Senior Animator - Runescape: Dragonwilds

Jagex Limited; Cambridge; Hybrid; GBP 35,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a leading gaming company as a Senior Animator for RuneScape: Dragonwilds. This role involves creating high-quality animations that enhance gameplay and support storytelling while collaborating with various departments to maintain animation quality. If you're passionate about animation and looking to impact a beloved franchise, we want to hear from you.

Benefits

Private Healthcare

Minimum 6% Pension contributions

Employee Assistance Programme

Discretionary annual performance bonus

Flexible working hours

25 days annual leave plus bank holidays

Qualifications

• Advanced understanding of animation principles and pipelines.
• Experience animating a variety of characters and creatures.
• Proven ability to create gameplay-enhancing animations.

Responsibilities

• Create and implement benchmark-quality in-game animations.
• Work closely with the Lead Animator for quality standards.
• Develop reusable animation systems for efficiency.

Skills

Animation Principles

Storytelling Sensibilities

Collaboration

Education

Portfolio showcasing professional & personal animation work

Experience with game engines (e.g. Unreal Engine)

At least one shipped title in a senior animation role

Job description

Location: Cambridge, UK – (Remote available within the UK with team onsite days in the Cambridge office approx. 4 times per year)

Location: Cambridge, UK – (Remote available within the UK with team onsite days in the Cambridge office approx. 4 times per year)

Are you an experienced games animator who wants to work with artists and designers to breath life into characters and creatures in a rich and beautiful world?

As a Senior Animator on RuneScape: Dragonwilds, our new open-world survival crafting game currently in early access and being developed in Unreal Engine 5, you will play a pivotal role in delivering high-quality animations that enhance gameplay and support narrative storytelling.

You’ll work across a broad range of creature and humanoid animations, using both hand-keyed and motion capture workflows. Your expertise will help define the benchmark for in-game animation quality, and you’ll be a key player in refining animation systems, pipelines, and cross-discipline collaboration.

This is a hands-on, creative role for someone who thrives on solving complex animation challenges, mentoring others, and delivering impactful performances that elevate the player experience. If you're ready to shape the movement and feel of an ambitious new title within a beloved IP universe, we want to hear from you.

What you’ll be doing:

• Create and implement benchmark-quality in-game animations using both motion data and hand key techniques.
• Work closely with the Lead Animator to uphold and review quality standards and provide mentorship and feedback to junior team members.
• Collaborate with Tech Art and Engineering to maintain efficient animation pipelines and tools.
• Independently prototype, iterate, and R&D animation features that support gameplay and narrative moments.
• Contribute to motion capture planning and session execution.
• Communicate with other departments to ensure animations meet technical and design requirements.
• Develop reusable and shared animation systems where appropriate for efficiency.
• Help support external partners or freelancers with feedback and guidance.
• Contribute to recruitment and team development alongside the Lead Animator.
• Promote a positive and open creative culture within the team and studio.

What we’re looking for:

• A strong portfolio showcasing both professional and personal animation work, including realistic and stylised examples, ideally with both mocap and hand-key workflows.
• Advanced understanding of animation principles and pipelines, with clear examples of timing, weight, posing, and motion.
• Experience animating a wide variety of characters and creatures in both stylised and realistic styles.
• Proven ability to create animations that enhance gameplay while aligning with design and technical constraints.
• Experience working with game engines (e.g. Unreal Engine) and implementing and fine-tuning in-game animation assets.
• Strong storytelling sensibilities and a talent for visual communication (diagrams, motion studies, etc.).
• At least one shipped title in a senior or above animation role.

What we offer:

When you join Jagex you can look forward to a generous Perks & Benefits package including:

• Private Healthcare, including Dental Plan.
• Minimum 6% Pension contributions.
• Employee Assistance Programme & onsite Counselling.
• Life Insurance.
• Discretionary annual performance bonus.
• Enhanced family leave policies from day 1.
• Flexible working hours.
• 25 days annual leave + Bank holidays & the option to buy/sell holidays + so much more!

About Jagex:

Jagex is a leader in developing and publishing deep, engaging online games that connect millions of players worldwide. Best known for the RuneScape franchise, which includes two of the world’s longest running and most successful MMORPGs, in Old School Runescape and Runescape, and the open-world survival crafting game, Runescape: Dragonwilds; we have proven success in delivering immersive Forever Games and fostering strong player communities.

We strive to foster an inclusive workplace built on trust, autonomy, and a shared passion for creating forever games.
Our values guide everything we do:We Embrace Fellowshipby collaborating and sharing openly.We Hone our Craftby always learning and improving; we Honour our Vows by being honest and transparent; we are our Customers’ Heroes by striving to understand our team & player needs, and we Seize The Day by making the most of every opportunity.

With over two decades of experience, and over 400 people in our team, we continue to innovate in live game development, leveraging data-driven insights, and a commitment to player-first game design. We have a diverse and talented team where creativity, collaboration, and community-driven game development drives everything we do.

As part of Jagex, you’ll have the opportunity to work on a globally successful franchise, contribute to exciting new projects, and be part of a company that hugely values both our employees and our players.