Lead Technical Animator - Unreal Engine & Rigging Expert

Epic Games; United States; On-site; USD 189,000 - 278,000; Full time

Job summary

Epic Games is seeking a Lead Technical Animator to drive expressive character movement and pipeline improvements for Fortnite and related initiatives. You will work with cross-disciplinary teams to optimize workflows and tools, delivering high-quality cosmetics assets.

The role requires rigging expertise in Maya and Unreal Engine, strong collaboration, and the ability to mentor junior staff. Multiple US locations are supported, including NY, CA, and WA.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience rigging characters in Maya and/or Unreal Engine.
• Portfolio demonstrating rigging for a range of characters, bipeds, and creatures.
• Strong eye for character deformation and physics movement.
• Familiarity with the Unreal Engine 5 art pipeline.
• Strong written communication and teamwork skills.
• Problem-solving mindset with a collaborative approach.
• Control Rig experience is a plus.
• Python scripting is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Work with technical animators, Leads, Directors, and Outsource Managers to set assets up for production.
• Define and drive strategy for technical animation and cosmetics pipelines.
• Schedule, prioritize, and delegate assets internally and to vendors.
• Collaborate with animators, modelers, and designers to ensure a smooth development pipeline.
• Assist with pipeline tools and improve engine tooling with leads.
• Mentor rigging-focused team members and ensure asset quality.
• Rig characters, weapons, creatures, and vehicles in Unreal Engine 5.
• Set up assets including control rigs, cloth, physics, and blueprints.
• Maintain documentation, references, and guidelines for asset production.

Skills

Rigging characters

Unreal Engine

Maya rigging

Character deformation

Python

Pipeline tools

Mentoring

Tools

Maya

Unreal Engine

Blueprints

Job description

Epic Games is seeking a Lead Technical Animator to drive expressive character movement and pipeline improvements for Fortnite and related initiatives. You will work with cross-disciplinary teams to optimize workflows and tools, delivering high-quality cosmetics assets.

The role requires rigging expertise in Maya and Unreal Engine, strong collaboration, and the ability to mentor junior staff. Multiple US locations are supported, including NY, CA, and WA.