Lead 3D Animator: Visual Storytelling & Leadership

Impleo; Manila; On-site; PHP 600,000 - 1,200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive Salary

Collaborative culture

Local & regional benefits

Career progression opportunities

Job summary

Side (formerly PTW) is seeking a Lead/Senior Animator to lead character animation and visual storytelling for game projects. You will oversee production, set quality benchmarks, and mentor animators to deliver dynamic and believable performances.

You will collaborate across departments to define styles and pipelines, manage timelines, and push the boundaries of animation quality while maintaining a positive team culture.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience as a game animator.
• Familiarity with motion capture software and scripting tools to streamline workflows.
• Proficiency in Maya, Motion Builder, 3DS Max and Blender; knowledge of UE5 and Unity.

Responsibilities

• Overseeing animation creation for characters, ensuring consistency with the project’s style and narrative goals.
• Collaborating with directors and department leads to define animation styles, techniques, and pipelines that support storytelling and gameplay objectives.
• Providing feedback and mentorship to animators, helping them improve skills and maintain quality standards.
• Developing and managing project timelines, allocating resources, and adjusting schedules to meet production deadlines.
• Implementing quality control processes to ensure animations are fluid, believable, and emotionally impactful.
• Facilitating communication between animation and other departments, such as modeling and rigging, to maintain a cohesive production pipeline.
• Assist the recruiting team by screening portfolios, conducting interviews, and participating in the hiring and onboarding of new team members.
• Define, document, and continuously improve art production pipelines and workflows to maximize team efficiency and quality.
• Personally create high-quality, "benchmark" animations that serve as a gold standard for the team and establish the target quality bar.
• Act as the primary point of contact for the animation team, representing their work, needs, and challenges in production meetings and to studio leadership.
• Research and implement new art creation techniques, software, and technologies to keep the team at the forefront of the industry.
• Review and approve art assets from internal artists, ensuring they meet project standards.
• Champion a healthy, collaborative, and positive team culture that encourages open communication, and shared ownership.

Skills

Game animation experience

Mentorship & leadership

Storytelling through animation

Tools

Autodesk Maya

MotionBuilder

3DS Max

Blender

Unreal Engine 5

Unity

Job description

Side (formerly PTW) is seeking a Lead/Senior Animator to lead character animation and visual storytelling for game projects. You will oversee production, set quality benchmarks, and mentor animators to deliver dynamic and believable performances.

You will collaborate across departments to define styles and pipelines, manage timelines, and push the boundaries of animation quality while maintaining a positive team culture.