Technical Animator

Why us?:
welevel is an innovative game studio based in Munich, backed by top-tier investors. We are developing Solid River, the first AAA survival game with deep city-building mechanics in the late game, set in a medieval, procedurally generated world with AI-driven NPCs.

Here’s what makes us stand out:
• Inspiring Work Environment: A central Munich location with a diverse, motivated, and international team that fosters creativity and collaboration.
• Competitive Compensation: We believe in rewarding talent with attractive and fair packages.
• Innovative Technology: Work with the latest tools and technologies to push boundaries and make the impossible possible.

Your Role:
We are seeking a Technical Animator to bridge the gap between animation and engineering, ensuring our characters and creatures move fluidly and respond dynamically in our immersive world. As a key player in our development team, you will work closely with animators, riggers, and engineers to develop cutting-edge animation systems, optimize pipelines, and implement real-time solutions that enhance gameplay experiences.

Responsibilities:
• Develop and maintain animation systems, tools, and workflows in Unreal Engine 5.
• Create, refine, and optimize character rigs, skinning, and deformation for humanoid and non-humanoid characters.
• Implement real-time procedural animation solutions for AI-driven NPCs.
• Work closely with animators to create fluid and responsive character movements.
• Collaborate with programmers to integrate animation features into the game engine.
• Optimize animation assets and systems for performance while maintaining high fidelity.
• Develop and maintain state machines, blend trees, and animation graphs.
• Research and implement the latest techniques in motion matching, procedural animation, and IK/FK systems.
• Troubleshoot and debug animation-related technical challenges.

Requirements:
Justify your significant experience in the production of AAA games, on current / new generation consoles as a Game Designer and have the following skills• 3+ years of experience in technical animation, preferably in the games industry.
• Proficiency in Unreal Engine 5, including the Animation Blueprint system.
• Strong understanding of rigging, skinning, IK/FK setups, and physics-based animation.
• Experience with motion capture pipelines and implementing mocap data in real-time environments.
• Familiarity with procedural animation techniques and tools such as Control Rig.
• Strong proficiency in Python, MEL, or Blueprint scripting for automating animation tasks.
• Experience with character physics, ragdoll setups, and blendspaces.
• Solid knowledge of game animation principles, including timing, weight, and secondary motion.
• Ability to work closely with both animators and engineers to bring animations to life.
• Excellent problem-solving skills and a strong sense of ownership over animation systems.
• Onsite position (EU work authorization required).

Nice to have:
• Experience with AI-driven animation systems and dynamic NPC behaviors.
• Knowledge of machine learning techniques for procedural animation.
• Experience with Metahuman pipeline and next-gen character animation.
• Familiarity with Houdini or Niagara for VFX and physics-based animation effects.
• Passion for survival/city-building games and a keen interest in AI-driven gameplay.

What we offer:
• Work on a groundbreaking AAA survival city-building game.
• Be part of a passionate and highly experienced team.
• Competitive salary and benefits package.
• Opportunity to innovate in AI-driven game development.
• A chance to grow with a rapidly expanding game studio backed by top industry veterans.

Are you ready to embark on an epic journey with welevel and make SolidRiver an unforgettable gaming experience? Don't hesitate!

Apply now and let your creativity flow like a mighty river!