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Cesar Saez

London, UK - hi@cesarsaez.com

Engineering Manager & Technical Leader

Engineering leader with 15+ years of experience spanning AI research, commercial DCCs, and high-performance production software. I specialize in turning complex R&D into scalable, high-ROI product ecosystems. By bridging the gap between theoretical ML research and pragmatic product execution, I architect autonomous team structures, drive cross-departmental alignment, and cultivate top-tier engineering cultures that predictably deliver on strategic business roadmaps.

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Skills

  • Engineering Leadership: Org Scaling & Multi-Team Management, Technical Hiring Frameworks, Mentorship & Culture Building, Agile Delivery
  • Architecture & Strategy: System Architecture, Developer Experience (DevEx), Roadmap De-risking, Cross-Functional Alignment (Product/UX)
  • Technical Domain: C++ & Python, USD (Universal Scene Description), ML/AI Infrastructure, Performance Optimization (Concurrency, Build Tooling)

Experience

Foundry, London

Lead Software Engineer, Katana

Jul 2025 – Present

  • Scaled Pod Operations: Implemented a decentralized "Feature Facilitator" rotation for the Katana pod. Handed day-to-day execution to senior ICs, enabling the team to run autonomously and hit ahead-of-schedule delivery while I focused on cross-product strategy.
  • De-risked Complex Product Delivery: Partnered closely with Product and UX leadership to drive Katana's core technical evolution, including deep Universal Scene Description (USD) integration. Translated high-level product vision into predictable, phased engineering roadmaps.
  • Led Cross-Org Katana's AI Strategy: Currently driving the technical proposal and cross-functional alignment (Katana, Nuke, Griptape and AI Research) for Katana’s generative AI integration. Championing a lightweight architecture prioritizing rapid time-to-market.
  • Stabilized Portfolio During Restructuring: Acted as the operational anchor during a major leadership transition. Absorbed broader portfolio-level responsibilities to stabilize the Katana and my group roadmaps, partnering with Directors to align engineering phasing with shifting executive mandates.
  • Improved Org-Wide DevEx: Drove a Developer Experience initiative spanning 3 Katana ngineering groups. Championed the adoption of ccache, cutting local build times by 50–90% (saving up to 18 minutes per build) and measurably accelerating wider organizational velocity.
  • Elevated Engineering Baselines: Standardized code review practices and guidelines across the wider Katana portfolio. Actively practice high-leverage delegation, handing off high-visibility R&D spikes (e.g., Claude Code integration) to peer leads to up-skill the wider engineering bench.

Foundry, London

Lead Research Engineer, AI

Jul 2022 - Jul 2025

  • Led two parallel AI Research teams to successfully integrate machine learning features (e.g., CopyCat, Inference, Cattery) into Foundry's flagship commercial product ecosystem.
  • Scaled the AI Research department from 1 to 4 teams, orchestrating cross-team agile practices and sprint reviews to maintain strict technical alignment across parallel roadmaps.
  • Managed a team of 6 direct reports, driving performance reviews, promotion cycles, and cultivating a high-retention culture rooted in continuous professional growth and psychological safety.
  • Standardized the technical hiring framework across the entire R&D organization, significantly improving candidate evaluation consistency, reducing bias, and enabling scalable hiring.
  • Architected foundational ML infrastructure (exchange formats, inference abstractions) enabling rapid, standardized AI feature integration across multiple Foundry products.
  • Created a globally adopted C++ onboarding program for Foundry Engineering, drastically reducing ramp-up time for new technical hires.

Foundry, London

Senior Research Engineer, Real-Time

Sep 2020 – Jul 2022

  • Co-led applied R&D and technical prototyping for Nuke Stage, engineering a commercial virtual production solution focused on real-time compositing and GPU-driven effects.
  • Architected foundational prototypes for Nuke's USD-based 3D system, establishing the core technical architecture shipped in Nuke 14+.

DNEG, London

Software Engineer, R&D

Aug 2019 – Sep 2020

  • Engineered core libraries and asset resolution systems for the Scene Description platform, leveraging Universal Scene Description (USD).
  • Drove studio-wide workflows by collaborating across pipeline, layout, and tools teams to support massive-scale feature film production.

Animal Logic (now Netflix Animation Studios), Sydney

Software Engineer, R&D

Feb 2016 – Aug 2019

  • Developed and maintained in-house authoring frameworks used across feature animation pipelines.
  • Engineered scalable production pipelines using USD, enabling flexible asset interchange and facilitating studio-wide growth.

Earlier Career in Animation/VFX

Senior/Lead Character TD, Rigging Supervisor

2005 – 2015

  • Held lead and supervisor roles on multiple feature film and TV projects across high-end animation and VFX studios.
  • Led cross-functional teams of riggers, animators, and tools developers, consistently balancing creative director demands with strict technical constraints.
  • Introduced and documented engineering standards that optimized artist efficiency, reduced shot revisions, and ensured delivery under tight production schedules.

Recommendations

Cesar is a skilled software engineer who believes in the craft of coding and has a great understanding of how software fits together. He doesn't settle for what's worked in the past, but is an innovator who searches for newer, better and cooler ways to do things.
– Eoin Murphy, Senior Software Engineer at NVIDIA
I had the pleasure of working with Cesar for The Lego Batman movie and Lego Ninjago Movie. He was a great problem solver and was always looking for ways to improve our processes and pipeline. I depended on him to assist our more entry level team members and he did a great job teaching us new ways to produce better code.
– Josh Murtack, Senior Creature Technical Director at Weta FX
The best assets of Cesar are their creativity in front of problems and his increidble human touch. During his time as Lead Character TD, he worked to provide flexibility and reliability to the rigs, as well as tools for all the departments. Then, he took the helm of the rigging department and thanks to him we were able to work as a solid team, bringing solutions for all the studio, and facing long-term goals for next productions. And after all this, it seems that we only scratch the surface of his ideas and potential.
– Ricard Miras Bellavista, Character TD and Developer at 23lunes
Cesar has an excellent balance of innovation and productivity. He is always thinking about faster, cleaner and reusable ways to achieve things but never forgets that his tools and rigs will be used by people in a real production. Furthermore, he likes teamwork and is willing to help colleagues. I am lucky to be working with him.
– Angel Pavon, Core Development Manager at Raw Gaming Group

Education

Universidad Central, Chile

B.Sc. in Construction Engineering

2000 - 2005

Passed with Distinction

Social Links

  • Github: https://www.github.com/csaez
  • Mastodon: https://hachyderm.io/@cesarsaez
  • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cesarsaez
  • Website: https://www.cesarsaez.com