Principal Animation Engineer - Central Tech

Activision; United States; Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

Activision is seeking a Principal Animation Engineer for the Central Tech group to drive the future of character movement and believability in our AAA games. The role involves leading design and implementation of advanced animation features, collaborating with animators and engineers across studios, and shaping scalable workflows for high-fidelity animation.

Based in the United States or Europe with remote work eligibility, you will tackle varied challenges in a fast-paced environment and

Qualifications

• 15+ years of professional programming experience focused on skeletal animation.
• Proficiency in C/C++ in multithreaded environments.
• Passion for advancing high-fidelity interactive animation in AAA games.
• Strong 3D math and linear algebra.
• Experience working on low-level game animation systems.
• Knowledge of inverse kinematics, blend trees, ragdolls, state machines and secondary motion.
• Capable and eager to take a leading role on projects.
• Multitasking: ability to work on multiple tech threads with different teams.

Responsibilities

• Research, design, prototype, and implement new features to improve character fidelity and believability.
• Develop and upgrade workflows to allow efficient building, improvement and debugging of animation behaviors.
• Support and collaborate with Activision studios across the world.

Skills

Skeletal animation

C/C++ multithreading

3D math

Animation systems

Leading projects

Multitasking across teams

Maya familiarity

Tools

Maya

Job description

Principal Animation Engineer - Central Tech Requisition ID: R028032

Your Mission

Activision's Central Animation Technology Group is looking for a dedicated Principal Animation Engineer to join our growing team focused on the future of Animation in our games. Our group's goal is to make radical improvements to the way our characters move and behave. We are seeking engineers with a passion for realistic human and creature movement. The successful candidate will be ready to tackle the wide variety of engineering challenges vital to deliver believability and style across diverse situations and game modes.

This role has flexibility to be based in one of our Studios in the United States or Europe. Work arrangements may change at the company's discretion to meet business needs. (Remote work eligibility included)

What you bring to the table...

• Work with animators and other engineers to research, design, prototype, and implement new features to continuously improve our character fidelity and believability at ever increasing scale and complexity.
• Develop and upgrade workflows to allow the efficient building, improvement and debugging of animation behaviors by animators and engineers alike.
• Support and proactively collaborate with team members at Activision studios across the world.

Minimum Requirements

• 15+ years of professional programming experience with a focus on skeletal animation.
• Proficiency in C/C++ in multithreaded environments
• Passion for advancing high-fidelity interactive animation in AAA games.
• Strong 3D math and linear algebra.
• Experience working directly on low-level game animation systems.
• Good knowledge of animation topics such as inverse kinematics, blend trees, ragdolls, state machines and secondary motion techniques.
• Capable and eager to take a leading role on projects.
• Multitasking: ability to work on multiple tech threads with different teams

Extra Points

• Credited on 3 or more AAA game titles for PC or consoles.
• Familiarity with content creation tools such as Maya.

At Activision, we strive to create the most iconic brands in gaming and entertainment. We're driven by our mission to deliver unrivaled gaming experiences for the world to enjoy, together. We are home to some of the most beloved entertainment franchises including Call of Duty, Crash Bandicoot, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, and Guitar Hero. As a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and products, our "press start" is simple: delight hundreds of millions of players around the world with innovative, fun, thrilling, and engaging entertainment experiences.

We're not just looking back at our decades-long legacy; we're forging ahead to keep advancing gameplay with some of the most popular titles and sophisticated technology in the world. We have bold ambitions to create the most inclusive company as we know our success comes from the passionate, creative, and diverse teams within our organization.

We're in the business of delivering fun and unforgettable entertainment for our player community to enjoy. And our future opportunities have never been greater - this could be your opportunity to level up.

The videogame industry and therefore our business is fast-paced and will continue to evolve. As such, the duties and responsibilities of this role may be changed as directed by the Company at any time to promote and support our business and relationships with industry partners.

We love hearing from anyone who is enthusiastic about changing the games industry. Not sure you meet all qualifications? Let us decide! Research shows that women and members of other under-represented groups tend to not apply to jobs when they think they may not meet every qualification, when, in fact, they often do! We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment and strongly encourage you to apply.

We are committed to working with and providing reasonable assistance to individuals with physical and mental disabilities. If you are a disabled individual requiring an accommodation to apply for an open position, please email your request to [e-mail] . General employment questions cannot be accepted or processed here. Thank you for your interest.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status, among other characteristics.

Rewards

We provide a suite of benefits that promote physical, emotional and financial well-being for 'Every World' - we've got our employees covered! Subject to eligibility requirements, the Company offer