Senior Animator/Rigger

Company Overview:Snail Games USA is an independent global developer and publisher of digital entertainment, created by gamers for gamers. Our mission is to prioritize our community's needs by crafting innovative experiences that captivate players and push the boundaries of what’s possible. We are committed to continuously evolving and exploring new frontiers in gaming, ensuring that every project reflects our dedication to excellence and creativity.

Location: This position is fully remote but limited to applicants residing in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maine, Missouri, New Jersey, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming.

Position Summary:As a senior animator and rigger you will be responsible for setting the standards for animation and rigging for multiple projects. This role demands a deep understanding of character movement, anatomy, and technical rigging to ensure fluid and realistic animations that enhance the immersive gameplay experience.

Key Responsibilities:

• Character & Creature Animation: Create high-quality character animations that convey realistic movement and emotional depth.
• Rigging: Develop and maintain appropriately complex rigging systems that allow for expressive and fluid character animations.
• Collaboration: Work closely with internal art and technical teams to ensure visual style and technical requirements are met, and external partners to help them meet the bar.
• Optimization: Optimize animation assets to ensure they perform efficiently within the game engine, without compromising quality.
• Documentation: Establish and maintain a written artifact of animation and rigging standards for multiple projects to use, and ensure that external partners adhere to it.
• Leadership: Identify areas of improvement in the pipeline and with personnel. Help find the solutions, give mentorship and establish best practices for all animation work.
• Problem-Solving: Address and resolve any issues related to character animation and rigging in a timely manner.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in animation and rigging or related fields
• 5+ years of experience in character animation and rigging for video games.
• Proficiency in industry-standard animation and rigging software.
• Strong understanding of human and creature anatomy.
• Experience working with Unreal Engine, preferably UE4 and UE5.

Compensation:

• Salary: $85,000 to $130,000 annually, depending on experience and qualifications.
• Benefits: Competitive benefits package including health, dental, vision insurance, 401(k), paid time off, and more.