Staff AI VFX Engineer

Adobe

Confirmed live yesterday High trust
Hybrid

Quick summary

Work type
Hybrid
Location
Los Angeles, CASan Francisco, CASan Jose, CASeattle, WA
Salary
$211,800–$306,625 / yr
Posted
114 days ago
Freshness
Confirmed live yesterday

Market check

Salary context

Above market

How this pay compares to similar roles

Similar $210k
This role $259k
$146k most similar roles pay here $324k

This role pays more than 86% of similar roles. Most pay $177,225–$243,013 — the shaded band above. At the midpoint, this role pays about $259k versus about $210k for comparable roles.

Based on 240 similar postings.

Employer

About Adobe

Adobe Inc. is a global software company known for creative and multimedia software products including Photoshop, Illustrator, Acrobat, and its cloud-based Creative Cloud and Document Cloud suites. Industry: Creative & Digital Experience Software

Adobe currently has 218 open roles on FindRole.

Listed pay typically runs $187,100–$270,950 across 216 roles with salary data.

Most-posted roles

View all roles at Adobe

At a glance

TL;DR · Staff AI VFX Engineer

Staff AI VFX Engineer The Staff AI VFX Engineer joins the Firefly Foundry team to integrate generative AI into high-end visual effects for film and episodic content. You will build and validate AI-driven workflows, developing prototypes that incorporate custom-trained diffusion and video models into compositing, look-dev, and virtual production pipelines. Key responsibilities include solving technical hurdles like temporal coherence and art-directable control while designing API integrations for tools such as Nuke, Houdini, Maya, and Substance 3D. You will manage multi-modal model orchestration to ensure consistency across image, video, and 3D assets. The role requires proficiency in Python and C++, Rust, or TypeScript, alongside knowledge of OpenEXR, ACES, and USD standards. You must possess expertise in generative AI fundamentals like LoRA, ControlNet, and prompt engineering to bridge the gap between studio requirements and model architecture.

What you'll do

  • Design and validate end-to-end AI-driven VFX workflows for compositing, look-dev, previs, and virtual production.
  • Develop working prototypes using real shot data to prove out new generative AI approaches.
  • Solve technical hurdles such as temporal coherence, art-directable control, and matching on-set lighting/lens characteristics.
  • Build APIs, node graphs, and plugin architectures to integrate models into Nuke, Houdini, Maya, and other DCC tools.
  • Design the orchestration layer for a coordinated stack of image, video, animation, and 3D generation models.
  • Translate studio feedback and production requirements into concrete product specifications for engineering teams.
  • Lead technical deep-dives and creative workshops with studio executives and VFX supervisors.
  • Codify repeatable playbooks including reference architectures, prompt engineering strategies, and quality evaluation pipelines.

What we're looking for

  • Must have 5 to 10+ years of experience in VFX engineering, pipeline TD, or tools development with shipped credits in film, episodic, or AAA gaming.
  • Must possess deep fluency in production VFX workflows including Nuke, Maya, Houdini, and related look-dev and rendering processes.
  • Must have working knowledge of generative AI fundamentals such as diffusion models, LoRA/fine-tuning, ControlNet, and evaluation metrics.
  • Must be proficient in Python and at least one of C++, Rust, or TypeScript to write production-quality code.
  • Must be familiar with VFX data standards including OpenEXR, ACES, USD, Alembic, and OpenColorIO.
  • Must have the ability to communicate technical concepts clearly to non-technical studio leadership and stakeholders.
  • Preferred experience includes credits on major feature films or high-profile episodic VFX projects.
  • Preferred experience includes real-time rendering (Unreal Engine), fine-tuning generative models, or a background in computer vision.

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