CD PROJEKT RED hiring Cinematic Animation Lead, Poland

Festybay; Warszawa; Hybrid; PLN 354,888 - 488,808; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock incentive eligibility

Life insurance coverage

Mental health support services

Sports and wellness memberships

Onsite gym facilities

Job summary

CD PROJEKT RED is looking for a Cinematic Animation Lead for The Witcher 4, an exciting opportunity to shape cinematic storytelling in a major AAA title. This hybrid role requires strong leadership in animation team management and deep cinematic storytelling experience. Candidates should have over 8 years of animation experience, proficiency in Unreal Engine, and expertise in tools like MotionBuilder or Maya. Additional benefits include competitive salary and employee wellness programs.

Qualifications

• Proven ability leading cinematic animation production teams.
• Experience with shipped AAA narrative-driven titles.
• Strong understanding of performance-driven animation.

Responsibilities

• Deliver high-quality cinematic animation performances.
• Maintain animation consistency across narrative scenes.
• Supervise cinematic animation implementation across production milestones.

Skills

Cinematic storytelling

Animation team leadership

Motion capture workflows

Education

8+ years of animation experience

Tools

Unreal Engine

MotionBuilder

Maya

Job description

CD PROJEKT RED is seeking an experienced Cinematic Animation Lead to join the development team working on The Witcher 4—the first entry in a new saga within the globally celebrated Witcher franchise. This leadership position plays a central role in shaping the emotional depth, storytelling quality, and cinematic realism of character-driven scenes in one of the most anticipated open-world RPG projects currently in production.

The Cinematic Animation Lead will guide a team responsible for delivering high-quality cinematic performances across narrative sequences while ensuring animation direction aligns with the tone, atmosphere, and storytelling traditions of the Witcher universe. The role blends artistic leadership, pipeline optimization, team mentorship, and production coordination within a large-scale AAA development environment.

This position is ideal for senior animation professionals with strong cinematic storytelling instincts and proven experience leading animation teams on narrative-focused game titles.

Cinematic Animation Lead

Company Name CD PROJEKT RED

Position Title Cinematic Animation Lead

Project The Witcher 4

Employment Type Full-Time

Work Model Hybrid / In-Office

Location Warsaw, Poland

Experience Required 8+ years (4+ years leadership)

Engine Requirement Unreal Engine

Software Tools MotionBuilder / Maya

Team Leadership Yes

Industry Level AAA Game Development

Salary Range 31,800 – 43,800 PLN gross monthly

Additional Compensation Stock incentive eligibility

Role Responsibilities

The Cinematic Animation Lead contributes both creatively and technically across multiple production areas, ensuring cinematic storytelling maintains consistent emotional impact throughout the player experience.

• Delivering high-quality cinematic animation performances
• Supporting emotionally engaging character storytelling
• Maintaining animation consistency across narrative scenes
• Ensuring cinematic tone matches franchise expectations
• Supervising cinematic animation implementation across production milestones

These responsibilities help establish strong player immersion across story-driven gameplay sequences.

This leadership role involves close coordination with multiple disciplines across the studio pipeline.

Collaboration includes working with:

• Narrative teams
• Production teams
• Technical animation specialists

The Cinematic Animation Lead ensures cinematic animation integrates smoothly with storytelling systems and gameplay frameworks.

Pipeline Development & Workflow Optimization

Maintaining efficient cinematic animation pipelines is a key part of the role.

Responsibilities include:

• Refining cinematic animation workflows
• Supporting motion capture integration pipelines
• Improving animation review processes
• Ensuring scalable animation delivery pipelines across the project

Pipeline improvements contribute directly to production efficiency across AAA development timelines.

Animation Scope Planning & Production Coordination

The Cinematic Animation Lead participates in planning animation delivery capacity across project phases.

Key responsibilities include:

• Estimating animation production scope
• Managing animation backlog priorities
• Aligning animation goals with narrative pacing
• Coordinating cinematic performance requirements with directors

Effective planning ensures cinematic animation delivery remains aligned with project timelines.

This position includes full leadership responsibility for the cinematic animation team.

Leadership responsibilities include:

• Mentoring cinematic animators
• Conducting regular 1-to-1 performance meetings
• Overseeing recruitment and onboarding processes
• Creating a collaborative and supportive team culture

Strong mentorship ensures long-term animation team growth and production consistency.

Communication & Stakeholder Alignment

The Cinematic Animation Lead maintains transparent communication across departments and leadership groups.

Responsibilities include:

• Presenting progress updates to stakeholders
• Supporting production reviews
• Identifiying and resolving workflow blockers
• Aligning animation objectives with narrative direction
• Maintaining documentation clarity across pipelines

Clear communication ensures smooth coordination across large-scale AAA production teams.

Applicants should demonstrate strong cinematic storytelling experience combined with leadership-level production expertise within AAA game development environments.

Core Experience Requirements

Candidates must have:

• Minimum 8+ years animation experience in game development
• At least 4+ years in leadership roles
• Experience working on shipped AAA narrative-driven titles
• Proven ability leading cinematic animation production teams

Experience with performance-driven animation is essential for success in this role.

Technical Requirements

The position requires advanced production-level familiarity with modern cinematic animation tools.

Applicants should demonstrate:

• Professional expertise with Unreal Engine
• Experience using MotionBuilder or Maya pipelines
• Strong understanding of motion capture workflows
• Experience improving cinematic animation pipelines
• Familiarity with animation production tools integration

These technical capabilities support efficient cinematic storytelling implementation.

Storytelling & Cinematography Understanding

The Cinematic Animation Lead plays a central role in maintaining narrative performance authenticity.

Candidates should demonstrate:

• Strong cinematic composition understanding
• Expertise in performance-based animation storytelling
• Experience delivering emotionally impactful scenes
• Knowledge of interactive cinematography principles
• Ability to translate narrative tone into animation direction

Narrative sensitivity ensures cinematic animation supports player immersion throughout the experience.

This role is based in Warsaw and offers a hybrid or in-office work structure depending on team collaboration needs.

Working at CD PROJEKT RED provides access to:

• Cross-disciplinary international collaboration
• Narrative-focused cinematic production environments
• Advanced motion capture workflows

Warsaw serves as one of Europe’s leading game development hubs with strong international studio presence.

Additional compensation benefits include:

• Eligibility for long-term stock incentive programs
• Life insurance coverage
• Mental health support services
• Sports and wellness memberships
• Family-support initiatives
• Professional training programs
• Access to internal learning platforms

These benefits support long-term professional stability and creative growth.

CD PROJEKT RED promotes a collaborative international environment designed to support both creativity and employee well-being.

• Onsite gym facilities with climbing wall
• Yoga and boxing classes
• Dog-friendly office environment
• Bicycle infrastructure support
• Electric vehicle charging stations
• Social studio events and gatherings

These initiatives contribute to maintaining a supportive AAA production environment.

Joining CD PROJEKT RED as a Cinematic Animation Lead on The Witcher 4 provides the opportunity to shape cinematic storytelling in one of the industry’s most influential RPG franchises while leading animation quality standards across a major next-generation narrative experience.

CD PROJEKT RED hiring Cinematic Animation Lead, Poland