Character Animation Workflow Expert

4 days ago

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Next Level Games Full time

About Next Level Games

">

We are a video game development studio that has been passionate about creating award-winning games for fans worldwide. With 20 years of experience, we've shipped numerous titles, including Super Mario Strikers, Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon, and Mario Strikers Charged.

At NLG, we believe in collaboration and creating an environment where everyone feels welcome and has fun while achieving our shared goals.

The Role

">

We are seeking a Technical Animation Lead who will bring Nintendo characters to life by understanding our character production workflow and focusing on rigging support for our animation team. This person will be a bridge builder, seeing the entire character production pipeline from start to finish, shaping how we build our characters.

This individual understands the Art Director's goals, Modelers' tools, Animators' wants, and Engineers' runtime performance budget. When creative problems can be solved by multiple approaches, this person weighs the differences and communicates those options and tradeoffs, helping the team converge on the best creative outcome.

Responsibilities

">
  • Collaborate with Directors, Character Artists, Animators, Designers, and Engineers to deliver high-quality assets within real-time development constraints.
  • Partner with animators to unblock their potential.
  • Support artists and animators in developing new techniques for character production and pipeline challenges.
  • Collaborate with stakeholders to understand technical and creative requirements and suggest solutions for technical issues.
  • Work with the concept team to evaluate downstream considerations and discuss them early.
  • Ensure outsourcing partners have the resources to be productive and informed.
  • Help identify workflow deficiencies and communicate requirements for improvement with the tools team.
  • Partner with production to budget, prioritize, assign, track, and organize content deliverables.
  • Evaluate the effectiveness of the Modeling, Rigging, and Animation departments' collaboration.
  • Oversee building prototype assets to unblock teams.
  • Create robust, efficient, and intuitive body and facial controls.
  • Mentor team members to grow in craft excellence.
  • Develop documentation, onboarding plans, and feedback for technical production of characters, animation, and prop assets.
  • Communicate effectively to bring teams together.
  • Represent studio values through modeling behavior and approach as a leader.

Key Qualifications

">
  • 7+ years of experience as a 3D technical artist in video games and film.
  • Previous experience as a team lead on a major project.
  • Familiarity with setting up and maintaining 3D art pipelines and workflows.
  • Intimate knowledge of Maya and strong understanding of Maya's rigging tools.
  • Able to pioneer practical production-oriented rig systems and workflows.
  • Deep knowledge of animator workflows.
  • Able to apply technical skills to solve rigging and animation problems.
  • Strong understanding of rigging optimization and budgeting for game engines.
  • Proficient in modeling and topology adjustments related to character deformations.
  • Expertise in Python and/or C++ for programming and tool creation in Maya (MEL and API).
  • Working knowledge of shaders specifically related to animation.
  • Experience with Project Management tools (Jira, Confluence, SharePoint).
  • Experience with Source Control software (Perforce).

You Set Yourself Above

">
  • Proactive problem solver and a team player.
  • Driven by cross-discipline collaborative environments.
  • Excel at giving and receiving constructive feedback.
  • Experience supporting cinematics workflows.
  • Strong understanding of animation principles.
  • Able to research and apply new approaches to push character capabilities.
  • Able to create high-quality content.
  • Stay adaptable to iterative team needs through curiosity, experimentation, and growth mindset.

What We Offer

">

This is a hybrid position requiring at least three days per week at our Vancouver studio.

The hiring range for this position is $100,000 - $144,000 CAD annually, based on factors like skills, education, and experience.

This role is eligible for benefits including discretionary performance bonus programs, health benefits, and generous time-off.

  • Senior Character Animator

    2 weeks ago

    Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Electronic Arts Full time

    About the Role:We are currently seeking a skilled Senior Character Animator to join our team at Electronic Arts. In this role, you will work closely with our Animation Lead and Director to create high-quality keyframe animation with a focus on full body character acting.Responsibilities:Collaborate with our Animation Lead and Director to develop and...

  • Facial Rigger

    1 month ago

    Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada DNEG Full time

    About the RoleAt DNEG, we are seeking a skilled Facial Rigger to join our team of experts in creating award-winning visual effects and animation for feature films, television, and multiplatform content. As a Facial Rigger, you will play a crucial role in the creation of animation rigs for specialist characters, working closely with the CG Lead and Animation...

  • Character Animator

    2 weeks ago

    Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada The Third Floor Full time

    Job OverviewThe Third Floor is a leading visualization company with offices in Los Angeles and London, providing computer-animated blueprints for clients worldwide. As a Character Animator, you will work on high-profile projects, collaborating with the team to bring characters to life.About the RoleThis full-time remote position requires a strong...

  • Character Animation Specialist

    4 weeks ago

    Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Sony Pictures Imageworks Full time

    **About the Role**Sony Pictures Imageworks is seeking a highly skilled Character Animation Specialist to join our team. As a key member of our animation department, you will be responsible for creating high-quality character effects and simulations for our feature films.**Responsibilities**Create set-ups, models, and animations for character external...

  • Experienced CG Character Animator

    2 weeks ago

    Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Zoic Studios Full time

    We are seeking a skilled CG Character Animator to join our team in Vancouver, BC. As a key member of our stop-motion feature production, you will be responsible for creating inspiring and engaging performances for CG characters and objects.Job OverviewThe successful candidate will have 5+ years of experience as a CG Character Animator in the entertainment...

  • Character Artist II

    4 weeks ago

    Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Electronic Arts Full time

    Character Artist OverviewElectronic Arts is seeking a highly skilled Character Artist II to join our team. As a key member of our character customization system, you will be responsible for creating high-quality, stylized character assets that meet the highest standards of our company.Main Responsibilities:Create high-quality, stylized character assets for...

  • Character Rigging Specialist

    4 weeks ago

    Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Electronic Arts Full time

    Job SummaryThe Technical Artist on the Frostbite Characters team will contribute to the development of cutting-edge tools and workflows for our community of game teams. This role involves gathering feedback from content creators and collaborating with engineers to improve usability and steer feature design.Key ResponsibilitiesCollaborate with engineers,...

  • Character Animation Specialist in 3D Visual Effects

    2 weeks ago

    Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada The Third Floor Full time

    The Third Floor, a leading global visualization company, is seeking an experienced Character Animator to join our team. With offices in Los Angeles and London, we work on high-profile projects with a small studio culture.We offer competitive compensation between $35 - $95 CAD per hour, based on experience, skillset, and other factors. In addition, we provide...

  • Senior Houdini Character Effects Specialist

    2 weeks ago

    Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Bardel Entertainment Full time

    Character Effects Artist Opportunity at Bardel EntertainmentBardel Entertainment, a leading animation studio with a 35-year history of excellence, is seeking a skilled Senior Houdini Character Effects Specialist to join our team. We are committed to delivering high-quality animation and visual effects for feature films.We offer a competitive salary range of...

  • Senior Character Effects Artist for Feature Film

    3 weeks ago

    Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Bardel Entertainment Full time

    Emmy Award-Winning Studio Seeks Skilled Houdini ExpertBardel Entertainment, a renowned animation studio, is seeking a highly experienced Senior CFX Houdini Artist to join its team for an exciting feature film project.Job Summary:Create and simulate high-quality character effects using Houdini, including cloth, hair, fur, and muscle systems.Collaborate with...

  • Lead CG Character Animation Specialist

    2 weeks ago

    Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Zoic Studios Full time

    About Zoic StudiosZoic Studios is a Visual Effects company specializing in high-end visual effects for television, film, and advertising.We focus on every aspect of the process, from the final picture to the pipeline used to create them.Job SummaryThe Animator is responsible for creating engaging performances for a wide array of CG characters and objects...

  • Animation Specialist

    1 month ago

    Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Electronic Arts Full time

    About the Role:We are seeking a highly skilled Animation Specialist to join our team at Electronic Arts. As an Animation Specialist, you will be responsible for creating high-quality keyframe animation with a focus on full body character acting.Responsibilities:Work with the Animation Lead and Director to develop and implement animation...

  • Principal Character Artist

    3 weeks ago

    Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Electronic Arts Full time

    About the Role:We are seeking a highly skilled Senior Character Artist to join our team at Electronic Arts. As a key member of our art team, you will be responsible for creating high-quality character models, textures, and animations for our games.Responsibilities:Collaborate with art directors, producers, and technical artists to develop character concepts...

  • Master Rigger

    2 weeks ago

    Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Sony Pictures Imageworks Full time

    Job SummaryWe are seeking a highly skilled Master Rigger to join our team at Sony Pictures Imageworks. This is a project-based, full-time position that requires expertise in creating 3D character rigs and animation interface controls for skeletal motion systems and body/facial deformations.

  • Lead Animator

    4 weeks ago

    Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Zoic Studios Full time

    Job Title: Lead AnimatorAbout Zoic Studios:Zoic Studios is a Visual Effects company that specializes in high-end visual effects for television, film, and advertising. Our mantra is Visual Evolution - we focus on every part of the process, from the final picture to the pipeline used to create them.Job Summary:We are seeking a skilled Lead Animator to join our...

  • Technical Animation Lead

    2 weeks ago

    Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Electronic Arts (EA) Full time

    Electronic Arts (EA)We are a leading global interactive entertainment software company, delivering games, content and online services for Internet-connected consoles, personal computers, mobile phones and tablets.The A-Team is an innovative Character Animation Research Team based in Vancouver, British Columbia, with talented remote members spread across...

  • Visual Effects Artist

    4 weeks ago

    Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Zoic Studios Full time

    About the RoleCharacter FX ArtistThis position is an exciting opportunity to join the Zoic Studios team in Vancouver. We are seeking an experienced Character FX Artist to work on a stop-motion animated feature project.Key Responsibilities:Produce high-quality cloth and hair simulations, prop animations, and refine shot animations throughout...

  • Lead Character Animation Specialist

    2 weeks ago

    Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Industrial Light & Magic Full time

    About the Role:We are seeking a highly skilled Senior Creature Technical Director to join our team at Industrial Light & Magic. As a Senior Creature TD, you will be responsible for creating high-quality character and creature rigs and simulations using various software technologies.Key responsibilities include building high-quality, hero creature rigging and...

  • Senior Character Effects Artist for Feature Film

    2 weeks ago

    Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Bardel Entertainment Full time

    Bring High-Quality Character Effects to LifeWe are seeking an experienced Senior CFX Houdini Artist to join our team on an exciting feature film project.Key Responsibilities:Design and implement complex character effects using Houdini, including hair, fur, cloth, and muscle simulations.Collaborate with modeling, rigging, animation, and lighting departments...

  • Creative Animation Lead

    2 weeks ago

    Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Zoic Studios Full time

    Company OverviewZoic Studios is a renowned Visual Effects company specializing in high-end visual effects for television, film, and advertising. Our mantra is Visual Evolution, focusing on every aspect of the process, from the final picture to the pipeline used to create them.About the RoleWe are seeking an experienced CG Character Animator to lead our...