Animation Technical Supervisor

The Animation Technical Supervisor works within a department under direct supervision of the Head of Department and is typically assigned to one or more productions. They support and collaborate with the Department Supervisors, Leads and Artists by developing, documenting and supporting artist tools and workflows required to create, alter and deliver feature film quality animation in a consistent and efficient manner at the highest standard within the time allocated. Example tools or workflows might include Scene Management, Pose Library, Constraint Managers, and a myriad of other performance-enhancing tools across an animation pipeline.

Essential Job Functions:

• Review the technical requirements of current and future shows in relation to existing tools and workflows to support Department Supervisors in determining what new tool/workflow developments or improvements may be required to deliver the highest quality animation in the time available.
• Work closely with the Department Supervisors and Heads of Department who will provide support and also ensure their tasks, methodology and priorities are in line with the department's roadmap and future projects. 
• Collaborate globally with Animation Heads of Departments and Technical Supervisors in other sites to ensure tools and workflows are used consistently throughout the company.
• Communicate with colleagues within other departments to understand the needs of downstream departments and communicate requirements to upstream departments. e.g. Rigging, Layout, and CFX.
• Deliver tools and workflows on schedule by efficiently managing their own tasks, development teams and cross department communication. This may require the use of Jira and Shotgun production management software.
• Deliver tools and workflows that ensure the output of the department is completed to the required quality. 
• Act as product owner for any of their tool/workflow projects that require Production Technology resources.
• Act as a bridge between artists and the Production Technology department while contributing to relevant working and steering committees to drive our technology roadmap forward.
• Support and train team members using their tools and workflows, collaborating with the Training Team and PipeTDs and Developers wherever necessary.
• Support any transition of maintenance and support of tools from the department to the Production Technology team, ensuring any code written is documented and easy to maintain.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Required:

• Significant production experience of Maya & Linux within the Film Industry (+5 years).
• Good production experience of Jira & Shotgun (+3 years).
• Experience managing/mentoring small teams of either animators or pipe TDs (+2 years).
• Experience communicating between animators/production (including those with little technical knowledge) and very technical Production-Technology teams.
• Ability to problem solve and predict potential problems.
• Have an excellent understanding of how animation department workflows fit in the wider production pipeline.
• How/why animation tools and animation-centric pipeline aid animation workflow and schedules.
• First hand experience in an artist role that provides an in-depth understanding of the day to day tasks, pressures and priorities of artists.
• Sufficient knowledge of developing tools that fit within larger systems.
• Able to proactively use knowledge and experience to identify, communicate and solve problems before they impact artists in the department.
• Able to organise and manage multiple priorities and handle change.
• Be comfortable with global collaboration, using excellent communication skills.

Beneficial Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: 

• Character/Creature Animation production experience.
• Python, or mel scripting experience (in relation to animation tools).
• Good understanding of Layout department workflows.
• Some understanding of Rigging department workflows.
• Understanding of USD, and its use in Maya and animation pipelines.

Supervisory Responsibility:

Does not have direct reports, but provides training and guidance to artists and leads.

Success Factors (Optional):

• Keen to collaborate, enjoys supporting and helping others within a global team.
• Strong communication, self-management, and organisational skills.
• Proactive and self-starter and eager to learn.
• Approachable and personable.
• Calm under pressure and committed to meeting production deadlines.
• A positive, can-do attitude.

About Us:
We are DNEG, one of the world’s leading visual effects and animation companies for the creation of award-winning feature film, television, and multiplatform content. We employ more than 10,000 people with worldwide offices and studios across North America (Los Angeles, Montréal, Toronto, Vancouver), Europe (London), Asia (Bangalore, Mohali, Chennai, Mumbai) and Australia (Sydney).