Lead Animator

Posted: 6 months
Art and Animation
Full-Time
Lead / Principal
CET +- 2 hours
We have an exciting opportunity for an enthusiastic and proactive Lead Animator to join our busy Underdog studio and support driving our games forward. You’ll be joining the team on an ambitious and original open world survival game with a horror thematic. We’re putting a unique twist on the formula, both in mechanics and the environmental challenges we set for the player. Visual quality is paramount, so we’re building in Unreal Engine 5 and have a very experienced team. The following title will be a gritty multiplayer first-person shooter.

A career at CI Games is about being part of a team working on some of the most creatively rewarding and ambitious projects to be found in any entertainment medium. You would be welcomed to a dedicated and inclusive environment where you can learn and collaborate with some of the most talented people in the industry.

Key Responsibilities:
  • Animation Narrative Leadership
    • Collaborate closely with Directors and Producers to lead the animation narrative for our games.
    • Play an integral part in shaping the titles through your creative vision.
    • Demonstrate proficiency in creating seamless and true-to-life animations.
    • Revolutionize the immersive experience in our games, making each moment an extraordinary display of engagement.
    • Actively participate in the journey to shape the future of gaming with your unique expertise.
    • Balance artistic aspects with technical constraints, maintaining quality and performance of efficient content creation.
  • Innovative Animation Development
    • Step beyond standard practices to forge advanced in-game animation systems.
    • Shape the future of gaming realism with your expertise.
    • Lead the charge in crafting gaming worlds and redefine the boundaries of gaming through your passion and vision.
    • Innovate within the animation pipeline, ensuring upcoming titles are trendsetters in animation technology.
  • Team Leadership and Mentorship
    • Take on a pivotal role as a team leader and mentor to bring out the best in animators.
    • Hire, train, and appraise the performance of your team members resolving issues, and maintaining a positive team dynamic.
    • Foster a dynamic and adaptable environment for both internal teams and outsourcers.
    • Set high standards and lead by example, inspiring and enabling the team to explore their creative potential.
    • Contribute to a collaborative environment where teamwork and creativity flourish.
    • Navigating challenges and guiding the team to excellence through constructive feedback and mentorship.
  • Effective Communication
    • Go beyond technical expertise to be a visionary leader and master communicator.
    • Connect with individuals across various disciplines, guiding them towards common objectives.
    • Convey clear messages, negotiate solutions, and provide meaningful feedback to ensure team unity and project success.
    • Recognise when assets will not be able to animated based on our current system and collaboratively work with artists to find solutions.
Key Requirements:
  • Min. 5 years of animation experience, ideally with some exposure to first person games
  • Must have shipped a minimum of 1 title (for PC and Consoles) as an animator
  • Experience Leading an animation team
  • Excellent knowledge of Unreal Engine Animation system
  • Experience working with State Machines, Unreal Animation Blueprints
  • Experience animating first/third person characters for traversal systems
  • Proficiency with Maya, other 3D software packages
  • Excellent communication, interpersonal, and organisational skills
  • Open and creative mind
What we offer:
  • Attractive remuneration, holidays and social events. Our environments thrive with collaborative teamwork with people from all around the world, different nationalities, and languages.
  • A supportive community inclusive of LGBTQ+, and any age, ethnicity, religion, or disability. We care about the wellbeing of our employees and have a dedicated employee wellbeing programme.
  • Flexibility with our core hours, and no-notice holidays.
  • Annual discretionary studio bonus
  • Free games and merchandise
  • Wrap parties for game releases
  • Remote/Homeworking with flexible working schedules (core hours 10am - 4pm CET), a fun environment, and a relaxing culture, including the opportunity to work with the leading technology and creative minds in the world.
  • Learn as you work and be part of something real that changes the face of gaming - forever
Recruitment Process:
  • Once our Talent Acquisition team receives your application, together with the hiring team, we will review your CV, portfolio and the answers you provided in the application form and if all the boxes are ticked, we're moving to the next stage.
  • Initial call with Talent Acquisition Specialist - During this call you'll learn about the company and we learn about you. We'll talk about your experience & expectations with working in a fully remote environment and we'll talk about your expertise. We'll finish this call with some admin questions. There will be an opportunity for you to ask any questions as well.
  • After the initial call, usually 1 or 2 interviews with the hiring team follows. These interviews will be a bit more technical and will go deeper into your experience, skills & knowledge. As you would have signed an NDA by now, you'll also learn a bit more about the project you would work on. During these interviews we'll also focus on finding out whether you're a good fit for our company culture and that we share the same values.
  • We may or may not ask you to do the test - this is decided on an individual basis and you will receive instructions with the test.
  • If everything goes well, the last step in the recruitment process is the offer presentation call with the Talent Acquisition Specialist and your future line manager to discuss the offer and next steps to get you successfully on board.
We are an equal opportunities employer with a commitment to building a diverse workforce, representative of the world we live and game in!
Accessibility is at the heart of our games and we reflect that in how we operate as a business. Should you require adjustments or flexible arrangements to interview, or take up a role at with us, please let us know in your application and we will accommodate to the best of our ability.
Job Expired

About CI Games

At our studios we have been creating globally recognised games for 20 years with our most popular franchise selling over 14 million copies! 
We share a passion for creating exceptional games with the best global talent available. Our roles are completely remote, which means you can work from anywhere in the World.
We currently have a number of exciting projects in the pipeline in Unreal Engine 5, with true ownership of their creative direction. We are excited about pushing the boundaries of creativity with passion, drive and teamwork. 
We are looking for self-starter individuals who can hit the ground running in a fast paced multi-disciplined environment. If that sounds like you, take a look at our open roles or sign up to receive notifications via our Career Page.


CI Games

Company Website

Global

Jobs Posted: 4


 

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CI Games

Company Website

Global

Jobs Posted: 4