Expert Animator – FPS

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in United States, +1 more country.

📋 Description

• Take charge of the vision, quality, and implementation of first-person animation systems throughout the development process.

• Produce high-caliber first-person animations for weapons, abilities, movement, interactions, and gameplay systems.

• Work in conjunction with Gameplay Design and Engineering to enhance responsiveness, clarity, and player feedback.

• Design and maintain animation blueprints, state machines, Control Rig solutions, and gameplay animation systems within Unreal Engine 5.

• Develop and refine both procedural and layered animation solutions.

• Construct, sustain, and optimize first-person animation pipelines and workflows.

• Rig and prepare first-person assets for animation and integration into the engine.

• Efficiently incorporate animations into gameplay systems alongside Technical Art and Engineering teams.

• Review, guide, and provide constructive feedback to external animation vendors and freelance animators.

• Set animation standards, create documentation, and establish best practices.

• Collaborate with leadership to determine animation priorities, timelines, and quality benchmarks.

• Assist with cinematic and scripted gameplay animation requirements as needed.

⛳️ Requirements

• Over 7 years of animation experience, including involvement in shipped AAA or AA FPS titles in roles such as Senior Animator, Lead Animator, Principal Animator, Expert Animator, or equivalent positions.

• Mastery of first-person animation techniques, including weapons, hands, locomotion, interactions, and player abilities.

• Profound comprehension of first-person gameplay dynamics, responsiveness, and principles of player feedback.

• Significant experience with Unreal Engine animation systems, such as Animation Blueprints, Blend Spaces, State Machines, Control Rig, and Sequencer.

• Solid foundation in animation principles: timing, weight, posing, anticipation, and clarity.

• Experience in rigging and preparing first-person assets for production environments.

• Strong knowledge of animation implementation and integration within game engines.

• Proven ability to collaborate effectively with Design, Engineering, Technical Art, and Production teams.

• Experience in reviewing and directing the work of external animation collaborators.

• Active involvement with AI tools pertinent to animation, including AI-assisted rigging, cleanup processes, or reference tools.

• Comfort with utilizing AI within the animation pipeline.

• Excellent communication skills with the ability to provide clear, actionable feedback.

🏝️ Benefits

• Health, dental, and vision benefits.

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance.

• 401(k) plan.

• Flexible paid time off.

• Remote-first work opportunity from anywhere in the US or Canada.

• Chance to impact the studio and its operations from an early stage.

• Broad technical ownership from the very beginning.

• Work with cutting-edge UE5 technology.

• Projects targeting PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.