine Learning based tools in a VFX environment
• Familiarity with software engineering principles and best practices
• Experience with build systems and version control (e.g., Git, Perforce)

Benefits

• 25 days holiday, plus bank holidays
• 5 days carers leave per year
• 2 paid volunteering days per calendar year
• Company pension and life insurance
• Medicash healthcare cash plan
• A calendar full of wrap parties and other social events

Hours and location

09:30 - 18:30. We have a great office in Old Street where you would be based and given the nature of the role you would be required to work from the office 2 days of the week.

Flexibility - We’re open to variations in working patterns providing you can manage the demands of the role so please talk to us about your preferences when you apply.