Contract Senior Technical Animator

Certain Affinity, Inc.•Austin, TX

About The Position

We are seeking a Senior Technical Animator to drive the development of scalable, high-performance character systems across Unreal Engine productions. This role sits at the intersection of animation, rigging, engineering, and pipeline, and is critical to enabling teams to deliver high-quality, real-time content efficiently. You will architect runtime animation systems, build and optimize production pipelines, develop tools, and collaborate across disciplines to support both internal teams and external partners in delivering modern, AAA-quality character experiences.

Requirements

7+ years of experience in games, film, or real-time interactive production, with a focus on technical animation, technical art, or related disciplines
Deep experience with Unreal Engine, including real-time animation systems and performance considerations. Profile animation systems using Unreal Insights and in-engine tools.
Strong scripting and programming skills (Python required; experience with MEL, C#, or C++ preferred)
Proven experience developing and maintaining production-ready tools, pipelines, and workflows
Strong understanding of real-time character systems, including skeletal hierarchies, retargeting, facial rigging techniques, IK/FK blending, pose-space correctives and runtime constraints
Experience supporting or building character-related systems such as animation graphs, simulation workflows, or deformation pipelines
Hands-on experience with at least one major DCC package (Maya preferred)
Demonstrated ability to diagnose and resolve complex technical and production challenges across disciplines
Experience working in collaborative, multi-disciplinary teams with clear communication and documentation skills
Experience optimizing CPU cost and scalability for multiplayer, crowds, or live-service environments.

Nice To Haves

MotionBuilder experience for retargeting or mocap cleanup.
Working knowledge of C++ in Unreal Engine
Experience supporting multiplayer or networked character systems
Experience working on live-service titles or large-scale productions

Responsibilities

Design, implement, and maintain scalable runtime animation systems in Unreal Engine, including Animation Blueprint architectures that are performant and thread-safe
Develop modular, data-driven animation frameworks supporting layered gameplay systems (state machines, additive systems, gameplay-driven logic)
Build, integrate, and optimize character systems such as IK setups, secondary motion, and simulation workflows (e.g., cloth and hair)
Profile, debug, and optimize animation and character systems for performance across multiplayer, large-scale, or live-service environments
Own and support the end-to-end facial animation pipeline, including defining model requirements, guiding joint setup and rigging approaches, and ensuring successful integration and performance in-engine
Design, build, and maintain robust cross-DCC and engine pipelines to support character and animation workflows
Develop and maintain custom tools (Python, MEL, C#, or C++) in Maya and Unreal to improve iteration speed and content quality
Identify production bottlenecks, troubleshoot complex pipeline and content issues, and implement scalable solutions across teams
Partner with external vendors and internal stakeholders to support and scale outsourcing pipelines
Establish best practices, documentation, and onboarding materials to ensure consistency and efficiency across teams
Support version control workflows, asset management systems, and studio-wide pipeline standards
Mentor team members and contribute to evolving technical and pipeline strategies across projects