Gameplay Animator

Glitch; United States; Hybrid; USD 75,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive starting salary

Flexible work arrangement and work‑at‑

Casual and fun office environment

Regular breakfasts/lunches

EAP for wellbeing

Job summary

Glitch Productions is seeking an experienced animator to bring cartoony, character-driven animation to life in Unreal Engine 5 for a new project. You’ll define timing, poses and personality, delivering assets from blocking to in-engine integration for playable characters and NPCs.

You’ll collaborate with design and engineering to optimize feel, responsiveness and cutscenes, while coordinating with the rigger to meet rig requirements. A strong reel and independent work ethic are essential.

Qualifications

• Around 3+ years animating for games with at least one shipped title.
• A reel with stylised, cartoony keyframe animation showing clear poses and timing.
• Hands-on Unreal Engine 5 experience: importing animations, Animation Blueprints, state machines, montages.
• Solid grasp of gameplay animation: responsiveness, loops, transitions, and root motion vs. in-place.
• Strong written and spoken English; ability to work independently and communicate clearly.

Responsibilities

• Keyframe gameplay animation for playable characters and NPCs.
• Animate in an exaggerated, cartoony style that matches the established look.
• Get animations working in UE5, setting up or supporting animation logic with engineering.
• Iterate quickly with design and engineering on feel and responsiveness.
• Animate short cutscenes as the project needs them.
• Work with the rigger on what animators need from the rigs.

Skills

Game animation

Shipped title

Cartoony style

Unreal Engine 5

Maya

Gameplay timing

English fluency

Tools

Maya

Sequencer

Animation Blueprints

Root motion

Job description

About the project

Glitch Productions is an independent animation and games studio. We're making a game in Unreal Engine 5 based on existing IP involving new and familiar characters and an established art style. We're a small team that moves quickly. Feedback comes straight from the leads, not through layers of review, so good work gets into the game fast. We're looking for people who take pride in seeing their work all the way through.

About the role

We need an animator who loves cartoony, character-driven animation: big poses, snappy timing, squash and stretch, and personality in every action. Most of the work is gameplay animation for playable characters and NPCs. It has to read instantly and feel good in the player's hands. You'll animate to an established style and take each animation from first blocking to working in-engine. We'll trust you to solve problems and bring ideas on timing and feel, not just wait for direction.

What you'll do

• Keyframe gameplay animation for playable characters and NPCs: movement, actions, reactions and emotes
• Animate in an exaggerated, cartoony style that matches the established look
• Get your animations working in UE5, setting up or supporting animation logic with engineering
• Iterate quickly with design and engineering on feel and responsiveness
• Animate short cutscenes as the project needs them
• Work with the rigger on what animators need from the rigs

What you'll need

Around 3+ years animating for games, with at least one shipped title. A strong reel counts for more than yearsA reel of stylised, cartoony keyframe animation with clear poses, strong timing and appealHands-on UE5 experience, such as importing animation, Animation Blueprints, state machines and montagesA solid grasp of gameplay animation: responsiveness, loops, transitions, and root motion vs. in-placeStrong skills in MayaComfort working independently: you manage your own priorities, ask questions early and communicate clearly in writingFluent written and spoken English

Nice to have

Blender experienceCutscene or cinematic animation, including in SequencerRigging skillsExperience on small or indie teams where you covered several disciplines

What we offer

• A competitive starting salary with reviews every 6 months.
• A flexible work arrangement and schedule, with options for work from home and flexi-hours.
• A casual and fun office environment where individual input is valued.
• Regular work functions and free entry to conventions and events.
• Close to public transport in the heart of Parramatta CBD.
• Paid for gym memberships.
• Regular company breakfasts/lunches.
• A diverse team that values independent input and career development.
• Access to an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for confidential mental health and wellbeing support

Our values

Glitch Productions has an art-first mindset. Regardless of which team we’re in, every single team member’s core mission is to create the best art possible, and delight our audience that has given us so much. We achieve this mission through our values:Pass