Asset Department TD – Animation Division — Directeur.trice technique des Assets – Division Animation

Job Position(s): Asset Department TD - Animation Division -- Directeur.trice technique des Assets - Division Animation

Cinesite is hiring an Asset Department TD for their Animation Division, based in Montreal on a hybrid schedule. This role sits at the intersection of the asset pipeline and production, supporting modeling, grooming, texturing, and lookdev artists across animated feature film projects by diagnosing pipeline issues, building tools, and keeping the asset workflow running cleanly. It suits a TD with hands-on production experience who is equally comfortable writing Python and talking shop with a lookdev artist.

About the Role

The Asset Department TD works under the asset supervisor and acts as the primary technical point of contact for the asset department across all divisions and sites. Day to day, this person is in the pipeline, fielding bugs, writing workarounds, developing Maya and Mari tooling, and coordinating with pipeline developers to flag recurring issues on animation productions. The role is a direct support function for the artists building the characters and environments that end up on screen.

Key Responsibilities

• Diagnose and resolve pipeline bugs affecting modeling, grooming, texturing, and lookdev artists across Cinesite’s animation divisions globally.
• Develop and maintain Python libraries and APIs for DCCs including Maya, Mari, ZBrush, Substance, Gaffer, and Houdini to support the asset pipeline workflow.
• Work directly with asset supervisors and leads to gather technical requirements and translate production needs into tool improvements.
• Test, document, and evaluate new software versions and plugins for integration into the VFX pipeline, reporting impact to leads before rollout.
• Train artists on new tools, features, and modules as they are released into the production environment.
• Attend pipeline meetings and manage asset-related support tickets across Cinesite’s global production sites, including the VFX division.

What You Bring

• Five or more years of tool and API development experience within production DCCs, specifically Maya, Mari, Substance, ZBrush, and Houdini.
• Advanced Python programming skills, with working knowledge of C/C++ considered a strong asset.
• Familiarity with USD workflow and source control systems in a Linux production environment.
• Background in modeling, texturing, shading, or environment build within an animation studio or VFX facility is a plus.
• Solid understanding of animation and VFX production pipeline structure and the workflows that connect departments.

Why This Role

Cinesite has over 30 years of production history across film and television, with a track record on animated features that reaches international distribution. The Montreal studio operates as part of a multi-site collective, which means the Asset Department TD role carries real scope across productions and locations, not just one show. For a pipeline-minded TD who wants breadth across an animation studio environment, this is a substantive position with room to shape how the asset department works.

Apply now for the Asset Department TD position at Cinesite and bring your pipeline experience to one of Montreal’s most established animation and VFX studios.