Senior Look Development Technical Director - ILM London

Bodylinegym; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

ILM UK Ltd. is seeking a Senior Look Development Technical Director to drive high-quality shading for CG assets. You will collaborate with Lighting and CG Supervisors to define optimal approaches for the final look and build efficient shader setups to maximise render farm usage.

You will maintain shading libraries and address lookdev challenges across hero assets and props, ensuring production deadlines are met while working within a hybrid model requiring two on-site days per week.

Qualifications

• Design and develop computer-generated object appearances and scenes.
• Collaborate with Lighting and CG Supervisors to determine best approaches for final look.
• Create efficient shader setups to optimise render farm usage.
• Maintain standard material libraries and shading templates for consistency and pipeline efficiency.
• Develop complex, custom shading networks for hero assets as needed.
• Experience creating both hero assets and props in Look Development.

Responsibilities

• Design and build shader networks for production assets.
• Work with texture/groom teams to achieve optimal results.
• Deliver high-quality lookdev within production deadlines.
• Support large-scale environments and asset pipelines.
• Triages and resolves lookdev and shader challenges.

Skills

Shader authoring

Katana

Houdini

Maya

Render optimization

Team collaboration

Problem solving

Tools

Renderman

Houdini

Maya

Katana

Job description

Job Summary:

Position Summary We are looking for Senior Look Development Technical Directors who reflect the creative talent, collaborative mindset and passion for great filmmaking that defines ILM.

The Senior Look Development Technical Director is responsible for producing high-quality lookdev and shading for our CG assets, needing only initial direction and guidance from their Lead or Supervisor.

• Design and create the look of computer generated objects and scenes
• Work closely with Lighting Supervisors and CG Supervisors to determine the best approach to solving CG challenges when developing the final look
• Create efficient shader setups in order to optimise render farm usage
• Manage and maintain standard material libraries using established shading templates for consistency and pipeline efficiency.
• Design, implement, and maintain complex, custom shading networks and materials for high-priority ("hero") assets when bespoke solutions are required.
• Previous experience creating both hero assets & props in Look Development.
• Experience with lighting and rendering within a VFX environment
• Proven knowledge of real world materials
• Proficiency with asset optimisation
• Comprehensive knowledge of physically based rendering and shader models
• Ability to work and communicate with texture and groom artists to get the best possible results
• A strong grasp of geometry formatting, including but not limited to Primvars.
• Ability to build and maintain complex shading networks with artist usability and user-interface support in mind
• Strong ability to triage technical issues
• Ability to resolve complex lookdev challenges
• Deliver high-quality assets within production deadlines
• Proven ability to work on large-scale environments
• Knowledge of Katana is essential, Houdini and Maya beneficial
• A solid understanding of the fundamentals of neighbouring departments (FX, Texture, Groom, and Lighting)
• Excellent knowledge of Renderman or other unbiased rendering systems
• Aesthetic eye; anticipates potential problems and uses existing software knowledge to achieve the desired look
• Ability to manage multiple assets in a shot context
• Can work collaboratively within a team environment
• Ability to prioritise tasks, manage time well, provide everyone with accurate time estimates on shot task completion
• A thorough understanding of the VFX pipeline from modelling through animation, texturing, rendering and compositing
• Ability to pick up new techniques and the ability to learn new software quickly and easily

This role is Hybrid, which means the employee will be required to work a minimum of 2 days on-site per week at a Company designated location, and occasionally from home.

JoinILM

About Industrial Light & Magic:

Founded in 1975 by George Lucas, ILM is the leading effects facility in the world, serving the motion picture, commercial production, and attraction industries. ILM has created visual effects for over 325 feature films and has played a key role in seven of the top 10 worldwide box-office hits of all time and has contributed to 25 of the top 50. ILM has set the standard for visual effects, creating some of the most stunning images in the history of film. At the forefront of the digital revolution, the company continues to break new ground in visual effects, VR, AR, and Immersive Cinema.

About The Walt Disney Company:

The Walt Disney Company, together with its subsidiaries and affiliates, is a leading diversified international family entertainment and media enterprise that includes three core business segments: Disney Entertainment, ESPN, and Disney Experiences. From humble beginnings as a cartoon studio in the 1920s to its preeminent name in the entertainment industry today, Disney proudly continues its legacy of creating world-class stories and experiences for every member of the family. Disney's stories, characters and experiences reach consumers and guests from every corner of the globe. With operations in more than 40 countries, our employees and cast members work together to create entertainment experiences that are both universally and locally cherished.

This position is with ILM (UK) Ltd., which is part of a business we call Industrial Light & Magic.

ILM (UK) Ltd. is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, colour, religion or belief, sex, nationality, ethnic or national origin, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marital or civil partner status, disability or pregnancy or maternity. Disney fosters a business culture where ideas and decisions from all people help us grow, innovate, create the best stories and be relevant in a rapidly changing world.