Senior Technical Animator

2K • Novato, CA

5d

About The Position

As a Senior Technical Animator at Cloud Chamber, you will help shape advanced animation systems and runtime character performance in Unreal Engine 5. You will work with game developers to build scalable technical solutions and animation workflows that support immersive gameplay and bring the world of BioShock to life.

The role includes implementing and configuring animation assets and systems in Unreal Engine 5; authoring, maintaining, and optimizing Animation Blueprints and procedural runtime systems; refining Motion Matching and locomotion; and ensuring animation assets, runtime systems, and editor frameworks perform efficiently. You will diagnose technical animation issues across Maya and the game engine, collaborate with animation and engineering leads on authoring pipelines and documentation, and mentor teammates.

You will work across design, art, engineering, animation, and audio teams to meet creative goals, stay current with technology, and overcome development challenges. Cloud Chamber describes its culture as collaborative, open to learning and change, and focused on ownership, continuous improvement, and delivering for players.

Requirements

• At least 5 years of professional technical animation experience in video game development.
• At least one shipped AAA title.
• Deep practical knowledge of UE5 animation toolsets, including Animation Blueprints, Control Rigs, Montages, Notifies, and the Rewind Debugger.
• Thorough understanding of procedural runtime animation technologies, including Motion Matching, Motion Warping, Control Rigs, Full-Body IK, Retargeting, Ragdoll, and Cloth.
• Solid grasp of human anatomy and kinesiology, including how skeletal mechanics drive deformation rigs and realistic performance.
• Understanding of traditional animation principles and how to apply them within real-time gameplay constraints.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain complex ideas to diverse audiences and deliver difficult feedback with empathy and professionalism.
• Experience working in cross-disciplinary teams.
• Self-motivated and proactive, able to maintain effectiveness and quality under pressure, ambiguity, and changing priorities.
• Able to listen actively, build trust-based relationships across organizational levels, understand differing perspectives, and navigate organizational complexity with tact and emotional intelligence.
• Open to feedback and direction, willing to learn new skills, and able to produce quality revisions based on new insights or constraints.
• Able to own tasks and drive work forward autonomously while maintaining attention to detail, organization, and quality.
• For candidates located in Quebec, professional proficiency in both French and English is required, including English reading, writing, and communication for technical documentation and collaboration with U.S. teams and international partners.

Responsibilities

• Implement and configure animation assets and systems inside Unreal Engine 5.
• Author, maintain, and optimize complex Animation Blueprints and runtime procedural systems, including cloth, IK, and secondary dynamics.
• Tune, refine, and troubleshoot Motion Matching and advanced locomotion systems.
• Optimize animation assets, runtime systems, and editor frameworks for runtime performance and memory efficiency.
• Diagnose and resolve technical animation issues spanning Maya and the game engine.
• Partner with animation and engineering leads to refine authoring pipelines and document tools and processes.
• Mentor team members in technical animation best practices.
• Collaborate across design, art, engineering, animation, and audio teams to realize creative goals and overcome development obstacles.

Benefits

• Medical insurance coverage
• Dental insurance coverage
• Vision insurance coverage
• Basic life insurance coverage
• 14 paid holidays per calendar year
• Paid vacation time of 15 to 25 days per calendar year or eligibility for the company's discretionary time off program
• Up to 10 paid sick days per calendar year
• Paid parental and compassionate leave
• Mental health and other wellness support programs
• Family planning support through Maven
• Commuter benefits
• Reimbursements for fitness-related expenses
• Eligibility to participate in the Company's 401(k) plan
• Employee Stock Purchase Program
• The total compensation package may include a bonus and/or equity awards

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed