Contract Senior Animator

Grove Street Games; United States; Remote; USD 65,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible time off

Comprehensive health package

Flexible work day around core hours

Moving assistance

Paid parental leave

Royalties (with tenure)

Yearly bonuses

Career development assistance

Job summary

Grove Street Games is seeking an experienced animator with a passion for creature animation and maintaining high animation standards. You will drive the full animation pipeline from creation to in-game delivery and work across internal and external teams.

You will lead and mentor the animation team, collaborate with programmers to optimize workflows, and contribute creatively in game development discussions. This role emphasizes quality, communication, and timely asset delivery.

Qualifications

• 4+ years of experience making animations for games or digital entertainment.
• 2+ years of experience with Unreal Engine animation pipeline.
• Expertise in Maya, Blender, or similar.
• Experience working with external teams or outsourcing.
• Strong leadership and mentoring skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication; detail-oriented and organized.

Responsibilities

• Set goals, create pipelines, and manage internal and external animation teams.
• Provide feedback and mentor the animation team to maintain high quality.
• Ensure animation assets are delivered on time and integrated into the game.
• Collaborate with programmers to build tools that optimize animation workflow.
• Participate in team critiques and contribute to game development ideas.

Skills

4+ years game animation

Unreal Engine animation pipeline

Maya/Blender expertise

External teams / outsourcing

Leadership / mentoring

Communication skills

Detail-oriented / organized

Tools

Unreal Engine

Maya

Blender

Job description

Summary

Grove Street Games is seeking an experienced animator. We are looking for a motivated, well-organized person who can work well on individual and team-oriented tasks with a passion for creature animation and maintaining high animation standards. The successful candidate needs to demonstrate expertise in the complete animation pipeline, from creation to final game animations. We are looking for someone who understands how to keep animation assets beautiful and efficient with deep creative skills and high output.

When you join Grove Street Games you can gain experience on a wide range of game development projects. We foster a work environment that allows our employees to thrive, not just on their career paths but also on their personal journeys. We take a lot of pride in creating a foundation our employees can utilize to not only get ahead in their dreams but also create lasting games that millions of players will be able to enjoy.

Responsibilities

• Use your knowledge, craft, and technical expertise to set goals and create pipelines and manage both internal and external animation teams.
• Provide feedback, guide and offer support to the animation team while maintaining a high quality standard.
• Ensure animation assets are delivered on time and properly integrated into the game.
• Work closely with programmers to modify and build tools that optimize the animation workflow.
• Participate and contribute creatively in team discussions, critiques, and game development ideas.

Requirements

• 4+ years of experience making animations for games or other digital entertainment.
• 2+ years of experience working with Unreal Engine, specifically the animation pipeline in the engine.
• Expertise in Maya, Blender, or similar.
• Experience working with external teams or outsourcing.
• Strong leadership/mentoring skills.
• Excellent communication skills, both written & verbal.
• Detail-oriented & extremely well-organized.

Good To Have

• Cinematic experience
• Experience animating/rigging creatures or monsters
• Experience shipping a full title from preproduction to release
• Creative problem-solving skills

Benefits

• Flexible bank for time off (vacation, sick, personal)
• Comprehensive health package for full time employees.
• Flexible work day built around our core hours
• Moving assistance
• Paid parental leave
• Royalties (with tenure)
• Yearly bonuses
• Career development assistance