Senior Character Rigging & Animation Engineer

Placements24; Queenstown; On-site; NZD 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Comprehensive health benefits

Professional development

Creative, collaborative work culture

Job summary

Placements24 seeks a Senior Technical Animator & Rigging Specialist to lead rigging for humanoids, creatures, and props in a Queenstown project. You will craft sophisticated rigs, facial systems, and animation tools, collaborating with animators, designers, and engineers to deliver high-quality character performances.

Ideal candidates bring deep anatomy knowledge, strong scripting skills (Python/MEL), and a track record with Maya and modern game engines, while mentoring junior team members and

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in character rigging and technical animation for games or film.
• Strong portfolio with complex rigs and facial systems.
• Proficiency in Maya.
• Knowledge of rigging principles and deformers.
• Experience with Python or MEL for tools.
• Familiarity with Unreal Engine or Unity.
• Understanding of anatomy and motion.
• Strong problem-solving and attention to detail.
• Excellent communication and collaboration.
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain complex character rigs for humanoids, creatures, and props.
• Develop advanced rigging techniques, including facial rigging, muscle simulation, and cloth integration.
• Create and refine animation tools and scripts to improve workflow for animators.
• Collaborate with animators to ensure rigs meet technical and artistic needs.
• Work with game designers and engineers to integrate animation systems into the game engine.
• Troubleshoot and resolve issues related to character rigs and playback.
• Optimize rigs and animation data for performance and memory constraints.
• Stay current with advancements in rigging and animation tech.
• Mentor junior technical animators and riggers.

Skills

Character rigging

Technical animation

Scripting (Python)

Game engine animation systems

Maya

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Animation or related field

Tools

Maya

Unreal Engine

Unity

Job description

Placements24 seeks a Senior Technical Animator & Rigging Specialist to lead rigging for humanoids, creatures, and props in a Queenstown project. You will craft sophisticated rigs, facial systems, and animation tools, collaborating with animators, designers, and engineers to deliver high-quality character performances.

Ideal candidates bring deep anatomy knowledge, strong scripting skills (Python/MEL), and a track record with Maya and modern game engines, while mentoring junior team members and