UK Only | Maya TD

Vfxwire; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 42,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

Blue Zoo in the UK is seeking an experienced Maya TD to be the front-line technical support for our animation and lighting artists. You will triage tickets, diagnose Maya issues, and guide artists to fixes while learning our publishing workflows.

This hands-on role requires strong problem-solving, clear communication with technical and non-technical colleagues, and the ability to work with production teams on TV series and broadcast projects.

Qualifications

• Deep, proven production experience with Maya and the pipeline tools.
• Able to diagnose and resolve Maya animation and lighting issues in production.
• Familiar with Maya-based animation pipelines (references, asset hand-offs, scene structure, render setup).
• Experience with Redshift.
• Ability to reproduce an issue, find root cause, and fix quickly.
• Strong communication with both technical and non-technical artists.
• Experience with ShotGrid or ftrack for production tracking.
• Knowledge of Python (and MEL) scripting; a plus for small helper scripts.
• Windows-based experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• Act as first contact for artist support tickets; triage and prioritise the queue.
• Diagnose and resolve Maya animation and lighting issues and related pipeline tools.
• Troubleshoot scenes, references, rigs, lighting, publishing and render problems.
• Communicate clearly with artists and keep progress updates.
• Escalate complex issues with reproducible write-ups.
• Share quick fixes and short guides to prevent recurrence.
• Be online during core studio hours to cover the queue.
• Keep support documentation and FAQs up to date.
• Handle multiple tickets and projects; prioritise tasks.
• Learn on the job and stay up to date with studio tools.

Skills

Maya expertise

Maya pipeline knowledge

Redshift experience

Problem-solving

Communication skills

ShotGrid / ftrack

Python scripting

Windows familiarity

Tools

Maya tools

Job description

About The Role

We are looking for an experienced & enthusiastic Maya TD to be a front-line technical support point for our animation and lighting artists. Day to day, you'll be the person that artists come to when Maya, or the pipeline tools around it, isn't behaving. You'll diagnose and resolve problems across animation and lighting, and get people unblocked quickly through our support ticket queue. To do that well you'll get to know our publishing workflows, which you'll be able to pick up on the job.

This is a hands‑on problem‑solving role. Your priority is triaging incoming tickets, reproducing and diagnosing Maya issues, and guiding artists to a fix with patience and clarity. You'll draw on a deep, practical knowledge of Maya to work out why something's broken and the quickest way to get the artist moving again. Success in this role is measured by artists feeling well looked after and getting back to creating quickly

The successful candidate will need excellent problem-solving skills combined with the ability to communicate clearly with both technical and non-technical artists, demonstrating patience and confidence under pressure.

You'll be part of our technical team, working closely with production and with the animation and lighting department leads. Most of your day will be spent supporting artists on our TV series and broadcast animation projects.

We are very happy to discuss flexible, hybrid and remote working options for all our vacancies.

The successful candidate will need to be based in the UK and will require the right to work in the UK.

Day to Day:

• Act as the first point of contact for artist support tickets, triaging and prioritising the queue so the most urgent, production-critical issues are handled first.
• Diagnose and resolve a wide range of Maya animation and lighting issues, along with problems in the related Maya pipeline tools artists use every day: reproduce the problem, find the root cause, and get the artist to a resolution.
• Get hands‑on inside artists' scenes to troubleshoot everything from scene setup, references and rigs through to lighting, publishing and render problems.
• Communicate clearly and kindly with animation and lighting artists, translating technical detail into plain language and keeping people updated on progress.
• Escalate complex or systemic issues to the wider technical team with clear, reproducible write‑ups.
• Spot recurring problems and share quick fixes, tips or short guides so the same issue doesn't keep coming back.
• Be online and available to artists during core studio hours, keeping the queue covered through the working day.
• Keep support documentation and FAQs up to date so common issues can be self‑served by artists.
• React and respond quickly to production needs and handle a busy, high‑pressure ticket queue.
• Juggle multiple tickets and projects at once and logically prioritise tasks.
• Constantly learn on the job, staying up to date with new tools and techniques across the studio's toolset.

About You

Must Have:

• Deep, proven production experience with Maya and the pipeline tools that sit around it.
• Demonstrable Maya problem‑solving, with real examples of diagnosing and resolving animation and lighting issues in production that you can talk through at interview.
• Familiarity with how a Maya-based animation pipeline fits together (references, asset hand‑offs between departments, scene structure and render setup), enough to know where a problem sits and when to raise. You'll pick up our own publishing workflows on the job.
• Experience working with & using Redshift
• Ability to reproduce an issue, work out the root cause, and find the fastest route to a fix
• Confident in troubleshooting across animation, lighting and rendering.
• Strong Production experience in a Maya-based animation studio (using Redshift).
• Comfortable working in a studio production environment and with production‑tracking tools such as ShotGrid / ftrack.
• Working knowledge of Python (and ideally MEL) to investigate issues and knock together small helper scripts is a plus, but this is a support role rather than a development one.
• Windows based experience is preferred (rather than Linux based).
• Excellent written and verbal communication with both technical and non‑technical colleagues.
• Strong analytical and decision‑making skills.
• Calm and organised under pressure, able to prioritise a busy queue without dropping the ball.
• A fast, pro‑activ learner able to work autonomously as well as collaboratively within the team
• A good understanding of a production pipeline and how work flows between departments.
• Genuinely enjoys helping people and takes pride in unblocking artists quickly.

About Us

Blue Zoo is a leading animation studio in the UK, with a world‑class reputation as the go‑to place for creating bold, fun and characterful animation. Established in London in 2000, the studio has grown to become the largest dedicated CG animation studio in the UK, picking up a shelf full of BAFTAs, an Annie and an Emmy along the way!

We couldn’t be prouder that Blue Zoo is the first major animation studio in the world to receive B Corp certification. We’ve been independently certified by B Lab, a non‑profit organisation who award the B Corp certification. The certification verifies companies who are working to improve the lives of employees as well as industries as a whole. The certification process involves over 170 rigorous metrics to improve the lives of our staff, customers, suppliers, and the local community, ensuring we are not just saying we are ethical with empty gestures, but independently evidencing it.

We are going through an exciting period of growth and are building a studio that is full of amazingly talented, happy artists, making work they are proud of, which in turn makes a small contribution to a happier world. Blue Zoo believes that a healthy balance in our lives - whatever our situation - is key to supporting the wellbeing of our staff. We offer flexible working to support this.

We look for people who have expertise, enthusiasm and are motivated to make things better. You’ll work alongside a talented and diverse group of people who respect each other's differences and seek to understand and embrace fresh perspectives.

What we’ve got for you:

• Winner of Broadcast Best Places to Work in TV 2019, 2020, 2022, 2024, 2025 & 2026.
• Inclusive self‑funded shorts programme.
• Many fun in person and remote social events throughout the year.
• Bi‑monthly employee feedback and engagement programme.
• Comprehensive benefits package, including loads of discounts and offers.
• Online wellbeing programme.
• Profit share (for employees who have been with us for 2+ years).

Blue Zoo is committed to creating and nurturing an inclusive studio that promotes and values diversity and invites everyone to ‘bring their whole selves’ to work.

We believe that companies that truly embrace and value diversity, and create an environment where everyone from any background can do their best work, are better companies.

To be engaged our people have to feel included and valued.

We work hard to build and nurture a culture where inclusiveness is embedded in the way we work, not just an initiative.

We strive to engender a studio community that feels a deep sense of pride and commitment that transcends any role, department or level and works together to produce excellent and engaging work.