That’s No Moon Entertainment is an independent AAA game development studio established in 2021 by veterans of some of the most recognizable and critically acclaimed creative teams in the world, including Naughty Dog, Infinity Ward, Santa Monica Studio, Bungie, PlayStation, and more. Based in Los Angeles and San Diego, That’s No Moon Entertainment is creating the next generation of narrative-driven, genre-defining experiences built upon a culture of creativity, collaboration, responsible production practices, and individual empowerment. We are assembling a diverse team of passionate developers of a wide range of experience levels and backgrounds to help shape the future of our studio and projects.

We are looking for a Lead Character Rigging TD to combine their leadership skills, technical expertise, artistic eye, and passion for game and animation to help drive the quality of next-gen digital human and push ground-breaking realism. This is a hands-on role where you will supervise the rigging team and participate in a highly collaborative environment and work with hardworking artists and animators as well as external tech and service vendors to establish an efficient and scalable character pipeline and innovate new techniques to deliver a compelling and visually stunning game experience.

Responsibilities:

Be responsible for the character pipeline, toolset, and workflow standards to drive and deliver character assets at industry-leading quality
Hands-on leadership and mentoring of junior level tech artists
Collaborate with Art and Engineering teams to research, develop, and embrace current technology and techniques to improve the visual results while keeping mindful of production efficiency as well as game engine performance budgets
Work with production to determine and execute team tasks and schedules
Communicate scope and risks effectively with art, tech, and production partners
Evaluate and provide specification to external technology and service vendors
Set up assets that require technical expertise, such as characters/creatures for animation and gameplay that conform to studio standards with consistency
Work alongside modelers to ensure assets have accurate topology and deformations in game that meet technical requirements
Work closely with animators to ensure control interface is easy to use and deliver rigs that are thoroughly tested for performance and stability
Evaluate/maintain/create tools to streamline rig setup and facilitate animation workflows
Create/Maintain relevant usage documentation

Requirements & Skills:

(Required) 7+ years of professional rigging experience in game, film, vfx, or relevant industries
(Required) Experience in a lead or supervisory role
(Required) Expert knowledge in high-end, photorealistic body and facial tech and setups, rigging/animation principles and standard methodologies, and creature anatomy
(Required) Maya Expertise in areas of rigging and animation
(Required) Strong Python experience in the areas of tools, UI (e.g., PyQt), and Maya Scripting
(Preferred) Experience creating robust rigs for Motion Capture
(Preferred) Experience delivering efficient real-time setups used in game engine such as Unreal
(Preferred) Degree in animation or related art and/or technical field
(Bonus) Familiarity with physics and cloth setups
(Bonus) Working with Motion-Builder
(Bonus) Familiarity with Unreal Control Rig system
(Bonus) Maya API / Plugin Experience

Qualities:

Phenomenal verbal and written communication skills to clearly articulate technical requirements, production standards, issues, and risks
Collaborative and open to feedbacks
Proven track record to be organized and balance multiple initiatives in a fast-paced development environment
Self-motivated and able to find and propose solutions
Capable of switching tasks quickly to address emergent production issues in a professional manner
Have patience and enjoy mentoring and explaining sophisticated concepts
Ability to learn and incorporate new features and techniques quickly into workflow
Desire to help making artists' lives better and process efficient, scalable, and mindful of areas of workflow improvements
Great attention to details, and ability to deliver consistent results

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.