Senior Technical Animator

Placements24; Bloemfontein; On-site; ZAR 550,000 - 900,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

On-site Bloemfontein environment

Health, dental, vision coverage

Generous paid time off

Company-sponsored training

Job summary

Placements24 in Bloemfontein seeks a Senior Technical Animator to bridge art and code, building robust rigs and custom tools for real-time applications. You will collaborate with animators and engineers to ensure high fidelity and optimal performance across the game engine, applying advanced rigging techniques and scripting to streamline workflows.

The role requires strong animation fundamentals, 5+ years in the field, and a passion for solving complex technical challenges in a collaborative

Qualifications

• Minimum of 5 years of experience as a Technical Animator or Rigger in the games or VFX industry.
• Expert proficiency in Maya with advanced rigging techniques and character setup.
• Strong scripting skills in Python or MEL for tool development.
• Experience with game engines such as Unreal Engine or Unity.
• Solid understanding of animation principles and character performance.
• Excellent problem-solving skills and the ability to work effectively in a team environment.

Responsibilities

• Create, refine, and maintain high-quality character and creature rigs using Maya and relevant scripting languages.
• Develop and implement custom tools and scripts to enhance the animation pipeline and improve animator efficiency.
• Optimize animation assets for real-time performance in game engines, ensuring smooth playback and minimal overhead.
• Collaborate with animators to troubleshoot rigging issues and provide technical support.
• Work closely with engineers to integrate animations and ensure correct implementation in the game engine.
• Stay up-to-date with the latest advancements in rigging, animation technology, and game development pipelines.

Skills

Problem solving

Teamwork

Animation principles

Tools

Maya

Python

MEL

Unreal Engine

Unity

Job description

About the Role

Our client, a leading animation studio in Bloemfontein , is looking for a highly skilled Senior Technical Animator to join their dedicated team. This role bridges the gap between artistic animation and technical implementation, focusing on creating robust rigs, developing animation tools, and optimizing character performance for real-time applications. You will work closely with animators and engineers to ensure characters and creatures are effectively brought to life with optimal performance and fidelity. The ideal candidate has a strong understanding of both animation principles and technical constraints, enabling them to solve complex rigging and performance challenges.

Key Responsibilities

• Create, refine, and maintain high-quality character and creature rigs using Maya and relevant scripting languages.
• Develop and implement custom tools and scripts to enhance the animation pipeline and improve animator efficiency.
• Optimize animation assets for real-time performance in game engines, ensuring smooth playback and minimal overhead.
• Collaborate with animators to troubleshoot rigging issues and provide technical support.
• Work closely with engineers to integrate animations and ensure correct implementation in the game engine.
• Stay up-to-date with the latest advancements in rigging , animation technology, and game development pipelines.

Requirements

• Minimum of 5 years of experience as a Technical Animator or Rigger in the games or VFX industry.
• Expert proficiency in Maya, including advanced rigging techniques and character setup.
• Strong scripting skills in Python or MEL for tool development.
• Experience with game engines such as Unreal Engine or Unity.
• Solid understanding of animation principles and character performance.
• Excellent problem-solving skills and the ability to work effectively in a team environment.

Benefits

• Competitive salary and performance incentives.
• On-site work environment fostering strong team collaboration in Bloemfontein .
• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision coverage.
• Generous paid time off and company-sponsored training programs.
• Opportunities to contribute to visually stunning and technically challenging projects.