FX Lead

Pay Range

$100,000 - $125,000 CAD annually

SDFX Studios

FX Lead (Fixed Term)

Toronto, ON (Remote)

The Lead FX Artist delivers high-quality Houdini simulations for episodic and feature VFX, combining technical problem‑solving and artistic judgment across FX such as blood and splatter, fire, explosions, smoke, liquids, particles, cloth, hair, and crowds etc. The role emphasizes creation of clean, efficient simulation setups, reusable templates, and close collaboration with supervisors and the FX team to ensure creative intent and production efficiency.

We will consider Senior FX Artists ready to move up to the next level in their VFX career.

The FX Lead will carry the VFX Supervisor’s vision through all visual and technical aspects of the FX Houdini pipeline while creating and overseeing FX simulation templates to ensure team efficiency and productivity. Mentorship across adjacent 3D departments with focus on the FX team. They will oversee FX simulation setups including element creation for internal database and technical checks. Manage various simulation setup, sequence looks, and client updates while optimizing render times and workflow efficiency.

They will also be responsible for the following:

• FX Department Oversight:
  Review FX department shots through all stages to ensure ease of integration, consistent quality, and adherence to creative direction.
• Quality Control:
  Establish and maintain simulation and FX render standards across artistic, technical, and production requirements to ensure final delivery quality.
• Delivery & Support:
  Key collaborator across all CG infrastructure to include identification, prioritization and solutions for FX related tasks. This includes presenting solutions through execution, communication with production, prod‑tech, pipeline, sysops and all other divisions needed to solve any FX related issues. Ensure tasks are completed on time to internal studio standards while providing departmental support and troubleshooting technical or workflow issues.

The ideal candidate will be a well‑experienced professional with VFX industry experience. They must have prior working experience as a Senior Artist, Lead, or equivalent role. They must be extremely proficient in Houdini, Maya, and Nuke, must have expertise in creating custom setups, - common FX especially, and be highly proficient in lighting and shading their initial set ups and have working knowledge of programming software such as Python, Maya API.

Additional desired skills include:

• Ability to balance artistic intent with technical feasibility.
• Creative, adaptable, and skilled at optimizing workflows across diverse projects.

Company 3, including its various business units and family of brands, provides a full range of Creative Services for content creators, including conceptual design, pre‑vis, look development, ideation and rapid prototyping, 3D animation/CGI, motion graphics/designers, matte painting, compositing, dailies and production services, color grading, post‑production finishing, marketing/trailers, live‑action production, experiences, and more.

Creativity has diversity at its core. We celebrate the value of each unique experience by being dedicated to fostering the most diverse, equitable, and inclusive culture where every employee feels empowered and safe to show up to work as their full self.

It is our policy to provide equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees. Please inform the Company’s HR representative if you need assistance completing any forms or otherwise need any accommodation or support in order to participate in the application process.

The listed pay range represents the lowest to highest range that we in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting. This range may be modified in the future. An employee’s pay position within the range may be based on several factors including, but limited to, relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, seniority, geographic location, local currency exchange rates,…