Lead Animation

Company Description

Created in 2008, DON’T NOD is an independent studio which creates and develop AA games in various genres : adventure (_Life is Strange_, _Tell Me Why_, _Twin Mirror_), action (_Remember Me_) and RPG (_Vampyr_). Each new game is an original creation with unique narrative gameplay experience and game mechanics.

In 2020, DON’T NOD expanded internationally by creating its first branch in Montreal.

**Job Description**:
**_
Why join us?_**
- You want to be part of the new DON’T NOD Montreal narrative game, led by key members of the team behind _Life is Strange,_ and bring your talent to the project;
- You want to join a diverse and committed team, both in its culture and in the content of the games it creates;
- You're looking for an environment where you'll be able to interact with all the teams in a simple and efficient manner;
- You'd like to put your animation skills and your leadership at the service of an original and sensitive experience based on its characters.

**_ What you'll be doing_**

Reporting to the Executive Producer of the Montreal studio, your role will be to accompany the animation team to bring the characters to life, while ensuring the quality and implementation of the content in the engine (Unreal Engine).

Your mission will be to:

- Mentor and guide the animation team to achieve production related deliverable goals;
- Ensure the quality of the animation content and contribute to its production;
- Drive the quality of our facial animations;
- Estimate and plan the animation needs of the project;
- Communicate with the other teams and production to establish the priorities of the animation department and ensure the progress of our features;
- Collaborate with the narrative and level design teams to stage our narrative moments and create our cinematics;
- Collaborate with the design and programming teams to create simple 3C systems that match the personality of our characters;
- Organize and supervise mocap sessions.

**Qualifications**:
**_
The must-have skills we're looking for_**
- Experience in Key frame animation and Motion Capture (gameplay and cinematic);
- Mastery of Maya and MotionBuilder tools;
- Minimum experience with Unreal Editor (4+): Importer, AnimGraph/AnimBlueprint, Sequencer;
- Knowledge of gameplay and cinematic pipelines in video games;
- Good organizational and communication skills;
- You feel capable of planning and supervising motion capture sessions;
- You are committed to ensuring the quality of the project's animation;
- You have experience as a team leader, or are willing to become one and mentor your team while ensuring a good working environment;
- You have experience in delivering AA or AAA games.

**_ What would set you apart?_**
- An interest in narrative games and their ability to convey emotions through their characters;
- Extensive experience with Unreal Editor (4+);
- Experience with LiveLink animated cinematics in Unreal Editor;
- Knowledge of MetaHuman technology;
- Mastery of LipSync generation tools (ex: Omniverse, JALI, SpeedGraphics, etc.).

Additional Information

We build close-knit teams to encourage a fulfilling work environment for all our employees.

Our teams enjoy a range of benefits, including flexibility, a generous holiday bank, time off, training and career development support, and a personalized expense account.

Additional perks include:

- The possibility of working anywhere in Quebec;
- Insurance and virtual healthcare coverage as of Day 1;
- Partial refund of transport fees (OPUS, BIXI and parking);
- Access to gym and fitness classes as well as a multi-sports field in summer which turns into an ice rink in winter;
- Referral bonus that goes the extra mile;
- RRSPs with the employer's contribution.