Senior Animator

Ascendant Studios is looking for an animator to help bring our first title to life. Our ideal applicant has a solid animation background paired with strong technical ability and pipeline knowledge. Prior work in games is required, and experience with Unreal Engine would be a big plus.

This is a full time position. We are all currently working remotely due to Covid-19, but once we return the position may either be based in our office in San Rafael, CA, or remain fully remote.

Key Responsibilities

• Animate a variety of character types, creatures, and environmental objects using a blend of keyframe and mo-cap
• Collaborate with programmers and tech artists to implement animations into the Unreal Engine
• Work with the team to establish guidelines and requirements for animation across the game, and to solidify the visual feel of the game
• Give, receive, and make changes to your work based on constructive feedback
• Iterate on animations based on gameplay requirements and artistic direction

Requirements

• 3-5+ years of experience as an animator in the video game industry
• Familiarity with the technical aspects of animation and implementation
• Expert proficiency with Maya
• Solid foundational animation skills, such as timing, weight, and human anatomy
• Ability to work independently, problem solve on the fly, and collaborate efficiently across disciplines in a small, fast moving team

Good to Have

• Experience working with Unreal Engine, including Aim Offsets, Blend Spaces, Blueprints, State Machines, and Sequencer
• Experience with rigging and rig creation, motion capture recording and processing, or Python/MEL scripting
• Previous experience working on an AAA, 1st person, console title