Software Engineer - Rendering - Junior

• Design, implement, and support a mixture of proprietary, open-source, and third-party software for Lighting, LookDev, and other rendering workflows.
• Collaborate with artists, technical directors, and supervisors to determine the LookDev and Lighting needs for current and future productions.
• Identify and optimize bottlenecks in shading, lighting, and rendering algorithms and workflows.
• Contribute to Image Engine's open source initiatives: Cortex and Gaffer.
• Communicate with third-party software vendors to prioritize Image Engine's feature requests and bug fixes.
• Design and implement solutions targeting current production workflows, while ensuring they can be generalized for all productions when possible.
• Document, test, debug, and maintain comprehensive documentation for tools, scripts, and plugins.
• Provide secondary technical support, training, and tutorials to Artists, TDs, and Production Staff.
• Stay up-to-date with industry trends for Look Development, Lighting, and Rendering, both on the CPU and GPU.

• A university degree in Computer Science, Math, Physics, Engineering, or a related field.
• Minimum of 2 years experience developing software in a VFX, Animation, or Games production environment, or a postgraduate degree (MSc, PhD) with a strong focus on Computer Graphics.
• A Master's or PhD in Computer Science or a related field is an asset.

Technical skills

• Solid grasp of the fundamentals of rendering, from the mathematics of the rendering equation to an efficient implementation in code.
• Experience developing tools for a production-ready path tracer (preferably Arnold).
• Experience with OSL and GLSL.
• Experience writing software in C++ and Python.
• Demonstrable knowledge of high-end DCC applications and APIs (e.g., Maya, Katana, Nuke).
• Experience with modern VFX data formats and APIs like Alembic, USD, or VDB.
• Familiarity with our open source efforts (Cortex or Gaffer) is an asset.
• Familiarity with modern GPU architecture is an asset.
• Experience developing in a Linux environment.

Core skills

• Team oriented with good communication skills, able to work closely with artists.
• Thrives in a structured environment with clear priorities.
• Expectation of upfront planning before proceeding with final implementation.
• Proactive with proven ability to work both independently and in a team.
• Accepts and integrates direction and feedback from supervisors and peers.
• Excellent communication and organizational skills.
• Ability to monitor and identify potential inefficiencies with production workflows.
• Excellent troubleshooting and debugging skills.
• Ability to adapt quickly to new technologies and applications.
• Willingness to extend beyond your current specializations to help a larger engineering effort when required.