Lead Technical Artist-Characters

Warner Bros. Discovery • Chicago, IL

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About The Position

Welcome to Warner Bros. Discovery… the stuff dreams are made of. Who We Are… When we say, “the stuff dreams are made of,” we’re not just referring to the world of wizards, dragons and superheroes, or even to the wonders of Planet Earth. Behind WBD’s vast portfolio of iconic content and beloved brands, are the storytellers bringing our characters to life, the creators bringing them to your living rooms and the dreamers creating what’s next… From brilliant creatives, to technology trailblazers, across the globe, WBD offers career defining opportunities, thoughtfully curated benefits, and the tools to explore and grow into your best selves. Here you are supported, here you are celebrated, here you can thrive. Avalanche is a Warner Bros. Games studio located in downtown Salt Lake City nestled against the backdrop of the beautiful Wasatch Mountains. We’ve been in the video game business since 1995, creating interactive experiences for fans of the world’s largest franchises. Join the team behind the blockbuster open world, action RPG Hogwarts Legacy as we create what’s next! The Job We’re looking for a Lead Character Technical Artist with strong Unreal, Maya and Python experience to join our team. You should have a passion for all aspects of character and creature development. This role focuses on ensuring we integrate the highest quality characters and creatures while also keeping them efficient and performant both for animators in a DCC and in engine. You will partner closely with Character Art, Animation, and Engineering to improve pipeline efficiency, scalability, and runtime quality. Over time, this role may grow to mentor and build a small character-focused tech art team.

Requirements

• Strong Unreal foundation.
• Deep understanding of character pipelines from modeling through rigging, skinning, and runtime integration.
• Advanced experience with mGear (or comparable modular rigging systems).
• Extensive experience working with MetaHuman workflows.
• Experience optimizing characters for real-time performance constraints.
• Python and/or C++ tool development experience within Unreal and DCC applications (e.g., Maya).
• Experience troubleshooting and optimizing complex Blueprints.
• 10+ years in game development with at least 4 shipped titles.
• Strong communication and documentation skills and ability to collaborate within an established creative direction.
• Portfolio demonstrating character and rigging expertise required.

Responsibilities

• Support character artists, riggers, animators, and engineers by developing tools, troubleshooting issues, and defining best practices.
• Build, maintain, and optimize character rigs using Maya HIK, and mGear and integrate them successfully into Unreal pipelines.
• Drive effective use and customization of MetaHuman workflows.
• Oversee character engine integration, validation, and runtime performance tuning.
• Optimize skeletal meshes, materials, animation systems, and LOD strategies for scalability.
• Identify and resolve technical risks while preserving established visual direction.
• Drive tools and techniques to elevate all aspects of character/creature visuals
• Mentor and support technical artists, with potential to grow a focused character tech art team.
• Identify strategies for integrating AI into character development workflow.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees