Senior Animator

1 Month ago • All levels • Animation

Job Summary

Job Description

As a Senior Animator on RuneScape: Dragonwilds, you will create and implement high-quality in-game animations using both motion data and hand key techniques. You will collaborate with the Lead Animator and other team members to maintain quality standards, mentor junior team members, and refine animation systems. You will also prototype, iterate, and research animation features to support gameplay and narrative moments. The role involves communicating with other departments, developing reusable animation systems, and supporting external partners. This is a hands-on, creative role for someone who thrives on solving complex animation challenges.
Must have:
  • Showcase professional and personal animation work
  • Advanced understanding of animation principles and pipelines
  • Experience animating diverse characters and creatures
  • Create animations that enhance gameplay
  • Experience with game engines like Unreal Engine
  • Strong storytelling and visual communication skills
  • At least one shipped title in a senior animation role
Perks:
  • Private Healthcare, including Dental Plan
  • Minimum 6% Pension contributions
  • Employee Assistance Programme & onsite Counselling
  • Life Insurance
  • Discretionary annual performance bonus
  • Enhanced family leave policies from day 1
  • Flexible working hours
  • 25 days annual leave + Bank holidays & the option to buy/sell holidays

Job Details

Location: Cambridge, UK – (Remote available within the UK with team onsite days in the Cambridge office approx. 4 times per year)

Location: Cambridge, UK – (Remote available within the UK with team onsite days in the Cambridge office approx. 4 times per year)

Are you an experienced games animator who wants to work with artists and designers to breath life into characters and creatures in a rich and beautiful world?

As a Senior Animator on RuneScape: Dragonwilds, our new open-world survival crafting game currently in early access and being developed in Unreal Engine 5, you will play a pivotal role in delivering high-quality animations that enhance gameplay and support narrative storytelling.

You’ll work across a broad range of creature and humanoid animations, using both hand-keyed and motion capture workflows. Your expertise will help define the benchmark for in-game animation quality, and you’ll be a key player in refining animation systems, pipelines, and cross-discipline collaboration.

This is a hands-on, creative role for someone who thrives on solving complex animation challenges, mentoring others, and delivering impactful performances that elevate the player experience. If you're ready to shape the movement and feel of an ambitious new title within a beloved IP universe, we want to hear from you.

 

What you’ll be doing:

  • Create and implement benchmark-quality in-game animations using both motion data and hand key techniques.
  • Work closely with the Lead Animator to uphold and review quality standards and provide mentorship and feedback to junior team members.
  • Collaborate with Tech Art and Engineering to maintain efficient animation pipelines and tools.
  • Independently prototype, iterate, and R&D animation features that support gameplay and narrative moments.
  • Contribute to motion capture planning and session execution.
  • Communicate with other departments to ensure animations meet technical and design requirements.
  • Develop reusable and shared animation systems where appropriate for efficiency.
  • Help support external partners or freelancers with feedback and guidance.
  • Contribute to recruitment and team development alongside the Lead Animator.
  • Promote a positive and open creative culture within the team and studio.

 

What we’re looking for:

  • A strong portfolio showcasing both professional and personal animation work, including realistic and stylised examples, ideally with both mocap and hand-key workflows.
  • Advanced understanding of animation principles and pipelines, with clear examples of timing, weight, posing, and motion.
  • Experience animating a wide variety of characters and creatures in both stylised and realistic styles.
  • Proven ability to create animations that enhance gameplay while aligning with design and technical constraints.
  • Experience working with game engines (e.g. Unreal Engine) and implementing and fine-tuning in-game animation assets.
  • Strong storytelling sensibilities and a talent for visual communication (diagrams, motion studies, etc.).
  • At least one shipped title in a senior or above animation role.

 

What we offer:

When you join Jagex you can look forward to a generous Perks & Benefits package including:

  • Private Healthcare, including Dental Plan.
  • Minimum 6% Pension contributions.
  • Employee Assistance Programme & onsite Counselling.
  • Life Insurance.
  • Discretionary annual performance bonus.
  • Enhanced family leave policies from day 1.
  • Flexible working hours.
  • 25 days annual leave + Bank holidays & the option to buy/sell holidays + so much more!

 

About Jagex:

Jagex is a leader in developing and publishing deep, engaging online games that connect millions of players worldwide. Best known for the RuneScape franchise, which includes two of the world’s longest running and most successful MMORPGs, in Old School Runescape and Runescape, and the open-world survival crafting game, Runescape: Dragonwilds; we have proven success in delivering immersive Forever Games and fostering strong player communities.

We strive to foster an inclusive workplace built on trust, autonomy, and a shared passion for creating forever games.
Our values guide everything we do: We Embrace Fellowship by collaborating and sharing openly. We Hone our Craft by always learning and improving; we Honour our Vows by being honest and transparent; we are our Customers’ Heroes by striving to understand our team & player needs, and we Seize The Day by making the most of every opportunity.

With over two decades of experience, and over 400 people in our team, we continue to innovate in live game development, leveraging data-driven insights, and a commitment to player-first game design. We have a diverse and talented team where creativity, collaboration, and community-driven game development drives everything we do.

As part of Jagex, you’ll have the opportunity to work on a globally successful franchise, contribute to exciting new projects, and be part of a company that hugely values both our employees and our players.

Similar Jobs

Avalanche Studios Group - Senior Cinematic Animator

Avalanche Studios Group

Stockholm, Stockholm County, Sweden (Hybrid)
1 Month ago
playground - Gameplay Animator (All levels)

playground

Royal Leamington Spa, England, United Kingdom (Hybrid)
2 Months ago
Nintendo - Animator (Retro Studios)

Nintendo

Austin, Texas, United States (On-Site)
8 Months ago
TiMi Studio Group - Principal Cinematic Artist

TiMi Studio Group

Bellevue, Washington, United States (On-Site)
7 Months ago
Sandbox VR - Executive Assistant

Sandbox VR

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (On-Site)
1 Month ago
time leap vr - Animation Artist Intern (m/f/d)

time leap vr

Frankfurt Am Main, Hessen, Germany (On-Site)
21 Hours ago
Ubisoft - Technical Animation Director

Ubisoft

Montreal, Quebec, Canada (Hybrid)
3 Months ago
People Can Fly - Senior Gameplay Animator

People Can Fly

Montréal, Québec, Canada (Remote)
3 Weeks ago
two point studios  - Senior Technical Animator

two point studios

Farnham, England, United Kingdom (On-Site)
3 Weeks ago
welevel  - Senior Gameplay Animator

welevel

Munich, Bavaria, Germany (On-Site)
4 Months ago

Get notifed when new similar jobs are uploaded

Similar Skill Jobs

Skydance - Lead Gameplay Animator

Skydance

Santa Monica, California, United States (Hybrid)
4 Weeks ago
Nintendo - Animator (Retro Studios)

Nintendo

Austin, Texas, United States (On-Site)
8 Months ago
Ubisoft - Senior Gameplay Animator (F/M/NB)

Ubisoft

Montpellier, Occitanie, France (On-Site)
6 Months ago
Sandbox VR - Retail Associate

Sandbox VR

Los Angeles, California, United States (On-Site)
8 Months ago
Sega (UK) - Cinematics Producer

Sega (UK)

Sofia, Sofia City Province, Bulgaria (Hybrid)
1 Month ago
lucas films - Animation Lead

lucas films

Mumbai, Maharashtra, India (On-Site)
5 Days ago
Rockstar Games - Full Stack Developer

Rockstar Games

New York, New York, United States (On-Site)
2 Months ago
Sperasoft - 3D Animator

Sperasoft

Masovian Voivodeship, Poland (Hybrid)
3 Months ago
Sandbox VR - Retail Associate

Sandbox VR

Los Angeles, California, United States (On-Site)
1 Year ago
Gearbox - Layout Lead

Gearbox

Frisco, Texas, United States (Hybrid)
1 Month ago

Get notifed when new similar jobs are uploaded

Jobs in Cambridge, England, United Kingdom

Epic Games - Machine Learning Data Engineer

Epic Games

London, England, United Kingdom (On-Site)
2 Months ago
Scopely - Senior Producer, Incidents - Monopoly GO!

Scopely

United Kingdom (Remote)
3 Months ago
playground - Senior Rendering Engineer

playground

Royal Leamington Spa, England, United Kingdom (On-Site)
2 Months ago
Rockstar Games - UI Programmer (C++)

Rockstar Games

Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom (On-Site)
2 Months ago
ClearPoint Recruitment - Recruitment Business Development Manager

ClearPoint Recruitment

Darlington, England, United Kingdom (On-Site)
5 Years ago
playground - Lighting Artist

playground

Royal Leamington Spa, England, United Kingdom (Hybrid)
2 Months ago
creative assembly - Associate Gameplay Programmer

creative assembly

Horsham, England, United Kingdom (Hybrid)
2 Weeks ago
Ion - Editorial People Development Specialist

Ion

London, England, United Kingdom (On-Site)
7 Months ago
Crunchyroll - Social Media Manager - Fluent in French and English

Crunchyroll

London, England, United Kingdom (Hybrid)
3 Months ago
Cloud Imperium Games - Character Technical Artist

Cloud Imperium Games

Manchester, England, United Kingdom (On-Site)
1 Month ago

Get notifed when new similar jobs are uploaded

Animation Jobs

Pixel Toys - Cinematics Camera Animator

Pixel Toys

Royal Leamington Spa, England, United Kingdom (On-Site)
4 Months ago
boulder media - 2D Animation Team Lead

boulder media

Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland (Hybrid)
4 Days ago
brown bag films - Brown Bag Films Nominated for 10 Irish Animation Awards!

brown bag films

Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland (On-Site)
2 Months ago
2K - Gameplay Animator

2K

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (Hybrid)
6 Days ago
Blue zoo - Senior Blender Character Animator

Blue zoo

London, England, United Kingdom (On-Site)
1 Month ago
Rockstar Games - Senior Animator: Gameplay

Rockstar Games

Oakville, Ontario, Canada (On-Site)
2 Months ago
Ubisoft - Senior Gameplay Animator

Ubisoft

Toronto, Ontario, Canada (Hybrid)
3 Months ago
IO Interactive - Gameplay Animator

IO Interactive

Malmö, Skåne County, Sweden (Hybrid)
2 Months ago
Elysium Game Studio - Senior Gameplay Animator / Animation Consultant

Elysium Game Studio

Berlin, Berlin, Germany (On-Site)
4 Months ago
Paper Stacking games - Performance Animation Expert - Realistic UE Research

Paper Stacking games

Shanghai, China (On-Site)
1 Month ago

Get notifed when new similar jobs are uploaded

About The Company

Cambridge, England, United Kingdom (Hybrid)

Cambridge, England, United Kingdom (Hybrid)

Cambridge, England, United Kingdom (Hybrid)

Cambridge, England, United Kingdom (Hybrid)

Cambridge, England, United Kingdom (Hybrid)

Cambridge, England, United Kingdom (Hybrid)

Cambridge, England, United Kingdom (Hybrid)

Cambridge, England, United Kingdom (Hybrid)

View All Jobs

Get notified when new jobs are added by Jagex

Level Up Your Career in Game Development!

Transform Your Passion into Profession with Our Comprehensive Courses for Aspiring Game Developers.

Job Common Plug