Skydance offers a dynamic, inclusive, and ever-evolving culture where innovative ideas are welcomed, and growth fostered. The partnership between unique creativity and technological advancements are demonstrated within each pillar of the company. At the heart of it all is a commitment to boldly entertaining and relevant storytelling.
While all Animation studios look to hire people who are creative and hard-working, Skydance Animation is specifically looking for pioneers who seek to push the limits of what the world’s most collaborative art form can achieve, and to give those pioneers the space and the resources to build a new studio that’s doing something different.
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As a Pipeline Engineer, you will contribute to the development, testing, and maintenance of software applications and libraries for the global feature animation pipeline. Working under the guidance of senior engineers and leads, you will help analyze workflows, implement new features, and support the team in day-to-day problem solving. This role is an opportunity to grow your technical skills and deepen your understanding of animation production pipelines in a collaborative studio environment.
Responsibilities
- Develops, tests, and documents features in the proprietary software used across concurrent film productions, under the direction of senior engineers and leads.
- Assists in analyzing existing workflows and procedures related to the company pipeline.
- Collaborates with IT infrastructure, Client Services, Wrangling, Production, and Show TD teams to help investigate and resolve issues with hardware, software products, or internal systems.
- Supports end users in operating new or updated programs, including writing basic user documentation.
- Stays informed on current trends in animation technology and tools relevant to the production pipeline.
- Applies engineering best practices in code quality, version control, and testing.
- Learns and works within established technical frameworks and architectural patterns set by the team.
- Participates actively in team brainstorming and planning sessions, sharing ideas and asking thoughtful questions.
- Communicates proactively with teammates and leads about task progress and any blockers encountered.
- Follows the guidance of supervisors, senior engineers, and leads, and actively seeks feedback to improve.
- Demonstrates a growth mindset and shows curiosity about both the technical and creative aspects of animation production.
- Contributes to a positive and collaborative team environment.
Requirements
- 3+ years of experience in software engineering, ideally in VFX, animation, or a related media/tech industry.
- Exposure to animation or VFX production workflows is a plus but not required.
- BS degree in Computer Science, or equivalent practical experience (3+ years) in a software engineering role.
- Solid foundational engineering skills, with an understanding of code quality, readability, and maintainability.
- Ability to contribute effectively within a team in a fast-paced, deadline-oriented environment.
- Working knowledge of Python 3+ — ability to write clean, functional scripts and tools independently.
- Familiarity with Agile workflows and task tracking tools such as Jira, daily standups, and sprint planning.
- Basic familiarity with USD and its role in production pipelines; experience with integrations in DCC apps (Maya, Houdini/Solaris, Nuke) is a plus.
- Some experience with PyQt or PySide for tool development.
- Awareness of ASWF libraries such as OpenColorIO, OpenVDB, or OpenTimelineIO.
- Familiarity with Rez (package management) and/or Autodesk ShotGrid/Flow is beneficial.
- Comfortable working in a Linux development environment — bash scripting, common command-line tools (grep, find, sed, etc.).
- Experience with Git or another version control system.
- Basic understanding of relational or non-relational databases (e.g. PostgreSQL, MongoDB).
- Awareness of containerization and deployment concepts (Docker, Kubernetes, or similar).
- Some exposure to web service patterns (REST APIs preferred; GraphQL or RPC a bonus).
- Familiarity with a Python web framework (FastAPI, Flask, or Django) is a plus.
- Understanding of CI/CD concepts; hands-on experience is a plus (GitLab or GitHub Actions preferred).
- Experience with pytest or another Python testing framework.
- Build system knowledge (such as CMake) is a bonus.
Skydance is a diversified media company founded by David Ellison in 2010 to create high quality, event-level entertainment for global audiences. The Company brings to life stories of immersive worlds across its feature film, television, interactive, and animation divisions.
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