Animation Director - Sledgehammer Games
About The Position
Sledgehammer Games is seeking an Animation Director for its San Mateo, California studio. The role is based on-site with a schedule that combines in-studio and remote workdays; arrangements may change at the company’s discretion to meet business needs. The Animation Director will work closely with teams in Canada, Australia, and the UK and help create content for major games in the Call of Duty franchise. The Animation Director defines and drives the studio’s animation vision, leading a world-class team delivering immersive, high-quality experiences across gameplay and storytelling. The role partners with Design, Art, Narrative, Engineering, Production, and studio leadership to establish animation standards, workflows, and creative direction. It provides senior leadership and mentorship to help the wider animation team develop and realize its potential. The successful candidate will balance artistic excellence, technical innovation, and team development while championing animation quality in first- and third-person gameplay, cinematic storytelling, character performance, and AI systems. The role also oversees animation content, systems, and pipelines, guides performance and motion capture strategies, and works with external partners to maintain quality and consistency.
Requirements
- At least 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 disciplines, including Art, Design, Engineering, Narrative, and Production.
- Demonstrated ability to establish a creative vision and execute it through 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 commitment to creating exceptional player experiences.
Nice To Haves
- Experience shipping multiple AAA first-person action titles.
- Experience directing performance capture and working with 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 project’s overall animation vision, quality bar, and creative direction.
- Lead, mentor, and develop Animation Leads, Principal Animators, and other team members, fostering excellence, collaboration, and continued growth.
- Partner with studio leadership to establish animation strategy, priorities, staffing plans, and production goals.
- Collaborate with Art, Design, Narrative, Engineering, and Production to ensure animation supports gameplay, storytelling, and player immersion objectives.
- Drive the creation of high-quality character, gameplay, cinematic, and AI animation experiences.
- Oversee the integration and implementation of animation content, systems, and pipelines in 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 to support authentic character performance and visual fidelity.
- Regularly review animation content and provide 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 about industry trends, technologies, and animation techniques and help drive innovation within the team and studio.
Benefits
- Medical, dental, and vision coverage.
- Health savings or health reimbursement account and healthcare and dependent-care spending accounts.
- Life and AD&D insurance and disability insurance.
- 401(k) with company match.
- Tuition reimbursement and charitable donation matching.
- Paid holidays and vacation, paid sick time, and floating holidays.
- Compassion and bereavement leaves and parental leave.
- Mental health and wellbeing programs and fitness programs.
- Free and discounted games and other voluntary benefit programs, including supplemental life and disability insurance, legal services, ID protection, and rental insurance.
- Relocation assistance may be available if the company requires the employee to move geographic locations for the job.
- Employees in this role may be eligible for incentive compensation; it is not guaranteed.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Director
Education Level
No Education Listed
