Staff Animator

2 Months ago • All levels • Animation

Job Summary

Job Description

As a Staff Animator at Fortis Games, you'll lead animation vision and execution, creating high-quality, stylized animations for gameplay and storytelling. Key responsibilities include defining animation systems, refining pipelines, solving technical and artistic challenges, mentoring animators, and collaborating with other teams. You'll develop and refine animation tools, optimize animations for performance, and ensure seamless integration across platforms. This role requires strong leadership, communication, and a strategic mindset, impacting animation quality at both strategic and execution levels across multiple projects.
Must have:
  • Expert animation principles & workflows
  • Proficiency in Maya, Blender, or 3DS Max
  • Real-time game engine experience (Unity/Unreal)
  • Animation system & pipeline understanding
  • Complex animation behavior prototyping
  • Animation tool & script development (Python/MEL/C#)
  • Problem-solving & collaboration skills
  • Leadership, mentorship & communication skills

Job Details

Who we are

At Fortis Games we aspire to make great games that bring people together while redefining how game companies work. We believe in building a sense of belonging through our games, their communities, and how we operate and treat each other. Through our game communities, we will create powerful connections and lasting memories. We will foster a culture of diversity, equity and belonging where together our diverse skills, experiences and backgrounds impact the games we make.

We are an early but mighty organization with a leadership team of game industry veterans. There are many opportunities for you to have a big impact on the products we'll be making as well as the overall direction of the company. If you're passionate about tackling difficult problems with direct and thoughtful communication and team first mentality, we may be the right place for you.

About the role 

As a Staff Animator at Fortis Games, your mission is to drive the animation vision and execution across projects, creating high-quality, stylized animations that elevate gameplay, storytelling, and player experience. You will play a key role in defining animation systems, refining pipelines, and solving complex technical and artistic challenges.

Beyond creating animations, you will lead animation strategy, mentor other animators, and collaborate closely with engineering, art, and design teams to ensure animations are seamless, optimized, and aligned with the game’s creative direction. Your work will have a broad impact across multiple projects, influencing animation quality at both a strategic and execution level.

  • Leading the creation and refinement of animation systems, ensuring they are scalable, efficient, and aligned with artistic vision.
  • Defining animation workflows and best practices, streamlining processes for the animation team and improving cross-discipline collaboration.
  • Solving complex animation challenges, from technical implementation to enhancing player engagement through motion design.
  • Driving the development of tools and pipelines to improve animation efficiency and quality.
  • Mentoring and training junior and mid-level animators, fostering a culture of innovation and technical excellence.
  • Collaborating with engineering and art teams to optimize animations for performance while maintaining visual fidelity.

What You’ll Achieve

  • High-impact animation systems and workflows that enable faster iteration and ensure high-quality animation across projects.
  • Enhanced animation pipelines and tools that improve the efficiency of the animation team and streamline integration with other departments.
  • Optimization of animation assets and performance, ensuring smooth gameplay experience across multiple platforms.
  • A well-documented and scalable animation framework, allowing for long-term sustainability and expansion of animation systems.
  • Mentorship and leadership within the animation team, upskilling junior and senior animators while fostering a culture of collaboration.
  • Cross-functional impact, driving animation strategies that influence both creative and technical teams at a studio-wide level.

What You’ll Need to be Successful

  • Expert-level proficiency in animation principles, keyframing, motion capture, and stylized animation workflows.
  • Deep experience with 3D animation software, such as Maya, Blender, or 3DS Max, and experience integrating animations into real-time game engines like Unity or Unreal Engine.
  • Strong understanding of animation systems and pipelines, with experience optimizing for performance and scalability.
  • Ability to prototype and implement complex animation behaviors, including physics-based and procedural animation techniques.
  • Experience developing and refining animation tools and scripts, using languages such as Python, MEL, or C#.
  • Ability to troubleshoot and solve complex animation challenges, working closely with engineering and technical art teams.
  • Excellent leadership, mentorship, and communication skills, with the ability to guide and inspire an animation team.
  • A strategic mindset, capable of driving animation vision and execution across multiple projects while balancing artistic and technical requirements.

Why join us

There are many reasons to join us, but here are a few:

  • We strongly believe we are changing how games studios operate and at the core of what we do is making great games that create a connected community
  • We're not just about making Games Where You Belong. We're also about building communities where our people belong. That's why Fortis is a thriving environment that celebrates diversity, embraces inclusivity, and fosters growth.
  • Build and grow with a seasoned team of accomplished talent who have left an impactful mark in their disciplines, both in and out of gaming

Fortis 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.

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About The Company

Fortis is a global game studio with a mission to create worlds that matter — that challenge minds, build connections, and inspire communities. Founded by industry veterans, Fortis believes games have the ability to create a positive impact on society and culture, and now more than ever, those are the experiences players are looking for. With team members already in the US, UK, Canada, Romania, Portugal and Brazil, Fortis is growing and seeks the best of the best from around the world in order, regardless of location, to create a best-in-class games studio. Join us!

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