Senior FX Artist (Houdini)

Location: Hybrid position with on-site work at the Irvine, California home studio and work-from-home options; other remote arrangements may be explored.

Salary: $45.48–$84.13 hourly in the U.S.

Company

hirify.global develops and publishes interactive entertainment experiences across PC, console, and mobile platforms, including Warcraft, Overwatch, Diablo, and StarCraft.

What you will do

• Create feature-quality FX and simulations for Story and Franchise Development cinematics.
• Develop effects that reproduce smoke, fire, water, clouds, steam, explosions, magic, and technological phenomena.
• Build and maintain particle, fluid, rigid-body, and procedural systems in Houdini.
• Create FX slap-comps for review using node-based compositing tools.
• Collaborate with modelers, animators, texture artists, lighters, compositors, games teams, directors, and art directors.
• Support real-time VFX workflows in modern game engines and execute caching and rendering processes with PDG.

Requirements

• 8+ years of professional experience in gaming, animation, or VFX producing feature-film-quality Houdini effects.
• Extensive experience with particle systems, fluid dynamics, rigid-body dynamics, and procedural systems.
• Strong understanding of physical dynamics, natural phenomena, and feature-film-level pipelines.
• Experience with Nuke or comparable node-based compositing software, real-time VFX in Unreal or Unity, PDG, and USD FX deliverables.
• Ability to solve technical and creative problems collaboratively and communicate effect goals with creative leadership.
• Availability for a roughly four-month temporary assignment starting in mid-December or mid-January.

Nice to have

• Experience with VEX, C++, or Python.
• Knowledge of Houdini Solaris lighting, Karma, Mantra, RenderMan, or Redshift.
• Experience shipping a AAA game title.

Culture & Benefits

• Fast-paced, collaborative environment focused on immersive entertainment experiences.
• Benefits may include medical, dental, vision, healthcare spending accounts, life and disability insurance, and a 401(k) with company match, subject to eligibility.
• Paid holidays, vacation, sick time, floating holidays, parental leave, and bereavement leave may be available.
• Mental health, wellbeing, fitness, tuition reimbursement, and game discount programs are offered, subject to eligibility.
• Relocation assistance may be available if the company requires a geographic move.