Title: Associate Special Effects Designer
Compensation:$50-62/hr, depending on experience
Type: 2-Year Contract
Industry: Entertainment / Themed Entertainment / Experiential Design
Location: Glendale, CA with potential project-related travel
About the Role The Associate Special Effects Designer will work closely with senior special effects designers, technical leads, engineers, creatives, fabricators, and production teams to help transform creative concepts into functional, repeatable physical effects.
This role is highly hands-on and combines creative problem solving with technical design, prototyping, experimentation, documentation, and field support.
The successful candidate will be comfortable receiving an open-ended technical or creative challenge, researching possible solutions, building and testing mockups, documenting results, and recommending the best approach to move the design forward.
This is not a traditional manufacturing or drafting-only position. The team is looking for someone who actively questions how and why something works, develops alternative solutions, and contributes ideas throughout the design process.
Key Responsibilities
- Support the design and development of practical and technical special effects from early concept through testing, installation, and turnover.
- Build, modify, and evaluate physical mockups and prototypes used to validate special effects concepts.
- Perform hands-on experimentation with materials, mechanical components, lighting, LEDs, pumps, nozzles, electronics, and other technical systems.
- Evaluate multiple technical approaches and recommend solutions based on performance, reliability, maintainability, safety, and creative intent.
- Document prototype results, design decisions, testing outcomes, and lessons learned.
- Create, review, and update technical drawings and design documentation using AutoCAD and related tools.
- Work with DWG files and communicate design intent through clear technical documentation.
- Support senior designers and technical leads with research, documentation, testing, procurement, and project coordination.
- Participate in interdisciplinary meetings with creative, engineering, architecture, fabrication, production, operations, and other technical teams.
- Proactively identify potential conflicts between special effects systems and surrounding architectural, mechanical, electrical, lighting, or show elements.
- Research components, equipment, materials, vendors, and emerging technologies that may provide innovative solutions to project challenges.
- Assist with field installation, testing, troubleshooting, adjustment, commissioning, and post-installation support.
- Maintain organized records of tests, drawings, decisions, specifications, and project information.
- Take increasing ownership of assigned work with limited direction as familiarity with the project grows.
- Contribute ideas and technical recommendations rather than solely executing predetermined designs.
- Support multiple workstreams and adapt quickly as project priorities and technical requirements evolve.
- 3+ years of experience in special effects, technical theater, film production, live entertainment, themed entertainment, experiential design, fabrication, product development, prototyping, mechanical engineering, electrical/electronics, or a related creative technical field.
- Hands-on experience building, testing, modifying, or troubleshooting physical systems, prototypes, mockups, or special effects.
- Working knowledge of AutoCAD or comparable CAD software.
- Ability to read, interpret, modify, and create technical drawings.
- Experience working with physical materials, mechanical components, lighting, electronics, fabrication methods, or technical equipment.
- Demonstrated creative problem-solving ability and experience developing solutions to nonstandard or open-ended technical challenges.
- Ability to independently research unfamiliar systems, products, materials, and technologies.
- Strong written documentation skills, including the ability to clearly record testing results, design decisions, and technical findings.
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to work across creative and technical disciplines.
- Ability to proactively seek information and coordinate with multiple stakeholders rather than waiting for direction.
- Comfortable working in an environment where requirements may evolve and solutions may need to be developed through experimentation.
- Ability to balance hands-on technical work with meetings, documentation, design coordination, and project support.
- Ability to travel for project-related work as needed.
- Experience in technical theater, scenic production, props, lighting, stage mechanics, or other multidisciplinary theatrical environments.
- Feature film or television practical special effects experience.
- Experience with entertainment or experiential installations.
- Mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, electronics, mechatronics, robotics, or product-development experience.
- Experience with LEDs, LED programming, lighting controls, electronics, sensors, or interactive systems.
- Experience with fluid systems, pumps, pneumatics, water effects, atmospheric effects, or other physical effect systems.
- Experience with fabrication, scenic shops, machine shops, prototyping labs, or R&D environments.
- Experience developing one-off mechanisms, experimental equipment, or custom technical solutions.
- Familiarity with Excel, Airtable, or similar project-tracking and documentation tools.
- Experience supporting field installations, commissioning, troubleshooting, or operations and maintenance teams.
- Experience working across multiple disciplines such as creative, mechanical, electrical, architecture, fabrication, lighting, or controls.
- Portfolio or work samples demonstrating a broad range of hands-on technical and creative projects.
Estimated Min Rate: $43.75
Estimated Max Rate: $62.50
What’s In It for You?
We welcome you to be a part of the largest and legendary global staffing companies to meet your career aspirations. Yoh’s network of client companies has been employing professionals like you for over 65 years in the U.S., UK and Canada. Join Yoh’s extensive talent community that will provide you with access to Yoh’s vast network of opportunities and gain access to this exclusive opportunity available to you. Benefit eligibility is in accordance with applicable laws and client requirements. Benefits include:
- Medical, Prescription, Dental & Vision Benefits (for employees working 20+ hours per week)
- Health Savings Account (HSA) (for employees working 20+ hours per week)
- Life & Disability Insurance (for employees working 20+ hours per week)
- MetLife Voluntary Benefits
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
- 401K Retirement Savings Plan
- Direct Deposit & weekly epayroll
- Referral Bonus Programs
- Certification and training opportunities
Note: Any pay ranges displayed are estimations. Actual pay is determined by an applicant's experience, technical expertise, and other qualifications as listed in the job description. All qualified applicants are welcome to apply.
Yoh, a Day & Zimmermann company, is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.
Visit https://www.yoh.com/applicants-with-disabilities to contact us if you are an individual with a disability and require accommodation in the application process.
For California applicants, qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act. All of the material job duties described in this posting are job duties for which a criminal history may have a direct, adverse, and negative relationship potentially resulting in the withdrawal of a conditional offer of employment.
It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.
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