Senior Animator & Team Lead — Unreal Engine 5

Last Arrow Limited; Gateshead; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 80,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive Salary

Healthcare Cash Plan

Tech Purchase Scheme

Cycle to Work

Income Protection

Critical Illness Insurance

Virtual GP

Employee Assistance

Discounts & Cashback

Birthday Day Off

Job summary

Last Arrow Games in Gateshead is seeking an experienced Senior / Lead Animator to join the team. The role focuses on bringing player characters and creatures to life in Unreal Engine 5, while leading the animation team and helping develop animation pipelines.

You will create high-quality animations, mentor staff, collaborate across disciplines, and drive efficient workflows. Must live within commutable distance to Gateshead.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of game development experience with at least one shipped title.
• Experience animating creatures and characters.
• Non-humanoid rigging expertise.
• Strong knowledge of Unreal Engine animation integration.
• Proficiency with Maya, Blender or equivalent.
• Leadership, mentoring and communication skills.
• Strong organisational and time management skills.
• Professional animation training desirable.
• Strong portfolio and practical experience essential.
• Must be eligible to work in the UK.

Responsibilities

• Create high-quality animations for player characters and creatures.
• Lead, mentor and scale the animation team.
• Develop believable creature movement and behaviours.
• Animate locomotion, traversal, attacks, reactions and cinematics.
• Collaborate with designers, artists and engineers.
• Manage rigging and export pipelines.
• Improve animation workflows, tools and pipelines.
• Conduct animation reviews and provide feedback.
• Estimate work and support production planning.

Skills

5+ years game dev

Creature/character animation

Non-humanoid rigging

Unreal Engine animation integration

Maya/Blender proficiency

Leadership & mentoring

Time management

Education

Professional animation training desirable

Strong portfolio essential

Eligible to work in UK

Job description

Last Arrow Games in Gateshead is seeking an experienced Senior / Lead Animator to join the team. The role focuses on bringing player characters and creatures to life in Unreal Engine 5, while leading the animation team and helping develop animation pipelines.

You will create high-quality animations, mentor staff, collaborate across disciplines, and drive efficient workflows. Must live within commutable distance to Gateshead.