Principal Animator

12 Minutes ago • 8 Years +
Animation

Job Description

This role involves creating realistic and stylized character animations for in-game characters, utilizing both hand-key animation and motion capture data. The Principal Animator will collaborate with various departments, implement and iterate on animation assets, troubleshoot issues, and contribute to R&D projects. The position requires strong animation principles, artistic skills, and proficiency with Unreal Engine and Maya, with a focus on delivering dynamic, player-centric experiences.
Good To Have:
  • Shipped or credited on a AAA game title experience
  • Technical skills in rigging
  • Proficient in MotionBuilder
  • Facial animation and lip-syncing skills
  • Ability to promote our studio at conferences
Must Have:
  • Create high-quality content utilizing both hand key animation and motion capture data
  • Develop animations that support gameplay and visuals
  • Implement and iterate on animation assets in-game
  • Collaborate with the team to create dynamic, player-centric experience
  • Troubleshoot and solve animation issues with all departments
  • Providing R&D projects and pipeline and workflows improvements
  • Fix bugs and describe R&D case studies in the knowledge base
  • Strong mentoring skills
  • Excellent understanding and feeling of animation principles – timing, weight and staging
  • Excellent understanding of character anatomy
  • Bring new and current industry standards to the project
  • Excellent ability to transfer the game's story and gameplay to believable and full of life animations
  • Strong artistic skills: storyboarding, figure study, gesture drawing, 2D animation, illustration and painting
  • Ability to think outside the box to come up with more efficient techniques
  • Solid UE knowledge or solid understanding of possibilities and limitations of any other game engine
  • Accountable and self-motivated
  • Proficiency with Unreal or similar game engine
  • Proficiency with MAYA and Unreal software
  • Typically 8+ years’ professional experience in the video game industry
Perks:
  • Benefit package 100% paid by PCF. The insurance company reimburses 100% of claims (Up to $1000 per service a year, as well as individual family coverage)
  • Full Dental coverage, including major dental
  • 4% RRSP matching before tax deductions, 100% vested on day 1
  • Paid week off during the Winter Holidays
  • 20 paid vacation days and 5 paid sick days
  • Free virtual health and mental well-being sessions are included in the plan for members and their dependents
  • Personal development opportunities and ability to work in a global environment
  • Work in a creative team with people full of passion for what they do

Add these skills to join the top 1% applicants for this job

2d-animation
motion-capture
real-time-vfx
rigging
anatomy
talent-acquisition
unreal
game-texts
storyboarding
level-design
creature
maya

Company Description

People Can Fly is one of the leading independent AAA game development studios. Our international team consists of hundreds of talented individuals working from offices in Poland, the UK, Ireland, the US, and Canada, as well as remotely across the globe.

Founded in 2002, we made our mark on the shooter genre with titles such as Painkiller, Bulletstorm, Gears of War: Judgment, and Outriders. As one of the most experienced Unreal Engine studios in the industry, we continue to expand on our expertise and push the boundaries of what’s possible in game development.

Our creative teams are currently working on several exciting titles: Gears of War: E-Day developed in collaboration with Microsoft; Project Echo for KRAFTON; and Lost Rift, an original IP we are developing in-house under our self-publishing model. We are also exploring new platforms and experiences with VR and other unannounced projects.

With over 20 years of experience, PCF continues to explore new horizons. We aim to combine our expertise with the creativity of the best and most forward-thinking talent in the industry, building the next generation of action games for players worldwide.

If you join us on this journey, you’ll have the chance to perfect your craft, expand your knowledge, and work alongside industry leaders to create unique, unforgettable experiences for gamers everywhere.

Job Description

\*Only for candidates in Canada

Main goal of the role:

To create both realistic and stylized motion for in-game characters (humanoid, creature, or machine).

Collaboration within the studio:

Level Design, Game Design, VFX, Animation programming, and Tech animation

Duties:

  • Follow and influence the established vision of the game’s story and gameplay in the process of animation creation.
  • Create high-quality content utilizing both hand key animation and motion capture data.
  • Develop animations that support gameplay and visuals.
  • Implement and iterate on animation assets in-game.
  • Collaborate with the team to create dynamic, player-centric experience.
  • Troubleshoot and solve animation issues with all departments.
  • Providing R&D projects and pipeline and workflows improvements’
  • Fix bugs and describe R&D case studies in the knowledge base.
  • Occasionally support Lead in recruitment projects with HR collaboration.
  • Occasionally support new hires onboarding process.

Qualifications

  • Strong mentoring skills.
  • Excellent understanding and feeling of animation principles – timing, weight and staging.
  • Excellent understanding of character anatomy.
  • Bring new and current industry standards to the project.
  • Excellent ability to transfer the game's story and gameplay to believable and full of life animations.
  • Strong artistic skills: storyboarding, figure study, gesture drawing, 2D animation, illustration and painting.
  • Ability to think outside the box to come up with more efficient techniques.
  • Solid UE knowledge or solid understanding of possibilities and limitations of any other game engine.
  • Accountable and self-motivated.
  • Proficiency with Unreal or similar game engine.

Software:

MAYA and Unreal

Experience:

Typically 8+ years’ professional experience in the video game industry

Nice to have qualifications:

  • Artistic skills: storyboarding, figure study, gesture drawing, 2D animation, illustration and painting
  • Shipped or credited on a AAA game title experience
  • Technical skills in rigging
  • Proficient in MotionBuilder
  • Facial animation and lip-syncing skills
  • Ability to promote our studio at conferences

Additional Information

What we offer:

  • Benefit package 100% paid by PCF. The insurance company reimburses 100% of claims (Up to $1000 per service a year, as well as individual family coverage).
  • Full Dental coverage, including major dental.
  • 4% RRSP matching before tax deductions, 100% vested on day 1.
  • Paid week off during the Winter Holidays.
  • 20 paid vacation days and 5 paid sick days.
  • Free virtual health and mental well-being sessions are included in the plan for members and their dependents.
  • Personal development opportunities and ability to work in a global environment.
  • Work in a creative team with people full of passion for what they do.

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