Technical Animator

Enter the multiverse: Your next adventure begins here

At Wizards of the Coast, we cultivate the power of imagination and connection to create unforgettable experiences. We create entertainment that inspires creativity, stirs passion, builds friendships, and fosters the creation of communities around the world. Every time, our mission is to inspire a loyal love for play. Whether it's the strategic depth of Magic: The Gathering®, the narrative richness of Dungeons & Dragons®, or our AAA game studios, we build worlds that bring people together, spark creativity, and fuel adventure. As we continue to grow and explore new domains, we are looking for passionate, curious, and innovative minds to join our adventure.

Skeleton Key is a game development studio and a division of Wizards of the Coast. We are a group of industry veterans who believe that by giving our teams the means, time, tools, and support needed, we can build a creative culture where everyone can give their best.

Our studio is located in Austin, Texas, and we are looking for a Technical Animator to join us and bring our first AAA game to life. This position will be based in Montreal and will be hybrid, with a required presence at the office three days a week.

Reporting to the Technical Animation Team Lead, you will play a key role from the beginning of the pre-production of our project. You will contribute to defining, evaluating, and implementing the project's animation vision, while supporting cinematic and gameplay experiences. You will be responsible for and in support of the development and maintenance of animation systems, rigs, pipelines, and processes used by the animation team.

What you will do as a Technical Animator

• Develop and maintain character rigs and skinning systems to create realistic animations.
• Design and implement tools to improve the workflow efficiency of animators.
• Optimize animation pipelines for seamless integration into the game engine and better performance.
• Implement procedural techniques to enhance character movements and behaviors.
• Collaborate with artists, animators, and programmers to align technical and artistic vision.
• Write documentation, tutorials, and training materials to support team members.

What you bring to the team

• More than 3 years of experience as a Technical Animator in video games.
• Proficiency in rigging and skinning with software like Maya, 3ds Max, or Blender.
• Experience in developing custom tools for animators using languages like Python.
• Experience with Unreal Engine and its animation systems (Blueprints, Control Rig, modifiers).
• Knowledge of motion capture processes, including data cleaning and integration.
• Ability to troubleshoot technical issues related to animation.
• Excellent communication, organization, and documentation skills.

Assets

• Maya plugin development in C++.
• Experience with configuring clothing/hair/ragdoll systems in Unreal Engine.
• Creation and customization of MetaHumans in Unreal Engine.
• UI tool scripting with Qt or Pyside.

At Wizards, we believe in the magic of diversity: great ideas come from unique perspectives. We are committed to creating an inclusive and welcoming workplace where every person is valued. Wizards is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, country of origin, age, marital status, or any other status protected by law.

Wizards will provide reasonable accommodations as part of the application process, upon request, in compliance with applicable laws. If you are in a situation of disability and need assistance, please do not hesitate to contact your recruiter or coordinator.

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