With a rich history of developing multiple AAA franchises such as Little Big Planet and Crackdown, as well as contributing to genre-defining titles like the Forza Motorsport and Hitman series, Sumo Sheffield’s vast development experience spans multiple genres and platforms.
As winners of the TIGA Star Employment Award for 2021, recipients of the GI Biz 2020 Best Places to Work Award and listed as one of the UK’s 100 Best Large Companies to Work for in 2021, Sumo Digital has enjoyed 18 years of stability and growth since its formation in 2003 and continues to strive for excellence across every single project.
The team have a track record of working on some of the world's biggest and best games and received two BAFTAs for their work on Sackboy: A Big Adventure. As the scale and exclusivity of projects continues to grow, there’s never been a more exciting time to join the Sumo Sheffield family!
The role @ Sumo
We have an unmissable opportunity for a highly creative Senior Technical Animator to join our Sheffield studio where you will have the opportunity to showcase and grow your skills within a seasoned and proven team. You need to have a wealth of experience and impressive track record backed up by a body of work demonstrating your highly creative approach. A strong ability to produce polished rigs, animation and character pipelines that are world class is essential. You will need to clearly demonstrate experience in setting up and managing character behaviour graphs and in working with code and design to achieve solid and engaging player experiences. Strong scripting skills and examples of problem solving are also essential. Experience using Unreal/Unity and Maya is an advantage.
Within this role you will:
- Develop, manage and maintain a class leading character pipeline.
- Work with code and design to achieve a solid and engaging player experiences.
- Exhibit a strong understanding of the fundamental principles of animation as they apply to the animation design.
- Assist in Lead responsibilities such as mentoring, scheduling and R&D into new features.
- Contribute to the conceptualization of character behaviours and abilities.
- Provide detailed input during the character creation process, from concept to modelling to final rigging, identifying character performance and functionality requirements.
- Demonstrate an understanding of the pipelines and procedures within the project as a whole.
We need you to have:
- At least 4 years of industry experience animating characters for console and/or PC games with a minimum of 1 published game.
- Evidence of previous games completed in a senior technical animation role.
- A strong demo reel that adequately reflects this experience.
- Solid knowledge of Maya and/or 3DstudioMax.
- Scripting vial mel, MaxScript or Python.
- Thorough understanding of animation fundamentals for human and non-human characters.
- Understanding of character creation process from concept, to modelling and final rigging.
- Demonstrable experience in creating animation of a high standard while maintaining visual and functional specifications for game mechanics.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills.
What We Offer:
- Annual Bonus & Annual Salary Reviews
- Electric Car Scheme
- Salary Sacrifice Pension Scheme
- Flexible Working
- 27 Days Holiday, including your birthday a duvet day and Christmas
- Holiday ‘buy and sell’ scheme
- 5 Paid Learning Days, including 1 volunteer day per year
- Access to 4,000 Udemy Courses, The Gnomen Workshop, GDC Vault and more
- Enhanced Mat/Paternity & Adoption pay
- Free Life Assurance - 4x Salary
- Free Income Protection Scheme -up to 75%
- Free Dental Insurance
- Supportive Employee Assistance Programme with confidential 24/7/365 helpline & app
- Access remote GP, Mental Health, Physio appointments & medical second opinions
- Additional flexible benefits scheme
- Cycle to Work Scheme
- Mental Health First Aiders
- Payroll Giving Scheme
- Game & Book Libraries
- Long service & project completion awards
- Wrap Parties
- Alternative Travel Prize Draw
- The Sumo GameJam
- Great family events
- Studio clubs, inc. running, board games, film…
- Life Drawing
- Yoga Classes
- Free fruit and drinks
- Employee Referral Bonus
- Career Development
- Relocation Support to the UK
- Visa Sponsorship
Where do we stand on diversity?
At Sumo, we want to enable everyone to bring their full, authentic selves to work every single day. We acknowledge that the games industry is far from perfect and a global organisation with people all over the world, from all kinds of backgrounds, we know it’s part of our duty to provide everyone at Sumo with a safe, accepting and affirming working environment.
We encourage and welcome applicants from all backgrounds.
More about Sumo Sheffield
Sumo Sheffield is located just outside the city centre in Sumo Digital’s HQ, just off J34 on the M1 and a stone’s throw from the city’s primary shopping and leisure complex. With a multi-building campus comprised of industry-leading facilities, an onsite gym and subsidised canteen, Sumo Sheffield provides everything needed for all teams to create the world’s best games.
Sheffield is the fifth largest city in the UK and is easily accessible by road and rail from Leeds, Manchester and the Midlands. The city enjoys a wealth of facilities to suit a wide array of interests, including:
- World-class sports facilities
- Iconic theatres and galleries
- Multiple retail and shopping experiences
- Diverse and renowned restaurants and eateries
- The award-winning National Video Game Museum
More about Sumo Digital
Sumo Digital is an award-winning international family of studios. Recent releases from Sumo Digital studios include: BAFTA-Award winning Sackboy: A Big Adventure, Hood: Outlaws & Legends, Control Ultimate Edition on Google Stadia, Apple Arcade Award-winning Little Orpheus, Hot Shot Racing, WST Snooker and Spyder.
