UK Only | Senior Blender Animator

Blue Zoo Productions; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working arrangements

Hybrid/Remote options

Career development and mentoring

Social events and studio activities

London studio facilities

Job summary

Blue Zoo Productions seeks a senior Blender animator in the UK to deliver high‑quality character animation with strong acting and timing. You’ll work within a team, integrating live-captured performances into Blender and syncing to locked audio, while meeting deadlines and collaborating with Directors.

You’ll mentor juniors, adapt to bespoke project tools, and maintain storytelling clarity from blocked concepts through final renders, with flexible hybrid or remote options.

Qualifications

• Demonstrable Blender to a high level.
• Advanced understanding of body mechanics and performance.
• Experience with adapted Cloudrig rigging setup.
• Experience with face/body capture.
• Proficient in graph editor and keyframe cleanup.
• Willingness to use bespoke animation tools for the project.
• Understanding of lip-sync principles.
• Ability to receive and act on feedback and direction.
• Excellent time management and prioritising skills.
• Strong team player and collaborator.

Responsibilities

• Work as part of a team of animators and communicate with your Animation Lead.
• Animate using live capture and Blender, integrating takes with locked audio.
• Manage time to meet shot deadlines.
• Ensure storytelling and acting reads clearly from blocking to final animation.
• Respond to notes from Directors and Animation Director.
• Support the Team Lead when needed and mentor junior staff.
• Aim for high quality work and implement fixes efficiently.

Skills

Blender

Body mechanics

Rig parenting / Cloudrig

Face/body capture

Graph editor / keyframes

Bespoke animation tools

Lip-sync

Feedback adaptation

Time management

Collaboration

Creative problem solving

Tools

Python

Mel script

ShotGrid (Flow)

Job description

Our senior character animators are fantastic storytellers. Their day-to-day focuses on expert comedic timing, charming acting choices, and production deadlines, whilst meeting that all important brief from our Directors and Clients.

How we animate is an essential part of what makes us Blue Zoo, so we’re looking for senior Blender animators who can work productively, take direction and feedback, and join us in pushing the boundaries of what TV animation is capable of.

This opportunity requires talent to be based in the UK and will require the right to work in the UK. We are very happy to discuss flexible, hybrid and remote working options for all our vacancies. Please note that this vacancy can close early if we receive a high number of applications.

This role is due to start in early Autumn 2026.

Day to Day:

• Working as part of a team of animators, and regularly communicating with your Animation Lead.
• Using devices (Phone or iPad) for recording, as well as performing animation for live capture. **This show will bring in live recorded takes that the animator will perform directly in Blender, capturing from a device(s), miming to locked audio edit. They would be expected to mix and match different takes, and then tweak the performances when required.**
• Managing your time efficiently to meet the deadlines of your assigned shots.
• Making sure your work is communicating the story, ideas and acting choices clearly from blocking through to the final animation.
• Responding positively to, and acting on, notes and feedback from your Director and Animation Director.
• Supporting the Team Lead when under pressure or the Lead is absent
• Mentoring and coaching less experienced members of the team
• Achieving the highest quality work in the time given, as well as responding well to fixes

About You

Must Have:

• Demonstrable experience of using Blender to a high level
• Advanced understanding of body mechanics, posing and getting the best performance possible out of a character
• An understanding of switching rig parenting hierarchy (we are using an adapted Cloudrig rigging setup!)
• Previous experience with face and/or body capture.
• Experience in using graph editor, keyframe animation and cleanup
• Someone who is willing to adapt and use bespoke animation tools built for the project
• Understanding of principles of lip-sync
• Ability to receive and act on feedback and respond to direction
• Excellent time management and prioritising skills
• Ability and drive to share your knowledge and skills with other team members
• Demonstrable experience of being a team player and great collaborator
• Excellent creative problem solving skills

Bonus Points:

• Python or Mel script knowledge
• Good at drawing/additional creative skills (acting/dance)
• Shotgrid (Flow)

About Us

Blue Zoo is a leading animation studio in the UK, with a world-class reputation as the go‑to place for creating bold, fun and characterful animation. Established in London in 2000, the studio has grown to become the largest dedicated CG animation studio in the UK, picking up a shelf full of BAFTAs, an Annie and an Emmy along the way!

We couldn’t be prouder that Blue Zoo is the first major animation studio in the world to receive B Corp certification. We’ve been independently certified by B Lab, a non‑profit organisation who award the B Corp certification. The certification verifies companies who are working to improve the lives of employees as well as industries as a whole. The certification process involves over 170 rigorous metrics to improve the lives of our staff, customers, suppliers, and the local community, ensuring we are not just saying we are ethical with empty gestures, but independently evidencing it.

We are going through an exciting period of growth and are building a studio that is full of amazingly talented, happy artists, making work they are proud of, which in turn makes a small contribution to a happier world. Blue Zoo believes that a healthy balance in our lives - whatever our situation - is key to supporting the wellbeing of our staff. We offer flexible working to support this.

We look for people who have expertise, enthusiasm and are motivated to make things better. You’ll work alongside a talented and diverse group of people who respect each other’s differences and seek to understand and embrace fresh perspectives.

What we’ve got for you:

• Winner of Broadcast Best Places to Work in TV 2019, 2020, 2022, 2024, 2025 & 2026.
• Flexible and remote working policy
• Play a role in our Inclusive Blue Zoo Shorts Programme
• Many in‑person and remote social events throughout the year
• Career development opportunities including training, mentoring and more.
• Quarterly employee feedback and engagement programme
• Benefits package including cycle to work scheme, gym memberships, shopping discounts and offers
• Great studio space in the heart of London
• Studio lunches plus breakfasts and healthy snacks
• Profit share (for UK employees who have been with us for 2+ years)

Blue Zoo is committed to creating and nurturing an inclusive studio that promotes and values diversity and invites everyone to ‘bring their whole selves’ to work. We believe that companies that truly embrace and value diversity, and create an environment where everyone from any background can do their best work, are better companies.

We've recently become Class Confident - an initiative by The TV Foundation designed to remove barriers for people from working‑class backgrounds entering and remaining in the television industry.

To be engaged our people have to feel included and valued. We work hard to build and nurture a culture where inclusiveness is embedded in the way we work, not just an initiative. We strive to engender a studio community that feels a deep sense of pride and commitment that transcends any role, department or level and works together to produce excellent and engaging work.