Lead Technical Designer in Animation

ART

What We Do

Push your creative talents to the limit on a team of world-class artists, designers, and engineers who strive to innovate and inspire.

What You’ll Do

The Walt Disney Company and Epic Games are collaborating on an all-new games and entertainment universe.

In addition to being a world-class games experience, this new persistent universe will offer a multitude of opportunities for consumers to play, watch, and engage with content, characters, and stories from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, Avatar, and more. 

Players, gamers, and fans of all kinds will be able to create their own stories and experiences, express their fandom in a distinctly Disney way, and share content with each other in ways that they love. Come join us in creating the future of interactive entertainment.

Epic Games is looking for a Lead Technical Designer in Animation (TDiA) to join our team working across various animation systems as part of our collaboration with Disney. As a Lead TDiA, you will use your animation sense and technical understanding of character animation to design and create gameplay animation systems that facilitate appealing, high-quality character motion. You will be a primary point of contact for animation implementation issues and related technical challenges and will work closely with Animation, Design, and Engineering colleagues to ensure the animation pipeline operates smoothly and efficiently. You will also help identify potential issues and deploy correct solutions, using your technical knowledge to help bridge and facilitate communication between the animation team and other departments. As a key player in our team, you will balance collaborative teamwork with the ability to drive initiatives independently.

In this role, you will

• Lead the creation of animation behavior tools/techniques/philosophies that allow the building of complex movement systems
• Design and implement animation state machines/behaviors and runtime solutions
• Work closely with the Animation, Design, and Engineering departments to analyze, troubleshoot, and solve in-game animation implementation issues and animation-related technical challenges
• Closely collaborate with the animation leadership to maintain the style and quality bar for animations in the game
• Look for opportunities to improve the animation pipeline/workflow and help provide solutions for technical animation problems, including performing training and creating documentation for the animation team

What we’re looking for

• A strong animation sense with a clear understanding of realistic and stylized character motion and how to achieve them with modern animation methods
• Expertise with animation pipelines, including source content creation tools such as Maya, MotionBuilder, and the Unreal Engine using our Control Rig toolset
• Exceptional problem-solving ability with strong written communication and teamwork skills
• Familiarity with gameplay animation tools and concepts, such as blend trees and state machines; experience with Unreal Engine Animation Blueprints is a plus
• Experience with AAA game development, preferably on a large team using an established game engine (internal or commercial); experience with Unreal Engine is a plus
• Self-motivation, a strong work ethic, and the ability to work independently
• Coding knowledge or experience with C++ is not required

This role is open to multiple locations across North America and Europe (including CA & WA).

EPIC JOB + EPIC BENEFITS = EPIC LIFE

We pay 100% for benefits except for PMI (for dependents). Our current benefits package includes pension, private medical insurance, health care cash plan, dental insurance, disability and life insurance, critical illness, cycle to work scheme, flu shots, health checks, and meals. We also offer a robust mental well-being program through Modern Health, which provides free therapy and coaching for employees & dependents.

Pay Transparency Information

The expected annual base pay range(s) for this position are detailed below. Each base pay range is relevant only for individuals who are residents of or will be expected to work within the specified locale. Compensation varies based on a variety of factors, which include (but aren’t limited to) things such as skills and competencies, qualifications, knowledge, and experience. In addition to base pay, most employees are eligible to participate in Epic’s generous benefit plans and discretionary incentive programs (subject to the terms of those plans or programs).