Senior Technical Animator

Absurd Ventures•Santa Monica, CA

5d•$140,000 - $160,000•Onsite

About The Position

We are seeking a Senior Technical Animator to join our growing animation team. This role sits at the intersection of animation, rigging, and engineering, supporting the creation, integration, and optimization of high-quality character and creature animation systems. The ideal candidate is highly collaborative, technically minded, and comfortable solving complex animation challenges at scale.

Requirements

Solid experience authoring traditional 3D animation for games
Professional experience as a Technical Animator or similar role on shipped games or large-scale interactive projects
Strong understanding of character rigging, skinning, and deformation techniques
Hands-on experience with Unreal Engine animation systems, including Animation Blueprints and Control Rig
Proficiency with DCC tools such as Maya or equivalent
Solid scripting or technical experience (Blueprints, Python, or similar) to support tools and workflows
Strong problem-solving skills and ability to communicate technical concepts to non-technical team members
Solid experience and strong understanding of fundamental 3D animation authoring for games

Nice To Haves

Experience working on open-world or systems-driven games
Familiarity with advanced animation techniques such as motion matching, procedural animation, or runtime IK solutions
Experience collaborating closely with gameplay and AI teams
Knowledge of performance optimization for console hardware
Experience supporting both gameplay animation and in-engine cinematics

Responsibilities

Partner with animators, character artists, gameplay designers, and engineers to develop and maintain robust animation pipelines in Unreal Engine
Implement, debug, and optimize animation systems including state machines, blend trees, IK, motion matching, and procedural animation solutions
Create and maintain character and creature rigs, animation blueprints, and supporting tools
Ensure animation systems are performant, scalable, and stable across a large open world
Support animation integration for gameplay, cinematics, traversal, combat, and systemic behaviors
Identify workflow inefficiencies and develop tools or processes to improve iteration speed and quality
Troubleshoot animation-related issues and provide technical guidance to the animation team
Maintain documentation and best practices for animation systems and pipelines