Responsibilities:

Lightspeed LA seeks a talented Lead Gameplay Animator who is passionate about
creating and pushing interactive performances to the next level. In this role, you will lead the Ambient animation team and collaborate with design and narrative to craft the highest-quality animations in our AAA storytelling medium. The ideal candidate is a skilled animator who leads by example and guides the team to craft high-quality animations using efficient systems and processes.

• Lead a growing team of ambient gameplay animators; mentor and provide technical and creative guidance to animators.
• Collaborate with game designers and programmers to craft high-quality performances in the Unreal Engine that look and feel amazing.
• Take ownership of your animations. You are responsible for previz, mocap planning, clean-up, key-framing, implementation, playtesting, and iterating until it looks & feels terrific!
• Proactively communicate with programmers, designers, artists, and writers to align your animations with mission objectives, gameplay intentions, art direction, and story.
• Be the connecting link between internal teams and external co-developers to ensure effective collaboration and consistent quality standards.
• Drive effective collaboration across disciplines, including Production, Design, Narrative, Technical Animation, and Engineering, to ensure alignment and timely execution.
• Maintain a healthy team by identifying team needs and addressing them.

Requirements:

• 4+ years of experience in a lead animator role, with demonstrated ability to manage or lead a team effectively
• 10+ years of video game animation development experience.
• Have experience editing and animating with motion capture data in Maya.
• Have a strong understanding of realistic body mechanics and performances.
• Have a good sense for weight, timing, and style for your animations.
• Good work ethic and a willingness to push the game animation quality bar.
• Have a good understanding of cinematography and camera animation.
• Excellent organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Can learn new tools and techniques for animation implementation.
• Self-starter and innovative problem solver.

Pluses:

• Shipped at least one AAA title
• Expert knowledge of Unreal Engine
• Experience with Motion Builder
• Expert knowledge of facial animation and lip-sync.
• Experience with Scripting
• Expert knowledge of weapon animations
• Expert knowledge of melee combat
• Experience with animal/creature animations
• Experience with motion-matching / pose-matching techniques.

 

Location State(s)

California

 

The base pay range for this position in the state(s) above is $122,040.0 to $254,880.0 per year. Actual pay is based on market location and may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. A sign on payment, relocation package, and restricted stock units may be provided as part of the compensation package, as well as other medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the specific position offered.