Character Technical Artist/Rigger

Our client is a renowned independent game studio with a strong history of producing award-winning, genre-defining titles enjoyed by millions of players worldwide. Operating with artistic autonomy under a major global interactive media organization, our team is dedicated to pushing creative boundaries. We are committed to an inclusive, transparent, and balanced studio culture where every team member is empowered to do their best work.

Working under the direction of the Technical Art Director and in close alignment with Animation Leadership, you will play an integral role in architecting and expanding our character pipeline for an ambitious, unannounced project.

Why Work With Us?

• Proven Creative Direction: Collaborate with seasoned game directors who bring a sharp, confident artistic vision to production.
• Supportive Environment: Work alongside a highly skilled, cross-disciplinary team that values mutual trust, craftsmanship, and open dialogue.
• Creative Empowerment: Gain meaningful ownership over your domain, working in a flexible atmosphere free from micro-management.
• Sustainable Pace: We prioritize healthy team growth and long-term project stability, actively avoiding sudden crunch-driven hiring or downsizing.

Key Responsibilities

• Define standards and optimize pipelines for secondary motion, balancing keyframed setups with dynamic physics simulations.
• Construct, tune, and refine Unreal Engine Control Rigs, node constraints, and real-time rigging frameworks for diverse character models.
• Engineer robust workflows for complex character-object interactions, including weapon/prop attachment setups and multi-actor contact points.
• Author and upkeep Unreal Engine animation assets, covering Anim Blueprints, state transition logic, blend masks, custom notifies, and procedural nodes.
• Write and maintain custom utility tools in Maya and Unreal Engine to accelerate daily animation workflows.

Required Experience & Qualifications

• 5+ years in technical art, with credit on at least one major shipped project (engine experience with Unreal preferred).
• 3+ years directly rigging character models within an active production setting.
• 3+ years utilizing Maya (or comparable 3D software suites) in a studio pipeline.
• 3+ years scripting with Python, ideally including experience with the Unreal Engine Python API.
• 1+ year working hands-on with in-engine Control Rigs, cloth/physics dynamics, and animation blueprints.
• Deep understanding of animation state trees, blend spaces, inverse kinematics (IK), and procedural motion techniques.
• Self-directed & proactive: Capable of translating high-level direction into clear, functional technical solutions with minimal supervision.
• Collaborative mindset: Excellent communication skills with a focus on raising technical quality while maintaining strong working relationships.