Senior Technical Animator: Rigging & Tools Lead

Placements24; Noord-Kaap; Hybrid; ZAR 900,000 - 1,400,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Performance-based bonuses

Retirement savings options

Professional development opportunities

Job summary

Kimberley Animation Studio in Kimberley (Northern Cape) seeks a Senior Technical Animator to bridge art and tech, developing sophisticated rigs, facial animation systems, and animation tools. You will work with modelers, riggers, and animators to optimize workflows and deliver expressive characters for high-profile projects.

The ideal candidate has 6+ years in technical animation or rigging, strong scripting skills (Python/MEL/C#/C++), expert knowledge of Maya/3ds Max/Blender, and experience

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent in Animation/CG or related field.
• 6+ years as Technical Animator or Rigger in animation/VFX/gaming.
• Proficiency in Maya/3ds Max/Blender and scripting (Python/MEL/C#).
• Experience with game engines (Unreal/Unity) a plus.

Responsibilities

• Develop, maintain, and optimize complex character rigs and facial systems.
• Create and refine animation tools and scripts to streamline workflows.
• Collaborate with modelers to ensure topology/UVs are deformation-ready.
• Troubleshoot issues related to character movement and deformation.
• Optimize assets for real-time engines and rendering pipelines.
• Stay updated with rigging/skin/deformation tech advancements.
• Document technical guidelines and best practices for the team.
• Mentor junior technical animators and animators on technical aspects.
• Contribute to pipeline development and integration of new software.

Skills

Character rigging

3D animation

Scripting

Game engines

Education

Bachelor's degree in Animation/Computer Graphics

Tools

Maya

3ds Max

Blender

Unreal Engine

Unity

Job description

Kimberley Animation Studio in Kimberley (Northern Cape) seeks a Senior Technical Animator to bridge art and tech, developing sophisticated rigs, facial animation systems, and animation tools. You will work with modelers, riggers, and animators to optimize workflows and deliver expressive characters for high-profile projects.

The ideal candidate has 6+ years in technical animation or rigging, strong scripting skills (Python/MEL/C#/C++), expert knowledge of Maya/3ds Max/Blender, and experience