Senior Character Technical Artist | Artiste technique senior – Personnages

2K • Montreal, QC

2d • Hybrid

About The Position

We’re seeking a Senior Technical Artist specializing in technical animation and character rigging to guide the development of expressive, performant character systems. In this role, you will act as a technical steward, helping to shape the standards for our character pipeline across multiple titles. You’ll serve as a bridge between animation, character art, and engineering, providing the technical perspective and mentorship necessary to build scalable, high-quality tools for our creative teams.

Requirements

• 5–7+ years of professional experience in technical animation or character rigging (A "Senior" baseline without the "Principal" weight).
• Deep proficiency in Python and Maya API.
• Extensive experience with Unreal Engine’s Animation Blueprints and Control Rig, specifically in how they scale across a large production.
• Natural leadership inclination, with a proven track record of helping others solve complex technical hurdles.
• Strong mathematical foundation (Linear Algebra, Trigonometry) used to troubleshoot and optimize 3D character deformations.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with Motion Capture pipelines and advising on data-driven workflows.
• Familiarity with Houdini for procedural tasks, with an eye toward how it integrates into a standard character pipeline.
• Knowledge in ML and AI solutions and integration of them into pipelines.
• Familiarity with procedural rigging tools or node-based workflows
• Knowledge of physics-based animation, ragdolls, or runtime IK systems

Responsibilities

• Lead the design of complex character rigs, ensuring they consistently meet high standards for visual fidelity and runtime performance.
• Guide the evolution of internal animation toolsets by identifying workflow gaps and recommending high-impact Python/C++ solutions.
• Mentor and support junior/mid-level technical artists, offering technical "course correction" and sharing best practices to elevate the team's output.
• Curate and maintain rigging standards, skeleton structures, and deformation logic to ensure consistency across projects.
• Advise Engineering partners on the practical needs of the animation team, helping to refine custom animation nodes and runtime systems.
• Evaluate and pilot emerging technologies (e.g., ML-based deformation, advanced physics) to determine their viability within our production pipeline.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed
• Number of Employees: 501-1,000 employees