Lead Gameplay Animator

Posted on 4/4/2023

INACTIVE

51-200 employees

Independent studio creating award-winning video games

Company Overview

Blackbird Interactive (BBI) is a distinguished independent studio known for its high-quality games and collaborations with esteemed organizations like NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The company's unique blend of creative and technical expertise is demonstrated by its in-house CG cinematics department, led by the founder of Pixar Canada, which contributes to the immersive and visually stunning experiences in their games. Recognized as one of the fastest-growing Canadian companies in 2020 and 2021, BBI's consistent growth and industry leadership make it an exciting and dynamic place to work.

Company Stage

N/A

Total Funding

N/A

Founded

2007

Headquarters

Vancouver, Canada

Growth & Insights

Headcount

6 month growth

↓ -33%

1 year growth

↓ -42%

2 year growth

↓ -40%

Locations

Vancouver, BC, Canada

Experience Level

Entry

Junior

Mid

Senior

Expert

Desired Skills

Unreal Engine

Communications

Animation

CategoriesNew

Art, Graphics & Animation

Requirements

5+ years of animation experience with 2+ years in a gameplay animation leadership role with at least one shipped product as a lead
Experience establishing animation in game projects from concept to launch
Experience creating and guiding an animation team in stylistic animation pillars
Understanding of gameplay considerations, limitations and implications for animation
A deep understanding of animation techniques and workflows using Maya
Consistently document and refine animation workflows, tools, and practices
Strong interpersonal and communication skills
Strong leadership, time and priority management skills
Ability to work flexibly, accept and give feedback and adapt to change
Embrace collaboration as part of a multi-disciplinary team
Experience with Unreal Engine
Experience with rigging and/or autorigging tools (Advanced Skeleton, mGear, etc)
A deep passion for, and familiarity with, games, their development and history

Responsibilities

Define the animation vision for a broad array of stylized characters, creatures and animals
Develop strongly-supported creative, feature and technical proposals and pitch them effectively to ensure buy-in
Define and execute a full array of animation requirements to satisfy gameplay criteria
Document team processes and style guide
Direct local and external staff with clear, concise and effective guidance and feedback
Drive critical review process for your team in a positive, respectful and nurturing manner
Collaborate with Art, Design, Audio, Technical and Creative Directors to achieve powerful play-experiences and an instantly recognizable brand aesthetic
Partner directly with Sr. Character Artist and Technical Animators to ensure practical and effective solutions for all character types and variations
Work with technical staff to develop an animation pipeline that is scalable, adaptable, and balances flexibility with animator accessibility
Consider and balance technical limitations and opportunities with creative objectives
Invest in growing your skills, knowledge and experience - step out of your comfort zone

Blackbird Interactive is a creative-fueled, future-driven, independent game studio where the best talent in the industry can find long-term careers to help grow their abilities while working on a wide range of projects, which encompass world-class IPs as well as our own creations across multiple genres.

In 2022, we announced that our studio is implementing a four-day work week as well as supporting in-studio, remote within Canada, and hybrid work arrangements as permanent options to our employees.

Do you have a passion for breathing life, intention, force and weight into characters that span the realms of this and fantastical other worlds? Are you looking to elevate a project from its conception to its full potential? Do you have the drive and fortitude to define, establish and embody the best practices, workflows and pipelines for your animation team? Can you strategically and creatively design gameplay animations to achieve functional, immersive, satisfying and engaging player experiences?

Blackbird Interactive is looking for an experienced animation lead to help develop a new game on an established AAA IP. You will be responsible for driving gameplay previsualization, development workflows and pipelines in Unreal Engine, gameplay animation design, and representing and leading the animation team to success.

Please include a link to your showreel/portfolio.

Responsibilities

Define the animation vision for a broad array of stylized characters, creatures and animals
Develop strongly-supported creative, feature and technical proposals and pitch them effectively to ensure buy-in
Define and execute a full array of animation requirements to satisfy gameplay criteria
Document team processes and style guide
Direct local and external staff with clear, concise and effective guidance and feedback
Drive critical review process for your team in a positive, respectful and nurturing manner
Collaborate with Art, Design, Audio, Technical and Creative Directors to achieve powerful play-experiences and an instantly recognizable brand aesthetic
Partner directly with Sr. Character Artist and Technical Animators to ensure practical and effective solutions for all character types and variations
Work with technical staff to develop an animation pipeline that is scalable, adaptable, and balances flexibility with animator accessibility
Consider and balance technical limitations and opportunities with creative objectives
Invest in growing your skills, knowledge and experience – step out of your comfort zone

Requirements

5+ years of animation experience with 2+ years in a gameplay animation leadership role with at least one shipped product as a lead
Experience establishing animation in game projects from concept to launch
Experience creating and guiding an animation team in stylistic animation pillars
Understanding of gameplay considerations, limitations and implications for animation
A deep understanding of animation techniques and workflows using Maya
Consistently document and refine animation workflows, tools, and practices
Strong interpersonal and communication skills
Strong leadership, time and priority management skills
Ability to work flexibly, accept and give feedback and adapt to change
Embrace collaboration as part of a multi-disciplinary team

Pluses

Experience with Unreal Engine
Experience with rigging and/or autorigging tools (Advanced Skeleton, mGear, etc)
A deep passion for, and familiarity with, games, their development and history.

Vacation & Extras

+ 4-day, 32-hour work week for all full-time staff

+ Mentorship program

+ Skunkworks internal game jam program

+ 4 weeks paid vacation per year

+ 11 paid stat holidays

+ 3 paid days per year for professional development

+ December holiday studio closure (extra paid time off!)

+ Comprehensive health/dental benefits from day 1

+ Life insurance

+ $300 Healthcare Spending Account per annum

+ RRSP matching

+ Profit-sharing bonus program

If applying for an artistic role, please provide a link to your portfolio and/or demo reel.

Any questions about the role and/or accessibility requests can be sent to: [email protected]

Unfortunately, we cannot reply to everyone. Only successful applicants will be contacted about the next steps. Thank you for your understanding.

If you are interested in the role, please apply even if your experience and skills don’t perfectly match our ideal credentials. We are committed to inclusion and especially encourage members of historically marginalized communities to apply. As an equal opportunity employer we encourage applications from all qualified individuals. BBI does not discriminate against applicants based on gender, race, national and ethnic origin, religion, age, sexual orientation, marital and family status, and/or mental or physical disabilities.

Blackbird Interactive is privileged to be developing our projects on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) and səl̓ílwətaʔɬ /Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.