Animation Director - Sledgehammer Games

Sledgehammer Games • San Mateo, CA

7d • $136,880 - $253,260 • Hybrid

About The Position

Sledgehammer Games is seeking a passionate Animation Director to join their studio team in San Mateo, California. This role involves partnering with teams at other studio locations in Canada, Australia, and the UK to create epic content for major game titles. The position is based on-site in San Mateo with a hybrid work schedule, though arrangements may change based on business needs. Sledgehammer Games is part of Activision and owned by Microsoft, known for its work on the Call of Duty franchise.

Requirements

• 12+ years of professional animation experience in game development, including significant leadership experience.
• Proven experience leading animation teams through the development and delivery of AAA titles.
• Deep understanding of animation principles, character performance, gameplay animation, cinematics, and motion capture pipelines.
• Strong expertise with Maya and modern animation workflows.
• Experience partnering across multiple disciplines, including Art, Design, Engineering, Narrative, and Production.
• Demonstrated ability to establish creative vision and execute against it through both direct and indirect leadership.
• Strong understanding of game engines, animation systems, state machines, blending, and technical animation pipelines.
• Experience building, mentoring, and growing high-performing animation teams.
• Excellent communication, collaboration, presentation, and stakeholder management skills.
• Passion for games and a commitment to creating exceptional player experiences.

Nice To Haves

• Experience shipping multiple AAA first-person action titles.
• Experience with performance capture direction and cinematic animation pipelines.
• Experience working with globally distributed development teams and external partners.
• Strong understanding of player-centered design and animation's role in gameplay feel and immersion.

Responsibilities

• Define and champion the overall animation vision, quality bar, and creative direction for the project.
• Lead, mentor, and develop Animation Leads, Principal Animators, and team members, fostering a culture of excellence, collaboration, and continuous growth.
• Partner with studio leadership to establish animation strategy, priorities, staffing plans, and production goals.
• Collaborate with Art, Design, Narrative, Engineering, and Production teams to ensure animation supports gameplay, storytelling, and player immersion objectives.
• Drive the creation of world-class character, gameplay, cinematic, and AI animation experiences.
• Oversee the integration and implementation of animation content, systems, and pipelines within proprietary and industry-standard game development tools.
• Establish and evolve animation workflows, processes, and best practices to improve quality, scalability, and development efficiency.
• Guide performance capture and motion capture strategies, ensuring authentic character performance and visual fidelity.
• Review animation content regularly, providing artistic direction and actionable feedback to internal and external teams.
• Partner with outsourcing and co-development partners to maintain consistent quality and execution across animation deliverables.
• Stay informed on emerging industry trends, technologies, and animation techniques, helping drive innovation within the team and studio.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, vision, health savings account or health reimbursement account, healthcare spending accounts, dependent care spending accounts, life and AD&D insurance, disability insurance
• 401(k) with Company match, tuition reimbursement, charitable donation matching
• Paid holidays and vacation, paid sick time, floating holidays, compassion and bereavement leaves, parental leave
• Mental health & wellbeing programs, fitness programs, free and discounted games, and a variety of other voluntary benefit programs like supplemental life & disability, legal service, ID protection, rental insurance, and others
• Relocation assistance

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed