Job Role- Creature Supervisor 📍 San Francisco, CA (Hybrid: 2–3 days onsite, occasional remote)🏢 Company-Industrial Light & Magic📅 Posted: Aug 22, 2025💰 Salary Range: $142,900 – $187,500/year + bonus + benefits About the Role Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) is pushing the boundaries of storytelling through real-time graphics, Virtual & Augmented Reality, and emerging platforms. We merge the artistry of film VFX with the innovation of video game technology to create groundbreaking interactive experiences. We’re looking for a Creature Supervisor to lead a world-class team of real-time Creature Technical Directors (TDs). In this role, you’ll set the creative and technical bar for character and prop animation pipelines, ensuring seamless collaboration between artists, animators, and engineers. You’ll shape workflows, mentor talent, and drive innovation while delivering high-quality, optimized assets for ILM’s cutting-edge projects. What You’ll Do Lead and mentor a team of Creature TDs, raising the artistic and technical standards of the discipline. Build and oversee character/prop animation pipelines, ensuring efficiency, scalability, and top-quality output. Partner with artistic directors, product owners, and peers to achieve the creative vision of each project. Optimize animated assets for real-time engines, especially Unreal Engine. Collaborate with engineers to develop tools, scripts, and plug-ins that boost artist productivity. Provide scope, task estimates, and production planning in partnership with Producers. Define best practices, workflows, and cross-discipline collaboration standards. Stay hands-on with projects to maintain deep knowledge of tools, pipelines, and industry trends. Contribute to talent planning, staffing, and mentorship in partnership with Recruiting and Talent Management. Foster a positive, collaborative team culture that encourages innovation and growth. What We’re Looking For Education/Experience: Degree in game development, digital art, computer graphics, or related field; or equivalent experience. 10+ years in game development as a Character Technical Artist (or equivalent), with at least 3 shipped AAA titles as Lead Artist. Technical Expertise: Advanced rigging in Maya, pipeline development, and animation workflows. Proficiency in Maya, 3Ds Max, ZBrush, Photoshop, Substance, and Unreal Engine. Strong scripting skills (Python, PySide/PyQt, Maya API/Mel). Experience with source control systems (Perforce or similar). Leadership Skills: Proven ability to mentor, manage, and inspire artists. Skilled at balancing artistic vision with technical constraints and production deadlines. Creative & Strategic: Strong artistic eye with a deep understanding of 3D art and animation, combined with analytical problem-solving and pipeline optimization expertise. Collaboration: Excellent communication and teamwork skills with experience working across disciplines. Portfolio: Must demonstrate technical artistry across rigging, tools/pipeline, modeling, and animation. Bonus Skills Computer Science degree or experience in C#/C++ programming. People-management or outsourcing management experience. Background in XR content creation and real-time graphics. Why Join ILM? At ILM, you’ll be at the forefront of storytelling innovation—leading talent, building pipelines, and shaping the future of real-time cinematic experiences. Alongside competitive pay, you’ll receive a comprehensive benefits package, long-term incentives, and the opportunity to work with some of the most creative minds in the industry. 📌 A reel/portfolio with detailed breakdowns of your work is required to apply.
