Senior Technical Artist (Rigging) - EA SPORTS Technology

Global Sports Jobs Limited; Vancouver; On-site; CAD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Vacation 3 weeks/year

Sick leave 10 days/year

Extended health/dental/vision coverage

Life insurance

Job summary

EA SPORTS is seeking a Senior Technical Artist to join the Tech Art Team in Vancouver. You will refine workflows, solve character deformation challenges, and mentor junior artists while collaborating with art directors, developers, and engineers to deliver high-fidelity deformation content for EA SPORTS games.

The role emphasizes creating robust rigs and animation pipelines, leveraging Maya and Houdini, scripting in Python, and pushing real-time performance limits.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience in a related field.
• Expert knowledge designing complex skeletons, control rigs, secondary animation, and skin deformations.
• Strong understanding of human anatomy and animation principles.
• In-depth expertise with Maya and Houdini.
• Experience with asset optimisation and real-time deformation constraints.
• Proficient scripting in Python.
• Willingness to solve new technical challenges and a passion for games.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with Art Directors, Development Directors, Artists and Engineers to achieve high-fidelity deformation content for EA SPORTS games.
• Refine and improve workflows to tackle technical challenges and increase efficiency.
• Leverage common technology and implement techniques to solve character animation and deformation challenges.
• Partner with leadership to implement new initiatives and mentor newer artists.

Skills

Skeletons

Control rigs

Secondary animation

Skin deformations

Human anatomy

Animation principles

Maya

Houdini

Python scripting

C++

Unreal

Unity

Frostbite

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Maya

Houdini

Unreal

Unity

Frostbite

Python scripting

Job description

About the Role

This role is with the Technical Art Team within EA SPORTS Tech, which invests in future technologies, shared tooling, and production workflows for EA SPORTS titles. The team collaborates with Art Directors, Development Directors, Artists and Engineers to achieve high-fidelity deformation content for EA SPORTS games. The role involves refining workflows, implementing techniques to solve character animation and deformation challenges, partnering with leadership on new initiatives, and mentoring newer artists. This position is a 12-month contract with the possibility of longer-term employment.

Key Responsibilities

• Collaborate with Art Directors, Development Directors, Artists and Engineers to achieve the highest fidelity deformation content for EA SPORTS games.
• Refine and improve workflows to tackle technical challenges and increase efficiency.
• Leverage common technology and implement techniques to solve character animation and deformation challenges.
• Partner with leadership to implement new initiatives and mentor newer artists.

Required Experience & Qualifications

• A bachelor's degree (or equivalent experience) in a related field.
• Expert knowledge designing complex skeletons, control rigs, secondary animation (fat, jiggle, muscle sim), and skin deformations.
• Strong understanding of human anatomy and animation principles.
• In-depth expertise with relevant 3D software packages such as Maya and Houdini.
• Experience with asset optimisation challenges and real-time limitations specific to character deformation.
• Proficient scripting/programming in Python.
• A willingness to jump into the unknown and solve new problems to resolve technical challenges and limitations.
• A passion for games.

Preferred Skills

• 5+ years of games production experience working in technical art/rigging/animation (cinematic experience also considered).
• Experience working with content-driven game engines (e.g. Unreal, Unity, Frostbite).
• C++/C programming (a bonus).

Workplace

• Onsite at EA Vancouver (Burnaby office), required 3 days per week on Tuesday to Thursday.

Benefits & Perks

• In Canada, benefits include vacation (3 weeks per year to start), 10 days per year of sick time, extended health/dental/vision coverage, and basic life insurance.

About the Company

EA SPORTS is one of the leading sports entertainment brands in the world, with top-selling videogame franchises, award-winning interactive technology, fan programs, and cross-platform digital experiences.