About the role
About The Role
The role involves serving as a front-line technical support point for animation and lighting artists. Responsibilities include diagnosing and resolving problems with Maya and pipeline tools to unblock artists quickly. Success is measured by artist satisfaction and the speed at which they can return to their creative work. The role requires excellent problem-solving skills, clear communication with technical and non-technical staff, and the ability to work under pressure. The candidate will work within the technical team alongside production and department leads on TV series and broadcast animation projects.
Day to Day Responsibilities
- Act as the first point of contact for artist support tickets, triaging and prioritizing the queue for production-critical issues.
- Diagnose and resolve a wide range of Maya animation and lighting issues, including related pipeline tool problems.
- Troubleshoot scene setups, references, rigs, lighting, publishing, and render problems by going hands-on within artist scenes.
- Communicate technical details in plain language to animation and lighting artists.
- Escalate complex or systemic issues to the technical team with clear, reproducible documentation.
- Identify recurring problems to create quick fixes, tips, or short guides.
- Maintain availability during core studio hours to ensure the ticket queue is covered.
- Update support documentation and FAQs to enable artist self-service.
- Manage multiple tickets and projects simultaneously while prioritizing tasks.
- Engage in continuous learning to stay updated on studio tools and techniques.
Requirements
Must Have:
- Deep, proven production experience with Maya and associated pipeline tools.
- Demonstrable Maya problem-solving skills with practical examples of diagnosing animation and lighting issues.
- Understanding of Maya-based animation pipelines (references, asset hand-offs, scene structure, render setup).
- Experience working with Redshift.
- Ability to reproduce issues, identify root causes, and find efficient solutions.
- Confidence in troubleshooting animation, lighting, and rendering.
- Strong production experience in a Maya-based animation studio.
- Proficiency with production-tracking tools such as ShotGrid or ftrack.
- Windows-based experience.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Strong analytical and decision-making abilities.
- Calm, organized approach under pressure.
- Ability to work both autonomously and collaboratively.
- Understanding of production pipelines and inter-departmental workflows.
- Strong desire to assist others and resolve artist blockers.
Plus:
- Working knowledge of Python and MEL for investigation and small helper scripts.
Company Information
Blue Zoo is the largest dedicated CG animation studio in the UK, established in 2000. It is a B Corp certified studio recognized for high-quality character animation and a commitment to ethical practices. The studio fosters a culture of inclusivity and values diverse perspectives.
Benefits and Working Conditions
- Flexible, hybrid, and remote working options available.
- Winner of Broadcast Best Places to Work in TV (2019, 2020, 2022, 2024, 2025, 2026).
- Inclusive self-funded shorts programme.
- In-person and remote social events throughout the year.
- Bi-monthly employee feedback and engagement programme.
- Comprehensive benefits package including discounts and offers.
- Online wellbeing programme.
- Profit share scheme (for employees with 2+ years of service).
- Candidate must be based in the UK and hold the right to work in the UK.