Character Technical Director- Generative AI Experiences Software

Character Technical Director- Generative AI Experiences Software

At Apple, we strive to make great products that empower people and improve their lives. We are looking for a great Character Technical Director to join our diverse team of engineers, artists, and designers and help us take our state of the art character animation systems to the next level. In this role you will be working with our team to push the limits of the next generation of interactive computing.

As a member of the team, you will work with a small team of highly skilled engineers to bring new experiences to Apple's diverse range of hardware, software, and original content products. This position requires a self-motivated Character Technical Director with strong interpersonal skills to handle responsibilities including:

• Collaborate with engineering, animators, and design teams to create new character rigs for animation
• Provide rigging support
• Collaborate to design and develop our character animation pipeline
• Create tools and plug-ins in Maya and other platforms
• Establish and improve workflows for digital artists across product development stages
• Integrate internal tools and workflows with existing systems and applications

Minimum Qualifications:

• Expert-level knowledge of Autodesk Maya and Python
• Experience with facial rigging, joint systems, blend shape setups, and hybrid rigs
• Experience making tools for animators, designers, and other digital artists
• Understanding of game animation pipelines
• Experience working with file version control systems such as git
• Excellent problem solving, critical thinking, and communication skills
• Ability to balance competing needs and priorities
• Link to portfolio that demonstrates your hands-on expertise, technical achievements, and problem solving skills.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience working with modular or fully scripted rigging systems on large VFX or feature animation projects
• Game development platform experience like Unity, Unreal, Godot or equivalent
• Blender experience
• Swift experience

At Apple, base pay is one part of our total compensation package and is determined within a range. This provides the opportunity to progress as you grow and develop within a role. The base pay range for this role is between $147,400 and $272,100, and your base pay will depend on your skills, qualifications, experience, and location. Apple employees also have the opportunity to become an Apple shareholder through participation in Apple's discretionary employee stock programs. Apple employees are eligible for discretionary restricted stock unit awards, and can purchase Apple stock at a discount if voluntarily participating in Apple's Employee Stock Purchase Plan. You'll also receive benefits including: Comprehensive medical and dental coverage, retirement benefits, a range of discounted products and free services, and for formal education related to advancing your career at Apple, reimbursement for certain educational expenses including tuition. Additionally, this role might be eligible for discretionary bonuses or commission payments as well as relocation.

Apple is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to inclusion and diversity. We seek to promote equal opportunity for all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or other legally protected characteristics.