Technical Engineer

Sony Pictures Imageworks is located on the unceded traditional territory of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations. We are committed to respecting traditional lands, and working with communities towards reconciliation.

Sony Pictures Imageworks Canada Inc.

658 Homer Street., Suite 405, Vancouver, BC, V6B 2R4

Language in work environment - English

Benefits per company policy: include healthcare, tuition reimbursement, RRSP's, Sick and Vacation leave, standard increases as applicable

Sony Pictures Imageworks is an Academy Award®-winning visual effects and animation studio known for photoreal live-action visual effects, dynamic creature and character animation, and full-CG features.

Role Review:

We are looking to expand our development team dedicated to enhancing our Creature Effect, Crowds, Environment, and FX tools and workflow. We are looking for a highly proficient Technical Engineer to focus on the development and implementation of robust, high-performance, and domain-specific procedural toolsets using SideFX Houdini.

This role requires strong technical leadership and the ability to work effectively with minimal supervision alongside a Lead Software Engineer or Architect. The ideal candidate thrives in a fast-paced production environment where priorities can shift quickly.

What You’ll Be Doing:

• Design, develop, and implement scalable procedural systems and workflows within Houdini for various departments (FX, Creature, Crowds, Environments). 
• Create, maintain, and optimize robust Houdini Digital Assets (OTLs), ensuring stability, ease of use, and adherence to production standards.
• Extend the core pipeline by developing, integrating, and supporting tools that manage data flow, asset publishing, and version control.
• Collaborate closely with artists (Creature, FX, Lighting) to gather requirements and troubleshoot technical issues, providing support for both in-house and commercial tools.
• Partner with engineers across other teams (Shading, Lighting, Rendering) to ensure seamless integration of procedural assets into the overall rendering and compositing pipeline.
• Document tools and workflows thoroughly for use by the wider artistic and engineering teams.

Required Technical Experience & Skills:

• 3-5+ Years of professional experience in developing procedural workflows and tools in a VFX, Animation, or Game production environment.
• Demonstrated knowledge of the Houdini environment, including tool creation, optimization, and workflow techniques.