Principal Technical Animator

Overview

In this role you define the technical vision and long-term strategy for character animation across the studio, elevating world-class quality and responsiveness. You act as a technical authority on gameplay animation, solving advanced R&D challenges and building future-proof pipelines in collaboration with design and engineering. You will mentor the animation department and drive innovative animation technologies and methods. This position combines leadership in technical direction with hands-on excellence in Unreal Engine animation.

Pay / Benefits

• remote/hybrid work options
• competitive compensation
• career development
• equal opportunity employer
• diverse team
• accommodation for disabilities

Responsibilities

• Architect and oversee high-level design of gameplay animation systems for scalability and real-time integration
• Drive R&D initiatives to evaluate and implement cutting-edge animation technologies (e.g., Motion Matching, ML/AI animation, next-gen physics)
• Partner with Engineering and Tech Animation leadership to implement project-wide animation roadmaps and toolsets
• Solve complex runtime bugs and drive animation optimization within strict performance/memory budgets
• Define and document technical standards, best practices, and pipeline workflows for the team
• Collaborate with Design and Animation leads to iterate on 3C mechanics (character, camera, controls) for improved game feel
• Mentor and upskill senior and mid-level technical animators through code/blueprint reviews and guidance

Key requirements

• Extensive proven experience architecting and integrating gameplay animation systems for AAA titles using Unreal Engine
• Master-level expertise in Unreal Engine animation suite (Anim Blueprints, Motion Matching, Control Rig, State Machines, Sequencer)
• Deep technical understanding of runtime optimization, memory management, and threading for animation
• Exceptional cross-discipline communication, aligning Art, Design, and Engineering on complex technical visions
• Expertise in feature breakdown and scoping to translate creative pillars into production-ready plans
• Profound understanding of gameplay mechanics, game feel, and the math behind smooth character movement and physics
• Portfolio or reel showing solving highly complex technical animation challenges in shipped titles

• Cross-discipline collaboration
• Mentoring and leadership
• Analytical problem-solving
• Unreal Engine
• Motion Matching
• Anim Blueprints

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