Principal Technical Animator
Hybrid · Brighton, England, United Kingdom or Prague, Prague, Czechia
Job Summary
Define the technical vision and architecture for gameplay animation, championing innovative technologies and streamlined pipelines to deliver world-class animation quality. Act as a technical authority on gameplay animation, drive R&D initiatives (e.g., Motion Matching, ML/AI animation, next-gen physics), collaborate with Design and Engineering to establish project-wide roadmaps, optimize runtime performance and memory usage, and mentor senior/mid-level technical animators to elevate the department.
Required Qualifications
- Extensive proven experience architecting and integrating gameplay animation systems for AAA titles using Unreal Engine
- Master-level expertise in Unreal Engine’s animation suite (Anim Blueprints, Motion Matching, Control Rig, State Machines, Sequencer)
- Deep technical understanding of runtime optimisation, memory management, and threading for animation
- Exceptional cross-discipline communication skills coordinating Art, Design, and Engineering
- Expertise in feature breakdown and scoping for production-ready plans
- Strong understanding of gameplay mechanics, game feel, and physics related to character movement
- Portfolio or reel demonstrating solving highly complex technical animation challenges in shipped titles
- Proficiency in C++ for Unreal Engine extensions and Python for tooling
- Experience with Maya API, MotionBuilder, or Houdini for runtime or pipeline integration
- Background in traditional animation or motion capture data manipulation
- Ability to mentor and uplift senior and mid-level technical animators
Apply with one swipe on Sorce. We auto-fill applications and apply on your behalf — no cover letters, no 40-minute forms.
Hiring someone like this?
Get your role in front of qualified candidates on Sorce.