Outsource Support Animator (Apex Legends)

Respawn Entertainment; Los Angeles (CA); Hybrid; USD 104,000 - 157,000; Full time

Job summary

Respawn Entertainment is seeking an Outsource Support Animator to bridge internal gameplay animation and external partner production for Apex Legends. This hybrid role blends hands-on animation with ownership of outsourced work and milestone alignment.

You will ensure partner-produced animation meets gameplay clarity, responsiveness, and performance standards within a live-service production cadence.

Qualifications

• 2+ years of professional game animation experience.
• Experience working with outsourced animation teams.
• Strong blocking, timing, and polish skills.
• Familiarity with Maya and motion capture workflows.
• Experience in live-service game development and asset pipelines.

Responsibilities

• Block and prototype gameplay animations to establish timing and design intent.
• Coordinate with external vendors, provide feedback, and track milestones.
• Export, ingest, and validate assets in-engine; maintain briefs and estimates.
• Collaborate with directors to ensure gameplay readability and performance.

Skills

Gameplay animation

Blocking & timing

Mocap workflows

Vendor coordination

Jira tracking

Live service development

Tools

Maya

Motion capture

Jira

Job description

Description & Requirements

Electronic Arts creates next-level entertainment experiences that inspire players and fans around the world. Here, everyone is part of the story. Part of a community that connects across the globe. A place where creativity thrives, new perspectives are invited, and ideas matter. A team where everyone makes play happen.

Respawn is seeking an Outsource Support Animator to bridge internal gameplay animation and external partner production for Apex Legends. This hybrid role combines hands-on gameplay animation work with ownership of outsourced animation execution, feedback pipelines, and milestone alignment across a broad range of features.

You will serve as both a creative contributor and external development coordinator, ensuring partner-produced animation meets Apex’s gameplay clarity, responsiveness, and performance standards within a live-service production cadence.

What You’ll Do…

Gameplay Animation Execution

• Block and prototype gameplay animations to establish timing, weight, and design intent
• Partner with Animation Directors and Gameplay teams to co-direct motion capture sessions
• Review, refine, and integrate vendor-delivered keyframe and mocap cleanup work
• Ensure assets meet gameplay readability, responsiveness, and technical requirements

External Development Coordination

• Manage day-to-day communication with external animation vendors
• Provide clear, structured feedback aligned with internal animation direction
• Partner with Animation Directors to define briefs and reference packages
• Track sprint and milestone deliverables, revisions, and approval cycles
• Identify risks in quality or schedule and elevate proactively
• Support vendor onboarding and documentation updates
• Provide performance notes and help shape capture goals

Pipeline & Integration

• Export, ingest, and validate animation assets in-engine
• Maintain animation briefs, scope breakdowns, and feedback documentation
• Support Statement of Work (SOW) creation with detailed asset estimates
• Ensure naming conventions, rig compatibility, and version control standards
• Coordinate with Tech Animation and Engineering to resolve integration issues

Ideally you have…

• 2+ years of professional game animation experience
• Strong blocking, gameplay timing, and polish skills
• Experience working directly with outsourced animation teams
• Combat Animation Experience
• First Person Viewmodel Animation Experience
• Strong knowledge of Maya and motion capture workflows
• Familiarity with engine integration pipelines
• Experience tracking work in Jira or similar tools
• Live service development experience
• Experience writing animation briefs, asset estimates, and production documentation.

Pay Transparency - North America

Compensation And Benefits

The ranges listed below are what EA in good faith expects to pay applicants for this role in these locations at the time of this posting. If you reside in a different location, a recruiter will advise on the applicable range and benefits. Pay offered will be determined based on a number of relevant business and candidate factors (e.g. education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, or business needs).

PAY RANGES

• British Columbia (depending on location e.g. Vancouver vs. Victoria) *$92,900 - $129,200 CAD
• California (depending on location e.g. Los Angeles vs. San Francisco) *$104,400 - $157,400 USD

Pay is just one part of the overall compensation at EA.

In the US, we offer a package of benefits including paid time off (3 weeks per year to start), 80 hours per year of sick time, 16 paid company holidays per year, 10 weeks paid time off to bond with baby, medical/dental/vision insurance, life insurance, disability insurance, and 401(k) to regular full-time employees. Certain roles may also be eligible for bonus and other incentive programs.

For Canada, we offer a package of benefits including vacation (3 weeks per year to start), 10 days per year of sick time, paid top-up to EI/QPIP benefits up to 100% of base salary when you welcome a new child (12 weeks for maternity, and 4 weeks for parental/adoption leave), extended health/dental/vision coverage, life insurance, disability insurance, retirement plan to regular full-time employees. Certain roles may also be eligible for bonus and other incentive programs.

About Electronic Arts

We’re proud to have an extensive portfolio of games and experiences, locations around the world, and opportunities across EA. We value adaptability, resilience, creativity, and curiosity. From leadership that brings out your potential, to creating space for learning and experimenting, we empower you to do great work and pursue opportunities for growth.

We adopt a holistic approach to our benefits programs, emphasizing physical, emotional, financial, career, and community wellness to support a balanced life. Our packages are tailored to meet local needs and may include healthcare coverage, mental well-being support, retirement savings, paid time off, family leaves, complimentary games, and more. We nurture environments where our teams can always bring their best to what they do.

Electronic Arts is an equal opportunity employer. All employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, genetic information, religion, disability, medical condition, pregnancy, marital status, family status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We will also consider employment qualified applicants with criminal records in accordance with applicable law. EA also makes workplace accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities as required by applicable law.