Interim Senior Animator

Gofractional; Eindhoven; On-site; EUR 42,000 - 68,000; Full time

Job summary

abstraction is seeking a Senior Animator for co-development on PC and console projects. You will bring life and energy to characters, creatures, and environments, collaborating with a cross-functional team to elevate gameplay.

The role supports a remote-friendly setup and targets a 2-month initial contract with the potential to extend for up to two years. Experience with AAA game development is highly valued.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of professional experience as an animator in the video game industry.
• Shipped AAA title experience and a strong portfolio or demo reel.
• Proficiency in Maya and understanding of Unreal Engine.
• Knowledge of animation principles and body mechanics in game motion.
• Experience with rigging and skinning; ability to work with technical artists.

Responsibilities

• Create high-quality animations for creatures, props, and environment elements to enhance gameplay and storytelling.
• Collaborate closely with designers, artists, and programmers to ensure animations are integrated with the game vision.
• Translate gameplay and narrative requirements into expressive, responsive animations.
• Maintain consistency with the game's visual style and animation direction, incorporating feedback from leads.
• Participate in animation reviews, giving and receiving feedback to improve quality.

Skills

Animation principles

Body mechanics

Rigging & skinning

Ambiguity & iteration

Collaborative work

Cinematic work

Tools

Maya

Unreal Engine

Job description

Senior Animator

Location

Eindhoven; Remote

Employment Type

Contract

Location Type

Remote

Department

Art

Role Overview

Are you a storyteller at heart with a passion for motion and emotion? As a Senior Animator at abstraction, you'll infuse life, personality, and energy into characters, creatures, and environments. Working on exciting co-development projects for PC and console, you'll collaborate with a talented, cross-functional team to create animations that captivate players and elevate gameplay. If you're ready to make every frame count — we'd love to see your moves!

We're hiring a senior animator to join an exciting opportunity where you get to think outside the box and experiment with creative problem-solving on a AAA project.

This is an initial 2-month contract with the potential to extend for up to two years.

Responsibilities

• Create high-quality animations for hand-keyed creatures, props, and environmental elements that enhance gameplay and storytelling.

• Collaborate closely with designers, artists, and programmers to ensure animations are well-integrated and support the overall vision of the game.

• Translate gameplay and narrative requirements into expressive and responsive animations.

• Maintain consistency with the game's visual style and animation direction, following feedback from the Animation Lead.

• Participate in animation reviews, proactively giving and receiving feedback to continuously improve animation quality.

Qualifications & Experience

• 5+ years of professional experience as an animator in the video game industry, with at least one shipped AAA title, with a strong portfolio or demo reel showcasing gameplay work.

• Expert proficiency in Maya and understanding of Unreal Engine.

• Solid understanding of animation principles and body mechanics(timing, weight, anticipation, etc.) and how they apply to character and object motion in games.

• Familiarity with rigging and skinning processes, and ability to collaborate effectively with technical artists and riggers.

• Must be comfortable in ambiguity, able to iterate quickly and collaboratively, and keep up with a fast-paced game dev environment.

• Cinematic work and boss fight experience would be a bonus.