Technical Director, Shader Writer

Description

Blizzard Entertainment has been rated by Fortune as one of the "Best Places to Work" for several years running (and our ranking continues to rise!).  We are a community of 4000 global employees who are passionate about not only gaming, but entertainment and the technology that drives our users experience. Our goal is to delight our customers by never settling for anything but the highest quality and providing worlds filled with creativity and adventure around every corner.  You are bright, engaging, eager to learn and ready to make an impact. We've been waiting for you!

Blizzard Entertainment is seeking a talented Shader Writer to work with our Story and Franchise Development shader team. This group is responsible for developing, writing, and supporting shaders used by the Blizzard Animation team on the development of the majority of our animated content. The primary packages in our pipeline are Maya, Nuke, Renderman and Redshift, driven by an in-house lighting tool. The team also uses Houdini, 3ds Max, and a suite of smaller custom tools. The ideal person will be well organized, a good communicator and collaborator, with a strong understanding of VFX pipelines.  This person should love playing our games as much as they love creating world class visual effects.

Requirements

• Fluent in Renderman; RSL (strong experience with GLSL, HLSL, or Mantra can be considered)
• Fluent in C++ and Python
• Deep understanding of linear algebra
• Deep understanding of rendering and lighting algorithms
• Seamless with revision control software SVN or Git
• Strong familiarity with Linux or Unix
• Experience with MC integration
• Ability to remain calm under pressure
• Exceptionally strong communicator
• Minimum 3 years’ experience working on high-end film production or video game cinematics
• Deep knowledge of VFX / CG film pipeline
• Deep knowledge of Maya, Nuke (or node-based compositor)
• BS in computer science or math, physics, or related
• Artistic interest

Pluses

• LUA programming experience
• Mel
• Masters or PhD in math, physics or related
• Windows, OSX
• Interest in painting or photography
• Familiarity with Katana and Houdini

Blizzard Entertainment is a global company committed to growing our employees along with the business. We offer generous benefits and perks with an eye on providing true work / life balance. We’ve worked hard to foster an intensely collaborative and creative environment, a diverse and inclusive employee culture, and training and opportunity for professional growth. Our people are everything. Our core values are real, and our mission has never changed. We are dedicated to creating the most epic entertainment experiences…ever. Join us!