Senior Technical Artist (Apex Legends)

Respawn Entertainment; Madison (WI); On-site; USD 130,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Respawn Entertainment in Madison, Wisconsin, seeks a Senior Technical Artist with deep expertise in character rigging to join a dynamic live-service team. You will collaborate with Animation and Modeling to deliver high-quality rigging, skinning, and tooling that scales with the live environment.

You will drive pipeline improvements, mentor junior artists, and ensure runtime performance meets visual fidelity standards while enabling rapid content updates across seasons.

Qualifications

• 5 years experience working in proprietary internal game engines and development environments.
• Strong communication skills.
• Experience rigging and skinning characters Maya.
• Experience in writing Artist/Animator facing tools specifically for a large production environment.
• Proficiency in Python.

Responsibilities

• Report to the Lead Technical Artist, aligning on priorities, technical direction, and long-term pipeline goals.
• Collaborate closely with Technical Art, Animation, and Character Art partners to implement solutions that are clean, scalable, and optimized for production.
• Ensure exceptional quality in character rigging and skinning, upholding high standards for visual fidelity, deformation integrity, and runtime performance.
• Educate and mentor junior and mid-level Technical Artists by creating clear documentation, sharing best practices, and fostering continued craft development.
• Identify workflow opportunities and develop high-impact automation and tooling solutions that improve efficiency, consistency, and team output.

Skills

Strong communication skills

Python

Tools

Maya

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.

Founded in 2010 by the original creators of the Call of Duty Franchise, Respawn was created with the philosophy that when talented people have creative freedom, they’ll make extraordinary games that achieve the unexpected. From our roots as an indie studio to joining the expansive roster of studios at Electronic Arts, this remains our guiding principle. We truly love what we do and want to share our passion with players worldwide.

Our shipped titles include critically acclaimed multi-platform games Apex Legends, Titanfall, Titanfall 2, Star Wars™ Jedi: Fallen Order, Star Wars™ Jedi: Survivor and Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond. Join us for the opportunity to create groundbreaking games with some of the best developer talent in the industry.

The Apex Legends team is seeking a Senior Technical Artist with deep expertise in character rigging to help power one of the most dynamic live service games in the world. As part of a large, collaborative team of passionate developers, you’ll support our Animation and Modeling partners in delivering a constant stream of high‑quality content—from new Legends and limited‑time modes to seasonal updates and cosmetic releases that excite and engage millions of players globally.

In this role, you’ll drive excellence in skinning and rigging, ensuring every character meets the highest standards of visual fidelity and runtime performance. You’ll also champion pipeline improvements that scale across a fast‑moving live environment, enabling the team to innovate quickly while maintaining polish and consistency. If you’re excited about shaping characters that players connect with and celebrating the energy of a community that shows up every season ready for what’s next, this is the place to do it.

Responsibilities

• Report to the Lead Technical Artist, aligning on priorities, technical direction, and long‑term pipeline goals.
• Collaborate closely with Technical Art, Animation, and Character Art partners to implement solutions that are clean, scalable, and optimized for production.
• Ensure exceptional quality in character rigging and skinning, upholding high standards for visual fidelity, deformation integrity, and runtime performance.
• Educate and mentor junior and mid‑level Technical Artists by creating clear documentation, sharing best practices, and fostering continued craft development.
• Identify workflow opportunities and develop high‑impact automation and tooling solutions that improve efficiency, consistency, and team output.

Qualifications

• 5 years experience working in proprietary internal game engines and development environments.
• Strong communication skills.
• Experience rigging and skinning characters Maya.
• Experience in writing Artist/Animator facing tools specifically for a large production environment.
• Proficiency in Python.

Nice to Have

• Familiarity with USD.
• Knowledge of physics‑based animation.
• Have experience in live service content production.
• Experience working in proprietary internal game engines and development environments.
• Strong mathematical foundation used to troubleshoot and optimize 3D deformations.

In addition to opportunities for creative impact and professional growth which come with being a member of our team, working at Respawn has many other perks and benefits! Learn more at respawn.com/perks.

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) *$122,300 - $170,700 CAD
• California (depending on location e.g. Los Angeles vs. San Francisco) *$143,800 - $217,200 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 equity.

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 equity.

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.