Lead Gameplay Technical Animator | Unreal Engine 5 Rigging Expert

Epic Games; Cary (NC); On-site; USD 152,000 - 278,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Benefit plans

Discretionary incentive programs

Job summary

Epic Games seeks a Lead Gameplay Technical Animator to join our team and drive expressive character movement for Fortnite and other initiatives. You’ll collaborate across disciplines to improve workflows, tools, and engine integration, with emphasis on rigging, physics, and control rigs within Unreal Engine 5.

You will mentor rigging-focused technologists, contribute to asset pipelines, and work with Disney partnerships to deliver high-quality gameplay experiences.

Qualifications

• Experience rigging characters for games, with emphasis on deformation and physics movement.
• Portfolio showing rigging for bipeds and creatures.
• Strong collaboration with cross-discipline teams and clear written communication.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with technical animators, leads, directors, and outsource managers to set assets up for production.
• Drive strategy for technical animation and adjacent gameplay teams.
• Schedule, prioritize, and delegate assets with internal teams and vendors.
• Work with animators, modelers, and designers to maintain a smooth asset pipeline.
• Support with pipeline tools and engine tool improvements.
• Mentor rigging-focused technical animators.

Skills

Rigging

Character animation

Problem solving

Team collaboration

Communication

User-focused

Python scripting

Tools

Unreal Engine

Maya

Job description

Epic Games seeks a Lead Gameplay Technical Animator to join our team and drive expressive character movement for Fortnite and other initiatives. You’ll collaborate across disciplines to improve workflows, tools, and engine integration, with emphasis on rigging, physics, and control rigs within Unreal Engine 5.

You will mentor rigging-focused technologists, contribute to asset pipelines, and work with Disney partnerships to deliver high-quality gameplay experiences.