Expert Facial Technical Artist (Animation)

Job Title:

Requisition ID:

Job Description:

Sledgehammer Games is looking for talented developers to join us as a member of our Toronto team. This group will partner with our global teams in Toronto, Canada and Melbourne, Australia in the creation of epic content for some of the biggest games in the world. This is an opportunity to work with a strong AAA team, adding new skills to your armory while gaining the unique satisfaction that comes from building something new. Join us in our quest to maintain and improve a healthy and inspiring studio culture! 

The studio is navigating its second decade of game development, focused on constant evolution, innovation and qualified risk-taking – which are some of the most rewarding aspects of game development. With world-class content production and engineering teams, we’ve been able to achieve some of the highest-quality game execution of any studio in the industry. We love what we do and work hard to make sure that each new game we make is even better than the last. Creativity is key, and we’re looking for talented game developers for our exciting new projects.   

Sledgehammer Games is part of the Activision family and is wholly owned by Microsoft. To learn more about our studio, please visit us at www.sledgehammergames.com or search for Sledgehammer Games on your favorite social media platform.                   

Your Mission

As an Expert Facial Technical Artist, you will play a pivotal role in designing and enhancing our advanced facial animation tools suite, which enables highly realistic portrayals of actors’ performances.

The successful candidate will have demonstrated experience delivering end-to-end facial performance solutions for games, film, or related media, along with a comprehensive understanding of the entire pipeline—including data acquisition, photogrammetry, facial deformation, rigging, and skin and eye shaders. We seek an individual who excels at fostering collaboration between creative animation teams and technical engineering groups, with a commitment to both on-screen excellence and efficient development workflows. If you are eager to advance your expertise and collaborate with leading professionals in the industry, Sledgehammer Games offers an outstanding environment for your career growth.

Given the dynamic nature of our work, priorities may shift rapidly. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Driving technological solutions that enhance quality and workflow efficiency to achieve industry-leading results.

• Converting visual and performance objectives into actionable toolsets, pipelines, and runtime requirements.

• Leveraging current technologies to maximize their potential within our processes.

• Contributing to the scalable development of production pipelines.

• Researching and advising on new and emerging technologies with practical application in our field.

• Facilitating communication and collaboration with internal teams to integrate innovative solutions.

• Partnering with engineers and artists to realize creative visions in performance animation.

Player Profile

Minimum Requirements:

• Over 10 years of hands-on experience with facial technologies in games, film, or similar sectors

• Proficient understanding of facial animation and scanning pipelines

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science or equivalent professional experience

• Advanced technical skills in Maya

• Strong proficiency in Python

• Solid understanding of shader development

• Excellent communicator and effective collaborator

• Deep passion for the gaming industry

Extra Points:

• Modeling and drawing skills

• Strong demo reel showcasing dynamic character rigs and hair/cloth simulation

• Programming experience (e.g. C++, C#)

Our World  

At Activision, we strive to create the most iconic brands in gaming and entertainment. We’re driven by our mission to deliver unrivaled gaming experiences for the world to enjoy, together. We are home to some of the most beloved entertainment franchises including Call of Duty®, Crash Bandicoot™, Tony Hawk’s™ Pro Skater™, and Guitar Hero®. As a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and products, our “press start” is simple: delight hundreds of millions of players around the world with innovative, fun, thrilling, and engaging entertainment experiences.  

We’re not just looking back at our decades-long legacy; we’re forging ahead to keep advancing gameplay with some of the most popular titles and sophisticated technology in the world. We have bold ambitions to create the most inclusive company as we know our success comes from the passionate, creative, and diverse teams within our organization.   
We’re in the business of delivering fun and unforgettable entertainment for our player community to enjoy. And our future opportunities have never been greater — this could be your opportunity to level up.   

Ready to Activate Your Future? 

The video game industry and therefore our business is fast-paced and will continue to evolve. As such, the duties and responsibilities of this role may be changed as directed by the Company at any time to promote and support our business and relationships with industry partners. 

Sledgehammer Games is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, protected veteran status, or any other basis protected by applicable law and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability.