Technical Director

Description

Ziva Dynamics (www.zivadynamics.com) is a technology company developing cutting-edge computer graphics software for the creation and animation of virtual characters. Our software is used by many of the best VFX and gaming studios in the world. We are primarily located in Vancouver, BC with some remote workers around the globe.

Job purpose/mandate

Reporting to the project lead, the Technical Director provides technical and artistic expertise to the company through contributing to the development of both R&D and customer-facing applications of Ziva’s character creation software.  In his/her role, the Technical Director will design, develop, and implement artistic simulations, assets and processes for use by Ziva’s customers.

Specific Duties and Responsibilities

Leveraging highly-specialized artistic skills in order to successfully complete projects, the Technical Director will:

• artistically create accurate digital assets and models such as creatures, characters and simulated humans for use by visual effects and gaming customers.

• Ensure that artistic assets are anatomically correct and based on physical reality such that the characters, creatures and simulated humans look, feel and behave realistically is a static environment, but also in motion; with collisions; and in response to simulated environments.

• apply the correct material properties, attachments, contacts and forces

• stress test the solver with real-world example cases.

• write documentation and support artistic tutorials for leading VFX and gaming adopters of Ziva software.

• build example cases that represent ideal software use cases

• develop tools and procedures to assist animators and artists with troubleshooting of artistic applications such as fur, hair, eyes, clothing, animation, and rendering.

• support and work with multiple customer-facing departments, including Modeling, Animation, Lighting, FX, and Research and Development.

Knowledge and Skills

As this position is both artistic and technical, the individual must be proficient with Python scripting and have good overall experence with a major 3D application and/or game engine. Candidate will have 2+ years of production experience in a high-end production environment (film, games, commercials).

The ideal candidate will:

• Be experienced in the artistic application of Finite Element Method for creating and simulating characters and/or creatures in a film and/or gaming production environment.

• Be experienced with Computer Animation in a production setting.

• Be logical and methodical.

Communication

Candidate must have the ability to work collaboratively with company programmers and must have highly tuned customer-facing communications skills.

• Uses factual and logical arguments to negotiate changes in priorities or solve procedural issues.

• Entrepreneurial mindset with the ability to spot need for course corrections.

• Active Listening: giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand points of view of colleagues; customers and stakeholders.

• Highly effective written and oral communications with a clear understanding of the needs of a specific audience.

• Asks questions to understand requirements and preferences of colleagues, customers and stakeholders.

• Responds clearly to requests for information from colleagues, customers and stakeholders.

• Highly skilled understanding of technical communications through written and video-based media.

Customer Focus

• Confident, driven and who represents company brand and reputation.

• Reflects values of company to external audience.

• Takes personal responsibility to follow up with users to ensure their enquiries have been addressed.

• Demonstrates empathy—understands others’ points of view, and sorts out issues promptly and in a non-defensive manner.

• Shows flexibility and is available to support others especially during critical periods.

Problem Solving

• Service Orientation -- Actively looks for ways to help people within the company and with outside stakeholders to identify solutions and course corrections that drive optimal results.

• Critical Thinking: Uses logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

• Judgment and Decision Making: Considers the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate course.

• Monitors and assesses self-performance and the performance of other individuals or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

• Active Learner: Understands the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.

• Time Management: ability to manage own time and the time of others toward clear priorities and goals.

• Solves procedural problems within established parameters, using judgment to obtain and interpret relevant information.

• Ability to motivate and direct people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.