Senior Animator

Just Won't Die; Cambridge; Remote; GBP 45,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Just Won’t Die Games Studio in Cambridge seeks a senior animator to lead AAA-standard animations for a new sci‑fi/fantasy IP on PC and consoles. You will own the animation pipeline from brief to Unreal Engine integration, collaborating with the Art Director and senior artists to shape motion and tone.

We value a strong showreel, industry experience, self-motivation and the ability to communicate ideas clearly. The role supports remote work with a studio base in Cambridge.

Qualifications

• Professional games experience as an animator with a track record of high-quality keyframed animations.
• Animation showreel demonstrating understanding of animation principles and diverse movement (bipedal and creature).
• Proactive in seeking feedback and coordinating with other teams to drive animation tasks forward.
• Rigging and skinning in Maya with automated tools.
• Identify animation issues at concept/3D stage and provide actionable feedback.
• Rapidly develop and iterate on animation ideas, accommodating feedback from Directors and teams.
• Strong communication skills, both verbal and visual.

Responsibilities

• Produce AAA standard animations in line with the project's art direction.
• Take ownership of the animation pipeline from brief to Unreal Engine implementation.
• Work closely with the Art Director and other artists to shape the game visuals.
• Produce highly creative ideas to aid game development.
• Work on diverse assets including humans, creatures, weapons and more.

Skills

Professional game animation

Keyframed animation

Animation reel

Maya rigging

Unreal Engine

Collaboration

Agile

Creative vision

Tools

Maya

Unreal Engine

Job description

Want to work with an awesome team on an exciting next gen AAA FPS?

Even in these uncertain times, the awesome talent at Just Won’t Die Games Studio is expanding! We’re looking for a highly-skilled, driven and deeply creative animator to work on an exciting new and original sci fi and fantasy IP for PC and console. As a senior animator you will be instrumental in bringing our world to life, adding flair and personality to characters, creatures, weapons and more. Working in cooperation with the Art Director and other experienced artists, you will be instrumental in shaping the final vision for our game.

We need someone who’s self-motivated, incredibly creative and has fantastic vision for motion. If you understand the importance and impact of delivering high quality, characterful, weighty, well timed animations that convey tone and emotion that can inspire the whole team, then we’d very much like to hear from you.

The ideal candidate would have good industry knowledge, game development experience and a passion for games. Whilst the position is based at our studio in Cambridge, UK, for the moment (at least) the whole team is fully embracing working remotely.

Sound like your thing? Then come join a highly experienced team on this incredibly exciting and unique project.

Responsibilities

• Produce AAA standard animations in line with the project's art direction.
• Take ownership of the whole animation pipeline on any given task, from initial brief to implementation into Unreal engine.
• Work closely with the Art Director, other experienced artists and development teams
• Produce highly creative, visual ideas to help the development of our game.
• Work on a diverse variety of assets, including humans, creatures, weapons and more.

Essential Requirements

• Professional games experience as an animator with an excellent track record of delivering high quality keyframed animations.
• An animation showreel that demonstrates an excellent understanding of animation principles, including a diverse range of both bipedal and creature movement.
• A highly proactive approach to seeking feedback and interacting with other teams to drive the production of animation tasks forward.
• Comfortable with rigging and skinning within Maya utilising an automated tool set.
• Ability to spot potential animation problems at a concept and 3D art stage and give feedback to help guide other disciplines.
• Ability to quickly develop and iterate on animation ideas, accommodating feedback from Directors and development teams.
• Able to effectively communicate ideas both verbally and visually.
• Self-motivation and willingness to participate in many areas of game development.
• Ability to work in an agile environment and problem solve rapidly.
• Able to plan and prioritise work. Balancing resources, skills, priorities and timescales to achieve objectives.
• Proactive in identifying and suggesting areas of improvement.

Beneficial Skills

• Experience creating keyframed weapon animations from a first person perspective.
• Experience with 3D packages (Maya).
• Experience with Unreal Engine.
• A keen gamer with industry knowledge.
• Game development experience.
• Experience working on an FPS.

About Just Won’t Die

Just Won’t Die is a team of passionate game developers located in Cambridge, UK.

It’s an exciting time to join Just Won’t Die as we embark on our journey of creating an exciting and original fps with broader ambitions in multiple entertainment spaces.

We’re a diverse group of veterans with decades of experience working at multiple award-winning studios on a vast range of titles on PC, console and mobile.

We decided to start Just Won’t Die early in 2019 so we could create games we want to play while building a team of developers we love working with.