Technical Artist (Rigging) - EA SPORTS Technology

Electronic Arts; Vancouver; Hybrid; CAD 75,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

3 weeks vacation

Health plan

On-site facilities

Job summary

Electronic Arts (EA) Vancouver is seeking a Rigging Technical Artist on a 12-month contract. The role works onsite 3 days a week (Tue–Thu) at the Burnaby office, with hybrid collaboration across projects in EA SPORTS Tech.

The successful candidate will create skeletons, skinning, control rigging, and cloth/hair simulation while maintaining assets and developing scripts to streamline pipelines. Strong teamwork is essential.

Qualifications

• At least 3 years of cinematic or games production experience.
• Background in rigging and skinning complex assets.
• Effective at communicating with different audiences: artists, engineers, managers.
• Experience scripting/programming in Python (knowledge of C++ a bonus).
• Expertise with Autodesk Maya.
• Knowledge of human anatomy and animation principles.

Responsibilities

• Skeleton creation and skinning of characters and objects.
• Control rigging and cloth/hair simulation tasks.
• Asset maintenance and issue resolution on rig assets.
• Develop scripts to automate rigging workflows.
• Own content quality and deliver on time.

Skills

Rigging

Python scripting

Autodesk Maya

Character skinning

Effective communication

Tools

Houdini

Proprietary game engines

Job description

Role ID

216316

Worker Type

Temporary Employee

Studio/Department

Work Model

Hybrid

Description & Requirements

Electronic Arts creates next-level entertainment experiences that inspire players and fans around the world. Here, everyone is part of the story. Part of a community that connects across the globe. A place where creativity thrives, new perspectives are invited, and ideas matter. A team where everyone makes play happen.

Important Note: This team works onsite at EA Vancouver (Burnaby office). Applicants are required to work onsite 3 days, Tuesday - Thursday every week. This is a 12-month contract with the possibility of longer term employment.

EA SPORTS is one of the most iconic brands in entertainment - connecting hundreds of millions around the world to the sports they love through a portfolio of industry-leading video games.

EA SPORTS Tech provides specialized technology teams working on modern character articulation and motion, content pipelines and workflows, machine learning, game security, dev ops, as well as long lead feature and technology development for all EA SPORTS titles. As part of EA SPORTS Tech, the Rigging Team pushes visual boundaries and experiences for our players. We invest in future technologies, shared tooling, and production workflows. We combine creativity and imagination with technical expertise. We are a diverse group that encourages team members to bring their unique perspectives and expertise to work every day.

Your Responsibilities:

A Rigging Technical Artist works under the direction of a Rigging Lead in partnership with project managers to ensure that deliverables are achieved at quality and on time. Your responsibilities and tasks will include: skeleton creation, character and object skinning, control rigging, cloth/hair simulation, asset maintenance, and script development. TAs are expected to assume ownership of their content, and resolve any technical or quality issues that arise with their assets.

Your Qualifications:

• At least 3 years of cinematic or games production experience.
• Background in rigging and skinning complex assets
• Effective at communicating with different audiences: artists, engineers, managers.
• Experience scripting/programming in Python (knowledge of C++ a bonus).
• Expertise with Autodesk Maya
• Knowledge of human anatomy and animation principles

Great to Have:

• Understanding of / experience with game engines (commercial or proprietary)
• Character simulation experience
• Experience with / understanding of 3D mathematics
• Experience with Houdini / procedural node graph systems
• Familiarity with motion capture (data + acquisition)

Pay Transparency - North America

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

The ranges listed below are what EA in good faith expects to pay applicants for this role in these locations at the time of this posting. If you reside in a different location, a recruiter will advise on the applicable range and benefits. Pay offered will be determined based on a number of relevant business and candidate factors (e.g. education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, or business needs).

PAY RANGES

Pay is just one part of the overall compensation at EA.

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

About Electronic Arts

We’re proud to have an extensive portfolio of games and experiences, locations around the world, and opportunities across EA. We value adaptability, resilience, creativity, and curiosity. From leadership that brings out your potential, to creating space for learning and experimenting, we empower you to do great work and pursue opportunities for growth.

We adopt a holistic approach to our benefits programs, emphasizing physical, emotional, financial, career, and community wellness to support a balanced life. Our packages are tailored to meet local needs and may include healthcare coverage, mental well-being support, retirement savings, paid time off, family leaves, complimentary games, and more. We nurture environments where our teams can always bring their best to what they do.

Electronic Arts is an equal opportunity employer. All employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, genetic information, religion, disability, medical condition, pregnancy, marital status, family status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We will also consider employment qualified applicants with criminal records in accordance with applicable law. EA also makes workplace accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities as required by applicable law.