3D & Animation Lead

Arilo; Wes-Kaap; On-site; ZAR 900,000 - 1,500,000; Full time

Job summary

Arilo, a Cape Town-based AI-native creative production and marketing agency, seeks a world-class 3D & Animation Lead to establish and head CGI, animation and digital visualization. You will drive photorealistic product visuals, AI-assisted rendering and next-generation production, collaborating with Creative Directors, Designers, AI Specialists and Developers.

This role offers a path to build a dedicated CGI and Motion Studio as the agency grows, with potential to develop a team and shape

Qualifications

• 7+ years' professional experience in an agency or premium production environment.
• Strong track record in advanced product visualisation, commercial animation, CGI production and motion design, ideally client-facing.
• Expert-level Blender, with experience in Cinema 4D, Maya or 3ds Max (Houdini a plus).
• Rendering expertise across Cycles, Octane, Redshift, Arnold or Eevee.
• Animation and compositing skills in After Effects (Cavalry or Nuke advantageous).
• Comfort working with AI creative tools (Midjourney, Runway, Kling, Flux, or similar).
• Experience in beauty, luxury, FMCG, healthcare, retail or consumer products is a strong plus.

Responsibilities

• Create premium photorealistic CGI for product launches, campaign key visuals, retail, ecommerce and paid social.
• Produce high-quality product renders, hero imagery, lighting environments, material recreation and packaging visualisation.
• Develop engaging motion content — product reveals, exploded views, fluid and particle simulations, camera animation and CGI commercials.
• Integrate AI into the creative pipeline: AI-assisted concept generation, compositing, rendering workflows and creative automation.
• Partner with Creative Directors, Designers, the AI Studio and Development team to bring campaign concepts to life.
• Research and implement emerging rendering engines, real-time rendering and procedural workflows to keep Arilo's production pipeline ahead of the curve.

Skills

Leadership

Client facing

Creative direction

AI-assisted rendering

Tools

Blender

Cinema 4D

Maya

3ds Max

Houdini

After Effects

Nuke

Midjourney

Runway

Job description

Arilo is an AI-native creative production and marketing agency with studios in Cape Town, New York and the Philippines. We partner with some of the world's most ambitious beauty, healthcare, retail, FMCG and luxury brands to produce premium creative work and we're building one of Africa's most advanced creative production studios. 3D is central to that vision, and we're looking for the person to lead it.

The Role

We're looking for a world-class 3D & Animation Lead to establish and lead Arilo's CGI, animation and digital visualisation capability. This is more than a production role. You'll become the agency's authority on photorealistic product visualisation, animation, AI-assisted rendering and next-generation digital production, from premium beauty pack shots to AI-enhanced campaign visuals.

You'll obsess over realism, notice the imperfections no one else sees, and understand that lighting, materials, movement and composition are what create emotion. You'll work closely with Creative Directors, Designers, AI Specialists and Developers to produce campaign assets that rival traditional photography while unlocking entirely new creative possibilities.

This role has a clear path to building and leading a dedicated CGI and Motion Studio as the agency grows — with no direct reports initially, but the opportunity to build a team.

What You'll Do

• Create premium photorealistic CGI for product launches, campaign key visuals, retail, ecommerce and paid social.
• Produce high-quality product renders, hero imagery, lighting environments, material recreation and packaging visualisation.
• Develop engaging motion content — product reveals, exploded views, fluid and particle simulations, camera animation and CGI commercials.
• Integrate AI into the creative pipeline: AI-assisted concept generation, compositing, rendering workflows and creative automation.
• Partner with Creative Directors, Designers, the AI Studio and Development team to bring campaign concepts to life.
• Research and implement emerging rendering engines, real-time rendering and procedural workflows to keep Arilo's production pipeline ahead of the curve.

What You'll Bring

• 7+ years' professional experience in an agency or premium production environment.
• Strong track record in advanced product visualisation, commercial animation, CGI production and motion design, ideally client-facing.
• Expert-level Blender, with experience in Cinema 4D, Maya or 3ds Max (Houdini a plus).
• Rendering expertise across Cycles, Octane, Redshift, Arnold or Eevee.
• Animation and compositing skills in After Effects (Cavalry or Nuke advantageous).
• Comfort working with AI creative tools (Midjourney, Runway, Kling, Flux, or similar).
• Experience in beauty, luxury, FMCG, healthcare, retail or consumer products is a strong plus.