Freelance: Lead FX Technical Director

Vfxwire; Northern, New York (KY, NY); Hybrid; USD 83,000 - 165,000; Full time

Job summary

Vfxwire, a leading visual effects studio, seeks a Lead FX Technical Director for a freelance engagement with our New York team. Availability from September 2026 through May 2027 is required.

Remote work is acceptable from within the USA, but a hybrid arrangement is encouraged and occasional office visits may be requested. Ideal candidates will be based in the New York area and have valid US work authorization at time of hire.

Qualifications

• Experience leading FX teams and delivering high-fidelity simulations.
• Strong understanding of character/creature dynamics, cloth, fur, hair, skin, and muscle simulations.
• Excellent collaboration with Supervisors and Artists to meet artistic and technical targets.

Responsibilities

• Lead, mentor, and supervise a team of CFX and FX Technical Directors, setting artistic and technical standards for complex character dynamics.
• Design, build, and stress-test production setups for hero FX including cloth, hair/fur, skin drift, and muscle deformation.
• Run hero-level shot simulations, sculpt, apply lighting and shaders, and produce review-ready composites for delivery.
• Partner with other departments to ensure seamless asset handoffs and resolve pipeline bottlenecks.
• Conduct regular artistic and technical reviews with clear, constructive feedback.

Skills

FX leadership

team mentorship

procedural simulations

pipeline architecture

Tools

Houdini

Maya

Job description

This is a freelance position within the New York team, candidates must be available from roughly September 2026 thru May 2027.

Remote work is acceptable (from within the USA), but hybrid is encouraged and you may need to come into the office upon request. Ideal candidates will be based in the New York area, and must have valid US work authorization at time of hire.

The Lead FX Technical Director oversees the artistic vision and technical execution of complex naturalistic physical effects while maintaining specialized authority over character and creature dynamics (cloth, fur, hair, skin, and muscle simulations).

As the Lead, you will serve as a primary technical mentor, driving best practices for procedural simulations, pipeline architecture, and physical fidelity while also acting as communication point for Supervisors and Artists for both technical and artistic decisions.

What you’ll do

• Lead, mentor, and supervise a team of CFX and FX Technical Directors, setting artistic and technical standards for complex character dynamic simulations and environmental FX
• Design, build, and stress-test production setups for complex character/creature FX (hero cloth, hair/fur groom dynamics, skin drift, and tissue/muscle deformation) alongside traditional FX
• Run hero-level shot simulations, perform shot sculpting, apply lighting and shaders, and produce reviewable composites for final delivery
• Partner with other departments to ensure seamless asset handoffs and resolve inter-departmental pipeline bottlenecks
• Conduct regular artistic and technical reviews, providing clear, constructive feedback to team members to ensure output aligns with project targets and visual expectations