Senior R&D Engineer - All Disciplines

Industrial Light & Magic's Research and Development (R&D) group develops ground-breaking technology that empowers artists to create dazzling visuals. With 70+ visually-minded software engineers working alongside over a thousand digital artists, ILM operates in a fast-paced, collaborative environment across studios in San Francisco, Vancouver, London, Sydney, and Mumbai.

As a Senior R&D Engineer, you'll work on developing tools and production techniques across various areas of visual effects and feature animation production, including:

• Image processing, compositing, and rotoscoping
• Simulating natural phenomena, rigid-body destruction, crowds, and procedural animation
• Lighting, texturing, look-development, and layered material definition
• Modeling, rigging, and animation of bodies and faces
• Tools and pipeline systems for managing complex 3D scenes

You'll collaborate with engineers across all ILM studios, balancing long-term software development projects with day-to-day artist support and problem-solving. The role involves working with commercial software vendors to develop and deploy machine-learning-based tools.

Key requirements:

• Proficiency in C++ and Python on Linux
• Knowledge of visual effects principles
• Experience with machine learning techniques and toolsets
• Working knowledge of standard data formats (OpenEXR, OpenVDB, Alembic, USD)
• Enthusiasm for designing artist-friendly interfaces
• Appreciation of software development principles

The position offers a competitive salary range of C$122,400 to C$156,800 per year, along with comprehensive benefits including health insurance, paid time off, retirement programs, and tuition assistance.

This hybrid role requires working 2-3 days onsite at the Vancouver location.