Technical Director – Temp (SFD / Cinematics)

Activision Blizzard • Irvine, CA

2d • Hybrid

About The Position

Blizzard Entertainment is looking for a talented and driven Technical Director (TD) to join our Cinematics team. Our cinematics span a wide range of styles and complexity, and we’re seeking individuals passionate about supporting artists and their workflows, building tools, solving technical challenges, and developing innovative technology to bring our iconic stories to life. You’ll work closely with artists, producers, and fellow technologists, so strong communication and collaboration skills are essential. If you thrive on challenges and want to empower artists with cutting-edge tools and support, we’d love to have you on the team! This role is anticipated to be a hybrid work position, with some work on-site and some work-from-home. The potential home studio for this role is Irvine, CA. However, we understand each person’s circumstances may be unique and will work with you to explore other possible options, including remote work arrangements. This is roughly a 12-month temporary position.

Requirements

• Strong background in software development, with experience in developing, modifying, deploying, and debugging software on Linux and Windows environments
• Experience writing tools or plugins for widely used third-party computer graphics programs
• Solid understanding of computer graphics (CG) pipelines and workflows
• Experience with third-party computer graphics programs such as Maya, Houdini, or Katana
• Strong problem-solving abilities and collaboration skills within multidisciplinary teams
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills for cross-departmental interactions
• Proficiency in Python and object-oriented programming
• Genuine interest in a technical support capacity, assisting artists and team members
• Ability to adapt to shifting priorities during production schedule changes

Nice To Haves

• Experience developing tools using PyQt
• Understanding of computer graphics concepts such as raytracing and simulation
• Familiarity with common VFX platform libraries: openEXR, OpenVDB, Alembic, or USD
• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Graphics, Engineering, or a related field
• Familiarity with Blizzard games and cinematics

Benefits

• Medical, dental, vision, health savings account or health reimbursement account, healthcare spending accounts, dependent care spending accounts, life and AD&D insurance, disability insurance
• 401(k) with Company match, tuition reimbursement, charitable donation matching
• Paid holidays and vacation, paid sick time, floating holidays, compassion and bereavement leaves, parental leave
• Mental health & wellbeing programs, fitness programs, free and discounted games, and a variety of other voluntary benefit programs like supplemental life & disability, legal service, ID protection, rental insurance, and others
• If the Company requires that you move geographic locations for the job, then you may also be eligible for relocation assistance.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees