Production Innovation Technologist (PH) Full Time NEW

We are seeking a Production Innovation Technologist with deep expertise in advanced 3D compositing and applied emerging and generative technologies. This role is recognized as a go‑to expert within the organization, accountable for solving the most complex creative and technical challenges and for shaping how emerging technologies are operationalized within production.

This position operates with a high degree of autonomy, translating ambiguous creative and production objectives into scalable, production‑ready solutions that influence project direction, resource allocation, and workflow strategy. The role balances creative intent, technical feasibility, and production realities, delivering consistently shot‑ready results while driving the evolution of pipelines, tools, and methodologies across shows.

As a senior technical authority and creative thought partner, you will evaluate, adapt, and deploy new technologies in real production contexts, guiding decision‑making at the project and functional level. While this role has no formal people management responsibilities, it exerts significant influence through technical leadership, mentorship, and cross‑functional collaboration.

This position is a Project Hire.

Key Responsibilities:

Technical & Creative Leadership

• Serve as a recognized expert in advanced compositing and hybrid CG/ML workflows, delivering high‑quality, shot‑ready work that meets or exceeds studio standards.
• Act as a technical authority and advisor to creative leadership, production, and engineering partners on complex, high‑risk shots and workflows.
• Lead the technical strategy for applying emerging and generative technologies to production needs, focusing on reliability, repeatability, and artistic control rather than exploratory output alone.

Emerging & Generative Technologies

• Design, train, fine‑tune, and adapt models using techniques such as LoRA, IP adapters, Gaussian Splatting, and custom PyTorch pipelines to solve production‑scale challenges.
• Evaluate new ML and generative approaches, identifying failure modes, constraints, and opportunities, and translating findings into actionable production guidance.
• Combine machine learning techniques with traditional compositing and CG methods to improve iteration speed, consistency, and visual fidelity at scale.

Pipeline & Workflow Ownership

• Architect and implement end‑to‑end workflows that integrate emerging technology outputs into established pipelines (modeling, texturing, layout, lighting, compositing).
• Own workflow reliability, scalability, and performance, proactively identifying bottlenecks and driving continuous improvement based on production feedback.
• Partner with Senior Technology Workflow TDs to transition successful prototypes into fully supported production‑integrated tools and pipelines.

Cross‑Functional Collaboration & Influence

• Collaborate closely with Machine Learning Engineers, translating research prototypes into artist‑usable, production‑ready systems.
• Provide clear, structured, and prioritized feedback to development teams on usability, limitations, and readiness for deployment.
• Influence technical and creative direction across multiple projects, often working directly with senior leaders on high‑impact initiatives.

Advanced Shot & Asset Work

• Create, modify, and render complex 3D elements as required to support compositing using Maya, Blender, and/or Unreal Engine.
• Ensure outputs meet the highest standards for visual quality, continuity, and integration within live‑action and CG environments.

Standards, Mentorship & Knowledge Sharing

• Set and model best practices for organization, naming, versioning, documentation, and handoff.
• Mentor senior and mid‑level artists and technologists through technical guidance and knowledge sharing, without formal supervisory responsibility.
• Contribute to internal standards, documentation, and technical reviews that raise overall capability across the function.

Required Qualifications:

• 7+ years of experience in compositing supervision or senior‑level compositing roles on visually complex feature films or equivalent high‑end productions.
• Expert‑level knowledge of advanced compositing workflows and strong artistic judgment in high‑pressure production environments.
• Deep practical understanding of neural networks and generative systems, including how prompting, conditioning, and model architecture impact consistency, fidelity, and failure modes.
• Advanced Python proficiency for scripting, automation, workflow orchestration, and tool development.
• Demonstrated success applying emerging and generative technologies directly within production pipelines, not solely in R&D contexts.
• Proven ability to create and integrate 3D elements for shot work using Maya, Blender, and/or Unreal Engine.
• Significant experience with ComfyUI, including complex graph design, extensions, and custom node development.
• Ability to work independently with minimal guidance, while influencing broader technical and creative strategy across projects.

The hiring range for this position in Burbank, CA is $158,800.00 to $205,400.00 per year. The base pay actually offered will take into account internal equity and also may vary depending on the candidate’s geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors. A bonus and/or long-term incentive units may be provided as part of the compensation package, in addition to the full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the level and position offered.