Senior Lighting Artist

The Senior Lighting Artist is responsible for lighting complex shots or sequences and supporting the lighting team with technical problem-solving and scene refinement. The role requires a high level of visual awareness and technical confidence in Houdini and rendering pipelines.

Duties:

• Hero Shot Lighting: Light key or complex shots that set the benchmark for others.
• Sequence Continuity: Maintain lighting consistency and mood across multiple shots. 
• Comp Collaboration: Work closely with comp to ensure renders integrate cleanly.
• Problem Solving: Debug scene issues including render artifacts, missing inputs, or broken setups.
• Mentorship: Provide support and review feedback for mid and junior artists. Support the team in elevating both output and efficiency.
• Optimisation: Keep scenes efficient and identify opportunities for render savings. Help streamline workflows for scale and consistency. Deliver visually strong, noise free renders that match the creative direction of the show and that are production-ready.
• Scene Organisation: Maintain clean, structured, and versioned lighting setups. 
• Workflow Contribution: Help improve templates, tools, and cross-department workflows.
• Proactivity: Prioritize tasks effectively, keep meetings and contributions concise, and respect others' time.
• Feedback: Respond to notes from leads and supervisors quickly and effectively. Be open to feedback and work iteratively to reach final quality.
• Communication: Keep the team updated on progress and flag blockers early.

Skills, attributes and experience:

• Expert in Houdini lighting (SOPs) and Arnold.
• Strong understanding of physical light behaviour, shading, and photorealism.
• Good grasp of render settings, AOV planning, and integration into comp.
• Reliable problem-solver with clear communication skills.
• Experience in USD/LOPs workflows or transition planning.
• Familiarity with Arnold / Karma and multi shot setups.
• Python or HScript for lighting tools or automation.
• Excellent communicator, sharing information clearly and actively listening 
• Strong time management, ability to prioritize, meet deadlines and escalate delays in a timely manner.
• Adaptable to change with the ability to stay focused and maintain a positive attitude.
• Driven to make things better with flexibility to change course when needed.
• Positive energy, focusing on results and having a positive impact on those around you.
• Self awareness and an ability to resolve and diffuse problems treating others with kindness and respect.
• Strong collaboration skills and the ability to work well with others.
• 5–7 years in VFX or a related field.