Houdini Pipeline TD (Technical Director)

 Houdini Pipeline TD (Technical Director)

A Houdini Pipeline Technical Director (TD) is responsible for developing, optimizing, and maintaining the tools and workflows that integrate Houdini into the studio’s production pipeline. The primary goal of this role is to ensure that Houdini-based processes run smoothly, are efficient, and scale with the needs of the studio, whether that’s for asset creation, effects, simulation, rendering, or any other Houdini-specific tasks. A Pipeline TD bridges the gap between artistic and technical teams, ensuring that the tools and processes enhance creativity while maintaining production efficiency.

Responsibilities:

1. Pipeline Development & Integration:
• Develop, maintain, and optimize Houdini-based tools to support different aspects of the production pipeline, including asset creation, procedural modeling, simulation, rendering, and compositing.
• Integrate Houdini with other software used by the studio (e.g., Maya, Nuke, Arnold, Katana, etc.) to ensure smooth interoperability.
• Create custom Houdini Digital Assets (HDAs), scripts, and user interfaces to streamline tasks for artists.
• Ensure that workflows are scalable and efficient for both small and large teams.
2. Tool Creation & Maintenance:
• Build and improve custom tools, scripts, and rigs to enhance artist productivity and ease of use within the Houdini environment.
• Troubleshoot and provide technical support to artists working in Houdini, ensuring that tools and assets work as expected throughout the production pipeline.
• Continuously update tools to ensure they are compatible with new versions of Houdini and other production software.
3. Collaboration with Creative and Technical Teams:
• Work closely with artists, supervisors, and other technical directors to understand their needs and provide efficient solutions that enhance the creative workflow.
• Collaborate with pipeline developers and systems administrators to ensure the effective deployment of tools across the studio.
• Provide guidance and training to artists on best practices for using custom tools and optimizing their workflow within Houdini.
4. Optimization & Troubleshooting:
• Monitor and optimize performance within Houdini scenes and simulations, ensuring that assets and simulations run efficiently and meet production deadlines.
• Address performance bottlenecks in both artist-facing tools and complex simulations (e.g., fluid, smoke, destruction, crowds).
• Troubleshoot technical issues in Houdini scenes, tools, and assets and ensure rapid resolution during production.
5. Documentation:
• Document workflows, tools, and processes to ensure they are well-understood and can be maintained by other team members in the future.
• Create and maintain training materials for new users or updates to existing tools.
6. Research & Development:
• Stay updated with the latest Houdini features, plugins, and techniques, and introduce innovative solutions to improve the pipeline.
• Develop new and creative ways to use Houdini’s procedural capabilities to address emerging challenges in VFX and animation.

Qualifications:

• Proficient in Houdini: Advanced knowledge of Houdini’s procedural workflows, VEX scripting, Python, and Houdini's integration within larger pipelines.
• Programming/Scripting: Strong Python and/or HScript skills to develop custom tools, scripts, and workflows within Houdini.
• Pipeline Knowledge: Experience with integrating Houdini into a larger production pipeline, including data management, version control, and tool integration.
• Experience in VFX Production: Previous experience working in a VFX production environment, particularly with simulation-heavy work such as fluid dynamics, particle systems, destruction, or procedural modeling.
• Problem-Solving: Strong troubleshooting skills and the ability to think creatively to solve technical challenges.
• Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration: Ability to work well with artists, supervisors, and other technical departments.
• Communication: Strong verbal and written communication skills for documentation and collaborating with team members.
• Attention to Detail: Ability to maintain high-quality standards and ensure production deadlines are met without compromising creative integrity.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience with version control systems (e.g., Git, SVN).
• Familiarity with additional software packages used in conjunction with Houdini (e.g., Maya, Nuke, Arnold, Unreal Engine, etc.).
• Knowledge of other scripting languages such as MEL, C++, or C#.
• Experience working in large-scale studio environments with complex pipelines.
• Understanding of GPU programming and optimization for large-scale simulations and rendering.

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Animation, Digital Arts, or a related field, or equivalent work experience.

Soft skills:

• A passion for innovation and a strong desire to stay at the forefront of the VFX and animation industries.
• Proactive, self-motivated, and able to take ownership of projects from start to finish.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, high-pressure production environment.

• Workspace setup bonus $400 USD gross
• Bonuses in September and December, $300 USD gross each
• Vacation bonus $500 USD gross
• Floating days (Ex: Birthday off)
• 20 working days of vacation after the first year of employment

• 5% sales commissions if you bring a sales opportunity, and the opportunity is won.
• USD $500 if you bring a new employee using our referral program.