Senior Technical Animator

Job Summary

We are on the lookout for a Senior Technical Animator!

The Senior Technical Animator is responsible for owning and driving animation implementation and technical animation systems within the game engine. This role ensures that character and gameplay animations are integrated correctly, performant, scalable, and aligned with both artistic direction and technical constraints.

This position combines hands-on technical animation work with strong problem-solving, pipeline ownership, and cross-discipline collaboration. The Senior Technical Animator acts as a key point of reference for animation systems, debugging, performance optimization, and best practices across the production.

Responsibilities

Animation Systems & Implementation

Own the integration of animations in the game engine, ensuring correct setup, responsiveness, and high-quality final results.

Design, build, and maintain robust animation state machines and blending systems to support gameplay needs.

Ensure animation systems are scalable, maintainable, and aligned with production standards.

Validate and review animation assets to ensure compliance with technical restrictions and runtime constraints.

Collaborate with Animators to ensure that animation intent and gameplay feel are preserved through implementation.

Tools, Pipelines & Technical Ownership

Create, maintain, test, and debug animation tools and pipelines to improve production efficiency and reliability.

Proactively identify pipeline bottlenecks and propose technical solutions to improve iteration speed and quality.

Support the definition and adoption of best practices in animation implementation workflows.

Contribute to documentation and internal knowledge-sharing related to animation systems, tools, and engine workflows.

Optimization & Debugging

Monitor and optimize animation performance within the game engine across target platforms.

Debug complex animation issues, including state machine logic, blending problems, gameplay responsiveness, and runtime performance.

Work closely with Engineering and Tech Art to ensure animation systems meet performance and memory requirements.

Cross-Discipline Collaboration

Work with cross-disciplinary teams (Animation, Design, Programming, Technical Art) to ensure seamless integration and functionality of animation assets.

Support the team in solving bugs and technical blockers related to animation systems.

Act as a reliable technical point of reference for animation implementation decisions.

Senior-Level Contribution & Mentorship

Provide guidance and support to other animators and technical animation team members when needed.

Promote best practices in technical animation problem-solving, debugging, and implementation.

Contribute to production planning by assessing complexity, risks, and implementation needs for animation systems.

Requirements

Proven experience as a Technical Animator in the videogame industry, with senior-level ownership on real-time animation implementation.

Strong knowledge of animation state machines, blending systems, and gameplay animation logic.

Solid understanding of gameplay mechanics and how animation systems support player experience.

Strong understanding of motion capture pipelines, including implementation constraints.

Understanding of fundamental animation and rigging principles.

Experience creating and maintaining animation tools and pipelines.

Proficiency with industry-standard animation tools such as Maya, MotionBuilder, 3ds Max.

Excellent problem-solving skills, with the ability to debug complex issues efficiently.

Strong communication and collaboration skills with animators, programmers, and technical teams.

Fluency in written and spoken English.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience shipping at least one AA/AAA game title.

Strong experience working with real-time engines (e.g., Unreal Engine).

Experience working on performance-critical animation systems for gameplay.

Experience improving animation pipelines and building tools that enhance team productivity.

Knowledge of advanced gameplay animation systems (locomotion systems, layered animation, additive workflows).

Passion for games and a strong understanding of gameplay feel and responsiveness.

Soft Skills

Proactive mindset with a solution-oriented approach.

Strong sense of ownership and accountability.

Excellent attention to detail and quality standards.

Clear, respectful, and effective communication across departments.

Comfortable working in a fast-paced and evolving production environment.

Strong organizational and prioritization skills under tight deadlines.

Collaborative attitude and willingness to support others.

Motivation to stay updated on tools, workflows, and real-time animation techniques.

Submit your resume and a short cover letter in English to join Stormind Games.