Senior Manager, Lead Character Animator

About the Role & Team

Disney Digital Entertainment, a division of Disney Experiences, is embarking on a mission to create the ‘digital front door’ for The Walt Disney Company, bringing all of the magic of Disney together into a new interactive universe.

We are building an expert development team that will be building a groundbreaking game experience that will herald the next generation of Disney to the world. Working with top-class industry talent, this role is perfect for the accomplished character artist and leader looking to create something epic - collaborating with an incredible group of game developers focusing on individual experiences to build a wonderfully rich and cohesive product that is truly “Disney”.

We are looking for a uniquely talented Sr. Manager, Lead Character Animator to join us on a daring and exciting new project. If you are an imaginative creator with superb animation skills, and have a love of Disney/Pixar, Star Wars and Marvel properties, you’ll want to check out this opportunity!

The Sr. Manager, Lead Animator will report to the Director, Art.

This is a Full-Time role.

What You Will Do

• Lead, manage and grow an internal team of highly talented animators

• Collaborate with artists, designers, and other disciplines to bring life and motion to Disney’s robust portfolio of characters and worlds including Disney/Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars.

• Work with the art director and IP partners to determine animation styles and targets

• Use Maya and Unreal Engine 5 to create and technically implement high quality in-game animations, sequences and cinematics.

• Work closely with production and other discipline leads to coordinate and maintain team and project schedules.

• Champion, document and enforce in-game animation performance standards and evangelize best practices.

• Serve as a key member of a growing game development team, helping to create and ensure a genuine Disney experience.

Required Qualifications & Skills

• 7 years of PC and console game development experience, including holding a position of Animator and/or Lead for at least 3 years. 

• Strong understanding of animation principles and how they can be used to enhance gameplay

• Ability to animate in a wide range of styles from realistic to highly stylized

• Exceptional skill animating the humans and creatures using Maya or equivalent 3D tools

• Experience developing animation related content using Unreal Engine and/or UEFN, as well as knowledge of current UE-specific implementation and optimization techniques.

• Basic ability to create, modify, augment and troubleshoot character and creature rigs

• Proven ability to build and manage teams, provide leadership, assess performance, articulate timely feedback, and creatively solve problems.

• A portfolio of work that accurately represents your personal and team-based achievements.

Education

• A Bachelor’s degree in Art and/or Design or equivalent combination of education and experience.

Our Benefits: Disney offers a rewards package to help you live your best life. This includes health and savings benefits, educational opportunities and special extras that only Disney can provide. Learn more about our benefits and perks at  

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The hiring range for this remote position is $143,800 to $221,700 per year, which factors in various geographic regions. The base pay actually offered will take into account internal equity and also may vary depending on the candidate’s geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors. A bonus and/or long-term incentive units may be provided as part of the compensation package, in addition to the full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the level and position offered.