Software Engineer, Tools Hydra/Visualization (Core)

Pixar Animation Studios is seeking a talented Software Engineer to join their Software R&D department, specifically working on the GPU team. This role presents an exciting opportunity to contribute to both Pixar's proprietary filmmaking software and open-source projects that are widely used in the film and graphics industries.

The position focuses on developing and enhancing the studio's interactive rendering architecture, working at the intersection of cutting-edge computer graphics and practical filmmaking needs. You'll be responsible for implementing hardware-accelerated preview rendering in content creation tools, enabling fast and high-quality visualization of complex film assets, and maintaining high-performance data processing pipelines.

As a core member of the GPU team, you'll work extensively with C++ in a Linux environment, tackling challenges in modern rendering architectures for both rasterization and ray tracing. The role requires strong technical skills in computer graphics, including thorough understanding of GPU APIs like OpenGL and Vulkan, as well as expertise in data structures, algorithms, and multithreading.

The position offers the unique opportunity to contribute to open-source projects like OpenUSD Hydra, collaborating with a broader community in the film and graphics industries. You'll work closely with both artists and engineers, designing flexible APIs that can handle the complexity of film production workflows while maintaining high performance standards.

The ideal candidate combines strong technical abilities with excellent communication skills and a passion for problem-solving. You should be comfortable taking ownership of challenging problems, particularly those arising from evolving software architecture in an active production environment. The role requires someone who values code quality, writes well-documented and thoroughly tested code, and enjoys the full development cycle from planning through deployment.

Working at Pixar means being part of a studio with a rich history of technical innovation in computer animation, having created beloved films like Toy Story, Monsters, Inc., and Inside Out. The studio environment promotes creativity, technical excellence, and collaboration between artists and engineers to push the boundaries of what's possible in animation.

The position is based in Emeryville, California, offering a competitive salary range of $145,265 to $187,990 per year, with the final offer depending on factors such as geographic location, experience, and internal equity. Join Pixar's team to help advance the future of computer graphics and animation technology while contributing to stories that captivate audiences worldwide.