[Remote] Contract Technical Animator

Note: The job is a remote job and is open to candidates in USA. Mob Entertainment is a startup multimedia studio known for the indie horror game 'Poppy Playtime'. They are seeking a Contract Technical Animator to bridge the gap between animation and engineering, focusing on designing and maintaining animation systems and collaborating with various teams to ensure high-quality character movement in games.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain animation systems, rigs, automated lip sync systems, and runtime solutions within the game engine
• Build tools and pipelines that improve the efficiency of animation workflows
• Collaborate with animators to ensure rigs, skeletons, and animation assets perform optimally in-game
• Work with gameplay engineers to integrate animation features and systems
• Optimize animation assets for performance, memory, and runtime stability
• Troubleshoot and resolve animation and rigging issues across the pipeline
• Support motion capture integration, retargeting, and procedural animation systems when needed
• Establish and document best practices for animation pipelines and technical workflows
• Mentor junior technical animators and support the broader animation team with technical challenges

Skills

• 3+ years of experience in technical animation and rigging within the video game industry
• Strong experience with Unreal Engine game engine and using control rig and animation inside Unreal
• Proficiency with Maya or similar DCC tools, including rigging and scripting workflows
• Experience working with animation state machines, blend trees, and runtime animation systems
• Understanding of character rigging, skinning, and deformation systems
• Familiarity with Python, MEL, C++, or Blueprint scripting for tool and pipeline development
• Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to debug complex animation issues
• Excellent communication skills and experience working cross-discipline with art, design, and engineering teams
• Experience with motion capture pipelines and retargeting systems
• Knowledge of rigging with unreal tooling, procedural animation with control rig, physics-based animation, or IK systems
• Experience optimizing animation for console or PC performance constraints
• Animation Experience doing animations
• Shipped at least one AAA or mid-sized studio game title
• Experience developing animation tools or plugins

Benefits

• Profit sharing
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• 401(k) matching
• FSA/HSA
• Paid time off
• Sick time
• Holidays
• Parental leave

Company Overview

• Mob Entertainment is a gaming studio company that creates 3D animations and videogames. It was founded in 2015, and is headquartered in Los Angeles, California, USA, with a workforce of 51-200 employees. Its website is https://www.mobentertainment.com .

Company H1B Sponsorship

• Mob Entertainment has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships, with 1 in 2023. Please note that this does not guarantee sponsorship for this specific role.