Technical Gameplay Facial Animator (Project Hire)

That's No Moon is an independent studio of storytellers and game-makers who believe in the power of narrative-driven experiences. With a diverse team of talented developers, from some of the top game studios in the world (Naughty Dog, Infinity Ward, Bungie), our shared vision is to create the future of AAA experiences with a culture of creativity, collaboration, and responsible production practices. Our passionate team of developers help shape our studio, our projects, and our future.

We are looking for a Technical Gameplay Facial Animator with a passion for creating incredible animation for a AAA title. Expect to contribute to the overall effort of creating high quality, extremely realistic facial animation in gameplay. Responsibilities also include helping develop workflows, tools and processes used by animation. You will work alongside the gameplay team, tech art, engineering, and character art to support the unified goal in delivering compelling facial performances of the highest level! 

Responsibilities:  

• Use procedural solutions to create, process, polish and integrate AAA quality facial animations that are believable and engaging 
• Assist in establishing the overall gameplay facial animation pipeline, work alongside animation engineering and gameplay animators to develop tools and workflow 
• Collaborate with directors and leads to ensure facial in cinematics and gameplay are cohesive  
• Ensure that animation flows in a realistic way when delivering dialog with complex expression beats 
• Maintain believable performances as it pertains to body and facial combined 
• Ensure that facial animation is a combined effort with gameplay systems 
• Be proactive with troubleshooting any animation workflow and pipeline issues.  
• Effectively communicate with artists, animators, engineers, designers and riggers, to give and accept feedback  

Requirements & Skills:  

• Proven experience working with runtime and offline procedural facial animation and has shipped a game doing so 
• Proven experience in working with scanned facial assets  
• Ability to create scripts to enhance workflow and increase efficiency 
• Experience working with a variety of facial solving solutions 
• Full understanding of gameplay character animation systems 
• Have knowledge of FACS and facial anatomy 
• Demo reel showing a proven understanding of all animation principles  
• Experience in creating narrative driven character performances of the highest fidelity utilizing FACS and micro expressions.  
• Professional working knowledge of Maya  
• Experience working with game engines 
• Passionate about making games and the enthusiasm to make the best!  
• Excellent problem-solving and interpersonal skills  

Qualities:  

• Flexibility in switching tasks to accommodate production priorities  
• Ability to appreciate other department's perspectives  
• Maintain integrity and confidence in results-oriented times 
• Empathic and respected team leader  
• Team oriented with a desire to mentor other animators  
• Promote inclusivity, diversity and fairness  
• Practice patience and be open to giving and receiving feedback 

(This is a temporary “Project Hire” position. The anticipated duration of this assignment will vary. TNM Project Hire employees will be eligible to participate in a number of TNM benefit plans such as medical, dental, vision, 401(k) matching, and flexible PTO)

TNM considers a number of factors when determining each role's base pay range, including industry benchmarks, location, experience, and other job specific skills. In addition to base pay, this role may be eligible for other incentive compensation including equity and profit share. The estimated base pay range for this role is U.S. only and not applicable for locations outside of the U.S.

The estimated base pay range for this role is: $87,000 - $112,000

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TNM offers competitive and comprehensive benefits that include medical, dental, vision, 401(k) match, flexible PTO, supplemental life and disability, and more. Eligibility to participate in these benefits may vary based on country of residence and/or part-time or temporary employment status.

That's No Moon is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, ancestry, color, citizenship, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, legally protected physical or mental disability, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.