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Senior Groom Artist - Expression of Interest (Feature Animation & VFX)

Apply Now Apply Later Job ID 10109649 Location Vancouver, Canada Business Industrial Light & Magic Date posted Dec. 23, 2024

Job Summary:

This role is considered Hybrid, which means the employee will work 2-3 days onsite at a Company designated location and occasionally from home.

This posting is an opportunity to submit your resume for future consideration; this is not a role that is open at this time. We anticipate this role may be open in the future, but we are not actively hiring for the position. If you would like to be considered for this potential role, please submit your resume. If the role becomes available, you may receive an email or call from a recruiter.

Position Summary


ILM Vancouver is growing, and we are looking for an outstanding artist to join our Groom team! ILM’s Groom team works alongside our Digital Model Shop (DMS) and Creature teams to create hair, fur and feather grooms for characters, creatures, costume and props as part of the Creature / Character pipeline for high-end VFX projects.


At ILM, we believe a good idea is a good idea, regardless of where it comes from! Do you thrive in a creative environment? Do you enjoy sharing knowledge and learning from others? If you love art, technology, and movies, then this might be the role you’re looking for!


ILM strives to be an inclusive environment, and the Groom team embraces promising individuals with a variety backgrounds and experiences.

What You’ll Do

  • Build assets either fully or partially covered in hair, fur or feathers using Houdini
  • Collaborate with the Groom leadership, Modeling, Texture, Look Development and VFX Supervisor to identify and build the “look” for an asset
  • Work with production and show leadership to deliver high quality assets on time that meet all departments needs
  • Present you work in dailies and discuss all aspects of your asset as needed
  • Use your groom abilities for other non-character assets such as props or costumes

What We’re Looking For

  • Portfolio demonstrating great groom skills, displaying a strong understanding of hair, fur and feather types and character design
  • 5+ years proven experience crafting digital creatures and characters in a VFX studio environment. Additional animation experience is a plus
  • Phenomenal creative and interpersonal skills to work with team members from other departments, assist asset development, and displaying the ability to interpret others vision while also showcase their own ideas
  • Excellent time management skills with the capability of sharing your time between multiple shows when needed
  • Strong ability to self assess if you are taking the right approach, while also understanding when you should be contacting supervision or other departments for help or to discuss approach
  • A deep knowledge of film and video post production techniques and a good understanding of the full VFX pipeline
  • Strong knowledge of Houdini, ability to trouble shoot complex issues and help drive development. Vex knowledge a plus
  • Knowledge of LINUX is a necessity to navigate through ILM’s production pipeline

As part of your application please submit a demo reel, shot breakdown, or equivalent showcasing your work. A current resume is required.


The hiring range for this position in Vancouver is C$110,600 to C$141,500 per year based on a 40-hour work week. The amount of hours scheduled per week may vary based on business needs. The base pay actually offered will take into account internal equity and also may vary depending on the candidate’s geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors. A full range of medical, financial, and/or other variable pay or benefits, may be offered dependent on the level and position offered.

About Industrial Light & Magic:

Founded in 1975 by George Lucas, ILM is the leading effects facility in the world, serving the motion picture, commercial production, and attraction industries. ILM has created visual effects for over 325 feature films and has played a key role in seven of the top 10 worldwide box-office hits of all time and has contributed to 25 of the top 50. ILM has set the standard for visual effects, creating some of the most stunning images in the history of film. At the forefront of the digital revolution, the company continues to break new ground in visual effects, VR, AR, and Immersive Cinema.

About The Walt Disney Company:

The Walt Disney Company, together with its subsidiaries and affiliates, is a leading diversified international family entertainment and media enterprise that includes three core business segments: Disney Entertainment, ESPN, and Disney Experiences. From humble beginnings as a cartoon studio in the 1920s to its preeminent name in the entertainment industry today, Disney proudly continues its legacy of creating world-class stories and experiences for every member of the family. Disney’s stories, characters and experiences reach consumers and guests from every corner of the globe. With operations in more than 40 countries, our employees and cast members work together to create entertainment experiences that are both universally and locally cherished.

This position is with ILM (Vancouver) Inc., which is part of a business we call Industrial Light & Magic.

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