Senior Narrative Technical Animator

We are looking for a Senior Narrative Technical Animator with a passion for creating and maintaining the animation systems, workflow and integration solutions for a AAA title. The Senior Narrative Technical Animator will be a member of the Animation Team and collaborate with other departments such as Engineering, Design, Virtual Production, and Tech Art. This role will support various narrative animation systems, procedural facial animation, and in-game cutscenes and contribute to the unified goal of crafting animations that blur the line between cinematics and gameplay.

Responsibilities:

• Support the creation and integration of AAA quality gameplay animations that reflect the game design goals and mechanics using Unreal Engine 5
• Create and maintain Unreal Engine Blueprints for animation systems and state machines
• Use procedural solutions to create, process, polish and integrate AAA quality facial animations that are believable and engaging
• Collaborate with the animation team to ensure cinematics and gameplay are a seamless holistic experience, using Unreal Engine’s sequencer and proprietary workflows
• Use and design debug tools to solve animation issues
• Be proactive, assisting with troubleshooting workflows, rigging and pipeline issues
• Effectively connect with animators, engineers, and design, to give and accept feedback
• Support animation tool and workflow development with documentation

Requirements & Skills:

• Comprehensive understanding of Unreal Engine Blueprints, state machines, blend spaces, Montages, Anim Graphs, and Event Graphs
• Strong understanding of cinematic and scripted animation implementation in Unreal Engine using sequencer and Blueprints
• Experience working with motion capture data in the game industry with an emphasis on technical knowledge of integration practices
• Experience working with Metahumans for facial animation in Unreal Engine 5
• Experience working on AAA games with an emphasis on highly realistic assets and animation
• Working knowledge of scripting or C++ a bonus
• Technical working knowledge of Maya
• A passion for making games and the enthusiasm to polish
• Strong technical problem-solving and interpersonal skills

Qualities:

• Flexibility in switching tasks to accommodate production priorities
• Ability to appreciate other departments’ perspectives
• Maintains integrity and confidence while working in a fast-paced environment
• Approachable and respected member of the team
• Team oriented with a desire to assist other animators, engineers, and designers
• Promotes inclusivity, diversity and fairness
• Practices patience and is open to giving and receiving feedback
• Leads by example, collaboration, and mentorship
• Works at the highest level, technically and aesthetically

TNM considers a number of factors when determining each role's base pay range, including industry benchmarks, location, experience, and other job specific skills. In addition to base pay, this role may be eligible for other incentive compensation including equity and profit share. The estimated base pay range for this role is U.S. only and not applicable for locations outside of the U.S.

The estimated base pay range for this role is: $120,000-$160,000