Hybrid Senior Technical Animator: Rig, Motion & Tools

Placements24; Paarl; Hybrid; ZAR 700,000 - 900,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Health, dental, and vision insurance

Performance-based bonus

Hybrid work arrangement

Professional development opportunities

Retirement savings plan

Generous paid time off

Job summary

Placements24 is seeking a Senior Technical Animator to bridge character animation and game engine implementation in a hybrid Paarl studio. You will craft advanced rigs, build animation systems, and optimize performance for real-time gameplay.

Collaborate with animators and programmers to deliver expressive characters while meeting technical constraints. The ideal candidate combines strong anatomy knowledge with hands-on rigging in Maya or 3ds Max and experience with Unreal or Unity.

Qualifications

• Extensive professional experience as a Technical Animator in the game industry with advanced rigging and optimization skills.
• Expertise in character rigging using Maya or 3ds Max.
• Proficiency with Unreal Engine and Unity animation systems (Blueprints, Mecanim).
• Solid understanding of animation principles, biomechanics, and real-time constraints.
• Experience scripting for automation (Python, MEL).
• Knowledge of state machines and animation blending.
• Ability to work both independently and in a hybrid team.
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Graphics, Animation, or a related field.
• Experience with physics simulation and cloth dynamics is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Develop, maintain, and optimize character rigs and animation systems for game engines.
• Collaborate with animators to ensure rigs support wide motion and expression.
• Integrate animations into game engines with correct functionality and performance.
• Work with programmers to develop animation tools and pipelines.
• Profile and debug animation performance, resolving bottlenecks.
• Create animation prototypes to explore new techniques.
• Ensure animations meet technical specs and artistic vision.
• Provide technical guidance to the animation team.
• Document rigging workflows and systems.
• Stay updated on advances in character animation tech and engine capabilities.

Skills

Technical animation

Rigging

Unreal Engine

Unity

Python scripting

MEL scripting

Animation blending

Anatomy knowledge

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Graphics or related field

Tools

Maya

3ds Max

Job description

Placements24 is seeking a Senior Technical Animator to bridge character animation and game engine implementation in a hybrid Paarl studio. You will craft advanced rigs, build animation systems, and optimize performance for real-time gameplay.

Collaborate with animators and programmers to deliver expressive characters while meeting technical constraints. The ideal candidate combines strong anatomy knowledge with hands-on rigging in Maya or 3ds Max and experience with Unreal or Unity.