Animator (6-month Contract)

Blackbird Interactive is seeking an Animator for a 6-month contract to work on a first-person narrative thriller in Unreal Engine 5. The role focuses on character animations, vignettes, and scripted events, contributing to a clean animation pipeline. BBI offers a flexible, forward-thinking environment, including a four-day work week and support for in-studio, remote, and hybrid work arrangements across Canada. Candidates should have 4+ years of game animation experience and proficiency in Maya and Unreal Engine 5.

Must Have

• Animate characters and creatures to a high standard
• Contribute to the creation of vignettes and scripted events
• Collaborate with animators and technical animators to define and refine the animation pipeline
• Partner with the art team and designers to ensure animations integrate cleanly into the game engine, support gameplay systems, and meet performance goals
• Foster a productive and collaborative work environment with the development team
• 4+ years of experience in animation for games
• Strong knowledge of Autodesk Maya and Unreal Engine 5
• Familiarity with MetaHuman
• Comfort working in Perforce-integrated pipelines
• Strong communication skills and a collaborative mindset

Good to Have

• Familiarity with game-ready skeleton design, skinning, and animation scene structure
• Experience working with quadruped animal animation rigs
• Passion for games
• Passion for film and cinematography
• Experience animating in-engine cameras

Perks & Benefits

• Four-day work week
• In-studio work arrangements
• Remote work arrangements within Canada
• Hybrid work arrangements

Blackbird Interactive is a creative-fueled, future-driven, independent game studio where the best talent in the industry can find long-term careers to help grow their abilities while working on a wide range of projects, which encompass world-class IPs as well as our own creations across multiple genres.

In 2022, we announced that our studio is implementing a four-day work week as well as supporting in-studio, remote within Canada, and hybrid work arrangements as permanent options to our employees.

We’re seeking an Animator to join our team on an upcoming first-person narrative thriller built in Unreal Engine 5. In this role, you’ll focus on character animations, vignettes, and scripted events, while also contributing to a clean and scalable animation/content pipeline.

At BBI, you’ll find a flexible, forward-thinking environment where creative voices are valued and nurtured. We support remote and hybrid working arrangements across Canada (Vancouver, BC).

Please include a link to your showreel with your CV.

Responsibilities

• Animate characters and creatures to a high standard
• Contribute to the creation of vignettes and scripted events
• Collaborate with animators and technical animators to define and refine the animation pipeline
• Partner with the art team and designers to ensure animations integrate cleanly into the game engine, support gameplay systems, and meet performance goals
• Foster a productive and collaborative work environment with the development team

Requirements

• 4+ years of experience in animation for games
• Strong knowledge of Autodesk Maya and Unreal Engine 5
• Familiarity with MetaHuman
• Comfort working in Perforce-integrated pipelines
• Strong communication skills and a collaborative mindset

Bonus Points For

• Familiarity with game-ready skeleton design, skinning, and animation scene structure
• Experience working with quadruped animal animation rigs
• Passion for games
• Passion for film and cinematography
• Experience animating in-engine cameras