Lead Animator

DISCIPLINE: Animation

REPORTS TO: Animation Director

The Studio

Compulsion Games is a proud member of Microsoft’s Xbox Game Studios, nestled in the vibrant city of Montreal, Canada. Since our inception in 2009, we’ve been dedicated to crafting extraordinary games that delve into the depths of human experience. Our titles, such as Contrast, We Happy Few, and South of Midnight have garnered acclaim for their distinctive art, immersive music, rich world-building, and captivating narratives.

Studio Culture

At Compulsion Games, we champion a human-first culture built on trust, autonomy, harmony, and exceptional craftsmanship. Our team thrives on experimentation and artistic expression, embracing diversity and accessibility as core values. We believe in fostering a close-knit, inclusive environment where creativity flourishes, and every voice is heard.

The Role

As a Lead Animator at Compulsion Games, you will be responsible for leading and mentoring the animation team while maintaining and ensuring the highest quality animation for our characters, creatures, and interactive elements. You will collaborate with animators, designers, and technical artists to bring our worlds and characters to life, ensuring smooth and expressive motion that enhances gameplay and storytelling.

Responsibilities:

• Lead and mentor a team of animators, providing feedback and guidance to maintain quality and consistency.
• Collaborate with the Animation Director to establish the animation style and vision for the project.
• Work closely with game designers and technical artists to ensure animations align with gameplay mechanics and player experience.
• Create high-quality character and creature animations, both keyframe and motion capture-based.
• Develop and refine rigging and animation workflows to optimize efficiency and pipeline processes.
• Ensure animations integrate seamlessly into Unreal Engine, troubleshooting and refining as needed.
• Partner with the narrative and cinematic teams to deliver expressive character performances that enhance storytelling.
• Conduct animation reviews, maintaining consistency and ensuring animations meet production goals.
• Stay up to date with industry trends and advancements in animation technology.

Skills and Experience:

• 5+ years of experience in animation for video games or film
• Previous experience in a leadership role in an animation team
• Proficiency in Maya, Blender, or other industry-standard animation tools
• Strong understanding of character motion, physics, and animation principles
• Experience working with motion capture and keyframe animation
• Familiarity with Unreal Engine and real-time animation workflows
• Knowledge of rigging and animation pipelines
• Strong communication and leadership skills, with the ability to inspire and mentor a team
• Passion for creating immersive and expressive character animations

What We Offer

This is a full-time position offering a competitive salary and comprehensive studio benefits, which include full health care provided to you and your entire “party” (read family), RRSP matching, relocation support, mental health and wellbeing support, MS Store discounts, 3 weeks' vacation plus 2 x one-week studio closures, and a number of other perks.

Our downtown Montreal location, conveniently situated by Atwater Metro station, operates on a hybrid or fully remote working setup for employees based in or willing to relocate to Canada. If you’re eager to contribute to a team that’s redefining storytelling in games, we’d love to hear from you.