Senior Houdini VFX TD — Pipelines & Simulations

Placements24; Mbombela (Nelspruit); Hybrid; ZAR 1,200,000 - 1,800,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Comprehensive benefits

Professional development opportunities

Job summary

Placements24 seeks a Senior VFX Technical Director with a strong Houdini background to design robust pipelines and deliver complex simulations for film and television. You will lead technical development, collaborate with artists, and mentor junior FX staff in a fast-paced studio in Nelspruit.

The role focuses on procedural workflows, troubleshooting, and pushing rendering quality, with opportunities to work on high-profile projects within a dynamic team. Experience with game engines is a plus.

Qualifications

• Minimum 7 years of professional experience as a Technical Director or FX Artist in VFX, with strong Houdini focus.
• Proficiency in Houdini including SOPs, DOPs, VOPs, and KineFX.
• Deep knowledge of simulations (fluids, particles, rigid bodies, cloth).
• Strong scripting in Python and VEX; scripting for tool development and pipeline automation.
• Experience with industry renderers (Arnold, RenderMan, V-Ray) and asset/shot integration.
• Understanding of VFX pipelines, asset management, and shot-level integration.
• Excellent problem-solving and teamwork abilities; strong communication.
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Digital Art, or related field; game engine experience a plus.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain procedural workflows and tools using Houdini for FX, modeling, and animation.
• Create and implement complex simulations (fire, smoke, water, destruction, crowds).
• Collaborate with VFX supervisors and artists to define technical requirements and achieve creative goals.
• Optimize FX setups and simulations for efficient rendering and pipeline integration.
• Troubleshoot Houdini, rendering, and pipeline issues.
• Develop custom tools and scripts (Python, VEX) to boost artist productivity.
• Stay updated on Houdini, rendering tech, and VFX pipelines.
• Provide technical guidance and mentorship to junior FX artists.
• Ensure technical quality and artistic integrity of all VFX shots.

Skills

Houdini

Python

VEX

KineFX

SOPs/DOPs/VOPs

Simulations

Rendering pipelines

Unreal Engine/Unity

Team mentorship

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or Digital Art

Tools

Arnold

RenderMan

V-Ray

Unreal Engine

Unity

Job description

Placements24 seeks a Senior VFX Technical Director with a strong Houdini background to design robust pipelines and deliver complex simulations for film and television. You will lead technical development, collaborate with artists, and mentor junior FX staff in a fast-paced studio in Nelspruit.

The role focuses on procedural workflows, troubleshooting, and pushing rendering quality, with opportunities to work on high-profile projects within a dynamic team. Experience with game engines is a plus.