Senior FX TD Lead - Creature Dynamics & Houdini Expert

Framestore Limited; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 111,000 - 148,000; Full time

Job summary

Framestore Limited in New York is seeking a Lead FX Technical Director for a freelance engagement from Sept 2026 through May 2027. The role combines artistic leadership with technical execution of complex naturalistic effects for characters and creatures.

Remote work is allowed from within the USA, but a hybrid setup is encouraged and on-site meetings may be requested in the New York area. Ideal candidates will have strong Houdini, Maya, Python scripting, and deep experience with cloth, fur,

Qualifications

• Senior/lead experience in character dynamics and FX pipelines.
• Ability to mentor teams and set technical/artistic standards.
• Strong scripting and tool development in Python/VEX/HScript.

Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor FX TDs, establish standards for character and environmental FX.
• Design and stress-test production setups for hero cloth, fur, skin and muscle simulations.
• Run hero-level simulations, perform shot sculpting and produce composites for delivery.
• Coordinate with departments to ensure smooth asset handoffs and resolve bottlenecks.
• Provide feedback to ensure outputs meet targets and visuals expectations.

Skills

C/C++ programming

Unix shell scripting

Python scripting

VEX

HScript

Tools

Houdini

Maya

Vellum

Carbon

FLIP

VEX

Python tooling

Houdini HDK / Maya API

Job description

Framestore Limited in New York is seeking a Lead FX Technical Director for a freelance engagement from Sept 2026 through May 2027. The role combines artistic leadership with technical execution of complex naturalistic effects for characters and creatures.

Remote work is allowed from within the USA, but a hybrid setup is encouraged and on-site meetings may be requested in the New York area. Ideal candidates will have strong Houdini, Maya, Python scripting, and deep experience with cloth, fur,