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Lead Software Engineer, RenderMan
Skydance Animation
Job Summary
Skydance offers a dynamic, inclusive, and ever-evolving culture where innovative ideas are welcomed, and growth fostered. The partnership between unique creativity and technological advancements are demonstrated within each pillar of the company. At the heart of it all is a commitment to boldly entertaining and relevant storytelling.
While all Animation studios look to hire people who are creative and hard-working, Skydance Animation is specifically looking for pioneers who seek to push the limits of what the world’s most collaborative art form can achieve, and to give those pioneers the space and the resources to build a new studio that’s doing something different.
If you’ve ever dreamt of what the early days of Hollywood must have been like, of what it takes to roll up your sleeves and break new ground, figure out a new process, and to one day say, “I was there when it all began,” then welcome aboard…
We are seeking a highly skilled Software Engineer with a specialty in RenderMan to join our team. The ideal candidate will be responsible for developing, optimizing, and maintaining our rendering pipeline using Pixar’s RenderMan. This role involves close collaboration with artists, technical directors, and other engineers to ensure the highest quality rendering output and efficient workflows. The candidate should possess strong programming skills, a deep knowledge of rendering techniques, and experience with RenderMan.
Key Responsibilities
- Provide leadership through expert knowledge to a production studio adopting RenderMan
- Interface with Pixar RenderMan Engineering team to stay abreast on upcoming changes and devise an on-ramp for adopting and integrating new features
- Stay current with the latest advancements in rendering technology and implement new techniques to improve visual quality and efficiency
- Advise and participate in developing and maintaining the rendering pipeline using RenderMan
- Advise and participate in the integration of RenderMan into the studio’s existing workflows and tools, which are primarily in Houdini/Solaris, with some in Maya
- Implement techniques to manage geometry complexity, optimize lighting and shading computations, and improve overall rendering efficiency
- Lead the design and architecture of rendering solutions using RenderMan, ensuring scalability, performance, and maintainability
- In partnership with the productions provide timelines, milestones, and on-time delivery of rendering projects
- Communicate with stakeholders, including artists, producers, and other technical teams, to understand requirements and provide updates on progress
- Assist with debugging issues that require deep RenderMan knowledge
- Collaborate with the Skydance cloud rendering provider and IT group to maximize resource usage while minimizing cost per render-unit
- Provide guidance and mentorship to junior and mid-level engineers, fostering technical growth and best practices
Required Qualifications / Skills
- Education: Bachelor or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Graphics, or a related field
- Experience: 6+ years of experience in rendering engineering or a similar role in the visual effects, animation, or gaming industry
- Proven experience with Pixar’s RenderMan in a production environment utilizing Houdini with Solaris
- Strong proficiency in C++ and Python
- Deep understanding of rendering techniques, including ray tracing, global illumination, subsurface scattering, motion blur, depth of field, and physically based rendering
- Experience with shader development using MaterialX Lama, RSL, OSL, or similar shading languages
- Excellent problem-solving skills and the ability to work in a fast-paced, collaborative, international environment
- Effective communication and teamwork skills
Benefits & Compensation
The salary range for this position in Los Angeles is $170,000 – $185,000. The salary offered may vary based on the candidate’s location, qualifications, experience and relevant expertise, among other factors. The range indicated is for base salary only and does not reflect the total compensation package, including bonus, benefits, etc.
About Skydance
Skydance is a diversified media company founded by David Ellison in 2010 to create high quality, event-level entertainment for global audiences. The Company brings to life stories of immersive worlds across its feature film, television, interactive, and animation divisions.
Application Process
We realize that skills and expertise can come from many different experiences and paths, and we encourage you to apply even if you don’t meet all of the requirements as written in the job description.
Recruitment Fraud Alert: It has come to our attention that there may be fraudulent activity by individuals impersonating our Talent Acquisition team. Skydance will only contact you from an official “@skydance.com” email address. If you suspect that you are being contacted by an unauthorized person or believe that the correspondence you have received is suspicious, please do not click on any links or attachments in such emails and submit any questions or concerns to our information security team at https://skydance.com/report-suspected-fraud/.
