Responsibilities Include

• Mentor and guide animators in areas of expertise; instill best practices.
• Partner with leads and directors to meet visual and technical standards. 
• Research, define, extend, and maintain DCC pipelines, processes, and workflows.
• Create and maintain an animation schedule that works with the overall schedules of the assigned production.
• Works with Art Director and Designers to plan and direct an animation style that works with the overall tone, team size, and schedules of the assigned production.
• Works with the Tools department to help create and evaluate new tools that would expedite the animation process.
• Maintains a strong understanding of Character Set up process and highly proficient with skeletons, IK, FK, facial animation system, constraints and other systems used for character animation.
• Reviews game characters and run levels to check on correct implementation of animations.
• Maintains a solid understanding of the entire process of creating cinematics; e.g. creating partial levels, setting up cameras and characters, animating, checking, and troubleshooting scenes.
• Stay informed on the latest in animation techniques from various games.
• Engage in broader game production challenges as they relate to combat design, animation, and character art.

The Ideal Candidate

• Minimum 8+ years of relevant experience
• Has worked on at least one AAA title as a Team Lead
• Strong Maya and Unreal Engine Knowledge
• Intimate knowledge of Maya and strong understanding of Maya’s rigging tools
• Has an excellent understanding of art pipelines, dependencies, and the overall scope of the project
• Ability to pioneer practical production-oriented rig systems and workflows, including motion capture techniques and performance capture
• Portfolio that demonstrates relevant animation experience in games (tools, pipelines, etc.)
• Deep knowledge of animation workflows and rigging to implement characters in unreal
• Strong communication skills and understanding of various art disciplines (animation, character, environment, VFX)
• Strong understanding of game engines and art integration pipelines and how to optimize them

Additional and Bonus Skills

• Working knowledge of shaders, specifically as they relate to animation
• Proficient with polygon modeling and topology adjustments related to character deformations
• Well-versed in human and animal anatomy
• A keen eye for correct form throughout a wide range of movement
• Experience with writing tools for animation
• Passion for gaming