Film & TV Full-Time Hybrid

Senior Creature Technical Director (Simulations)

Company: The Walt Disney Company

Location: Vancouver, Canada

Job Type: Full-time

Salary: C$112,200 – C$143,600 / Year

About the Role

The Walt Disney Company is seeking a Senior Creature Technical Director (Simulations) for future opportunities within its Vancouver studio. The role focuses on advanced creature simulation work for high-end film, VFX, and immersive entertainment productions.

This hybrid opportunity is ideal for experienced technical artists with strong expertise in simulation pipelines, rigging, and character FX workflows using Houdini and Maya.

Job Overview

The Senior Creature Technical Director will create and optimize advanced simulations including cloth, hair, muscle, crowd, and rigid body effects while supporting creature rigging and technical animation workflows. The role involves close collaboration with supervisors and artists across multiple departments.

Candidates should possess deep technical problem-solving skills, strong scripting knowledge, and extensive experience working within modern VFX production environments.

Key Responsibilities

  • Simulation Development: Create advanced cloth, hair, crowd, muscle, and rigid body simulations for production assets.
  • Rigging Support: Perform creature rigging and enveloping tasks for hero and background assets in Maya.
  • Pipeline Troubleshooting: Resolve technical creature FX and simulation pipeline issues for production teams.
  • Tool Creation: Develop utilities, scripts, and plug-ins using Python or VEX to improve workflows.
  • Optimization: Enhance simulation performance and maintain efficient technical setups.
  • Mentorship: Guide junior artists and contribute to team development through collaboration and feedback.

Qualifications

  • 5+ years of professional experience in creature simulation or technical direction within VFX or animation.
  • Expert-level proficiency in Houdini and strong experience with Maya.
  • Experience with Python or VEX scripting for technical workflows.
  • Strong understanding of anatomy, corrective sculpting, and simulation techniques.
  • Proficiency with Linux-based production environments.
  • Excellent communication, teamwork, and problem-solving abilities.

Education

  • College diploma or degree in Computer Graphics, Fine Arts, Design, Photography, or a related field preferred.
  • Equivalent professional VFX experience may substitute formal education.
  • Strong demo reel or portfolio showcasing simulation and technical art work is required.

Benefits

  • Competitive compensation with additional benefits eligibility.
  • Medical, financial, and wellness support programs.
  • Opportunity to work on world-class film and immersive entertainment projects.
  • Collaborative environment with industry-leading VFX professionals.
  • Access to cutting-edge production technology and proprietary pipelines.

The Walt Disney Company continues to lead the entertainment industry with groundbreaking visual effects and immersive storytelling experiences. This role offers experienced simulation artists the opportunity to contribute to some of the world’s most recognized film and entertainment productions.

If you are passionate about creature simulation, technical artistry, and advanced VFX workflows, ILM provides an exciting environment to grow your career.

Apply Now

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