Senior Software Engineer, Pipeline

ABOUT US:

AGBO is an artist-led Academy Award-Winning independent studio focused on developing and producing innovative story universes spanning film, TV, and digital platforms. Founded in 2017 by award-winning and record-breaking directors Anthony and Joe Russo, AGBO’s mission is to inspire and advance the next generation of storytelling to entertain and influence worldwide audiences. AGBOs recent productions include “Everything Everywhere All At Once,” Netflix’s “The Gray Man,” Amazon thriller series “Citadel,” and Netflix's sequel, “Extraction 2”.

ABOUT THE ROLE:

As a Senior Software Engineer, Pipeline specializing in Unreal and innovative technology you will be supporting the studio’s Pipeline Engineering team through scripting and tool development which will assist Visual Effects, Visualization, and Production teams. You will be working with department supervisors and creative teams to ensure shots can be delivered with the highest fidelity and in the most efficient workflow. In addition, you will be working closely with Production to ensure smooth ingest, tracking, and delivery of assets and frames to teams, vendors, and clients. 

This position is working for a prestigious and prolific production company run by directorial talent. This is an amazing opportunity for the right candidate to work in the heart of a fast-paced, well-connected, highly creative environment.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Integrating Unreal Engine ShotGrid toolkit workflows with those of tools such as Maya, Houdini, Nuke, etc.
• Create, develop, deploy, and maintain custom tools/templates/scripts, for both creative tasks and pipeline infrastructure, supporting the VFX, Visualization, and Production teams under the direction of the Software Engineering Manager, Studio Pipeline.
• Work in conjunction with project teams to effectively problem-solve, acting as a first line of support for all workflow & productivity issues.
• Work closely with the team to design, develop, evolve, and maintain department pipelines, including: Shot ingest and delivery, Production automation and tracking/ CG asset creation, metadata databases, and libraries/Animation, rigging, cloth, and creature techniques/ Shading, lighting, and rendering techniques/ Virtual production, motion capture, realtime, and ICVFX workflows/ Motion graphics and cel animation integration/ Compositing, color, conform, and finishing workflows
• Create, develop, deploy, and maintain Python or C++ plugins and extensions for 3rd party packages and platforms, including: Unreal Engine, Shotgrid Toolkit, Maya, Blender, Houdini, Nuke, Fusion, Adobe CC, Baselight, Resolve, VRay, Redshift, Octane, Arnold
• Extend and integrate the use of Shotgrid and other database systems to meet production needs
• Design User Interfaces for automation tools for VFX, Visualization, and Production.
• Work with non-technical end users to help define requirements for new tools and pipeline processes to solve production problems.
• Develop test plans and roll out new Shotgrid based workflows and tools, and work with end users to improve the usability of these tools.
• Work with a sprint team: scope and bid tickets, participate in launch and review meetings, collaborate with product owners and production customers to prioritize work, communicate progress, and support team members with technical guidance.
• Follow the processes and procedures of the software development life cycle, build and release system, documentation and testing standards.
• Support users on Windows, MacOS, and Linux.
• Write the necessary end-user and developer documentation for developed tools.
• Train and support artists to use the developed tools.
  

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in Computer Science, Engineering, Visualization, or VFX required.
• 5+ years of experience developing custom tools and workflows with ShotGrid in an animation, gaming, or VFX studio environment.
• Experience with exploring emerging technology.
• Experience with ShotGrid Toolkit.
• Experience with Python, C++, PySide/PyQt/Qt.
• Experience with Unreal Engine Blueprints, Python, and C++ development in Unreal.
• Deep understanding of the VFX pipeline from shooting to modeling to texturing, animation, lighting and rendering, compositing, technical editorial, and DI.
• Proven technical experience in VFX, Virtual Production, or AAA Gaming productions.
• Ability to design user interfaces, gizmos, and interfaces for VFX tools.
• Experience with software development life cycle concepts, including build/release via CI/CD, version control with Git / GitLab / BitBucket.
• Experience with Agile development methodologies such as Scrum and Kanban.
• Setting up monitoring tools to track the performance of cloud infrastructure and applications is a plus.
• Strong problem solving skills.
• Highly organized, detail oriented, patient, and thorough with technical details.
• Ability to work in a collaborative environment, offer mentorship, and take direction from the department and show leadership.
• Calm demeanor with technical support and troubleshooting.
• Excellent technical communication skills, both verbal and written.
• Desire for creative innovation, excellence in visual media, and creating toolsets to empower artists and creators.
  

The typical base salary for this position ranges from $110,000-$150,000 annually. Actual offers will be determined based on experience.

AGBO Films, LLC is committed to operating fair and unbiased recruitment procedures allowing all applicants an equal opportunity for employment, free from discrimination on the basis of religion, race, sex, age, sexual orientation, disability, color, ethnic or national origin or any other classification as may be protected by applicable law. We aim to recruit the right people for the jobs we have to offer, and to assess applications on the basis of relevant skills, education and experience.

The job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee(s) incumbent to this position. This role is expected to work onsite at our Los Angeles studio.