Senior Gameplay Animator

Role overview A senior individual-contributor animation role on a AAA console game development team. The position is responsible for creating gameplay animation at the highest quality bar set by leads and animation directors, working largely independently while partnering across the studio to ensure animations land in-engine in service of the creative and narrative vision. Work spans hero traversal, combat, boss encounters, gameplay camera cinematography, mission scenes, and open-world animation.

Responsibilities - Author high-quality character animations for gameplay that meet artistic direction and technical standards. - Implement animations in-engine using expert Maya skills and proprietary engine tools, partnering with designers and programmers. - Independently troubleshoot animation, rigging, and integration issues as they arise. - Combine motion capture data with hand-keyed animation to create believable character performance. - Drive cohesive execution of the game's animation direction across the animation team, offering constructive feedback. - Coordinate with design, programming, writing, project management, art, audio, character, and rigging teams to resolve issues and hit project goals.

Requirements - Advanced knowledge of Maya and familiarity with proprietary engine tooling, plus standard Microsoft Office skills. - Knowledge of common state machine flow inside a game engine; MotionBuilder and Adobe Premiere experience is a plus. - Demonstrated ability to deliver high-quality gameplay animation independently with minimal supervision. - Strong collaboration skills across multiple disciplines on a game development team. - Working mathematical ability with basic algebra and geometry for proportions, percentages, and related calculations. - Ability to support an inclusive studio environment and engage with diverse teams.

Nice to have Experience with motion capture cleanup, hand-key animation, gameplay camera work, and boss or traversal systems on prior shipped titles.

Benefits and work setup Hourly base pay range of $76.92 to $86 USD, with eligibility for medical, dental, and vision benefits. The role is based in a studio game development environment.