Senior FX Artist – Water Focus

About the role

Cinesite, an international visual effects and animation studio, is looking for a Senior FX Artist who will design, create and produce digital visual effects with a primary focus on water simulation using Houdini, under the supervision of the FX Supervisor.

Key responsibilities

• Create a wide range of stylized visual effects such as fluids, cloth, particles, pyro, magical and rigid body dynamics using Houdini.
• Collaborate with the FX Supervisor to understand shot and sequence requirements and achieve technical and artistic goals.
• Communicate progress, technical issues and anticipated challenges to the supervisor and production coordinator.
• Adapt simulations to match the specific look of the film, whether hyper‑realistic or highly stylized.
• Organise, manage and maintain all simulation files.
• Optimize simulations and renders for efficiency while staying within production constraints.

Required profile

• More than 5 years of experience as an FX artist in animated movies or live‑action productions.
• High proficiency in Houdini.
• Strong understanding of physics and natural phenomena, especially water simulation.
• Experience with Solaris and USD workflow (beneficial).
• Experience with RenderMan, Arnold or equivalent modern ray‑trace renderers.
• Experience with Gaffer, Katana (beneficial).
• Experience with lighting, rendering, look development and compositing in Nuke.
• Familiarity with other pipeline areas such as modeling, animation/rigging, lighting and compositing.
• Ability to multitask and work productively in a fast‑paced environment.
• Strong problem‑solving and communication skills.

Required skills

• Houdini
• VEX scripting
• Python
• HDAs/OTLs creation and management
• Solaris
• USD workflow
• RenderMan
• Arnold
• Gaffer
• Katana
• Nuke