Job Description

Are you on a mission to create games that bond players together into deeply invested communities? Would you like to work on something comedic and action-packed with lighthearted, whimsical characters? Do you think a lot about how well-crafted animations create satisfying feedback for players, how smoothly operating teams sustain animators’ happiness, or how the right smear frame feels like magic?

As the Senior Animation Lead on an Unannounced Incubation Project, you’ll bring iconic characters to life from prototype through production for a completely new world at Bungie. Your ability to lead and inspire a team to craft readable, expressive animation content will delight players and contribute to the best-in-class action experience that defines all Bungie games.

As a member of our incubation art team, you’ll balance craft expertise with a player-first mindset and willingness to contribute beyond your role to improve player experience wherever necessary. Your understanding of design and technical constraints will enable you to deliver functional and responsive systems that support broad animation content without an established pipeline during prototyping. Most importantly, you will work with a fun, dedicated, cross-discipline team united around our mission to create a positive impact in people's lives as we bring a new Bungie world to life.

We look for candidates who value joining a cohesive, supportive team with a diverse set of backgrounds, experiences, interests, and viewpoints.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Collaborate with art leadership to define visual goals for animation content
• Offer constructive feedback & clear direction during animation content reviews
• Build and lead an inspired, united team of animators through all phases of production
• Manage, mentor, and support team members with a culture of safe creative collaboration
• Own runtime animation systems for all characters until the team grows to support a full-time technical animation role
• Foster the development of a unique animation style with personality and charm that maintains action gameplay clarity in alignment with Design
• Partner with Production on task estimates and deliverables to maintain craft quality and team health while minimizing risk
• Work closely with Tech Art and Engineering to build flexible & efficient animation workflows
• Establish and document animation content expectations + best practices

REQUIRED SKILLS

• Experience working as an Animation Lead on shipped games with significant complexity and/or high animation fidelity
• Ability to keyframe stylized gameplay animation, as shown by examples of professional or personal work
• Proven eye for achieving gameplay clarity through animation content, especially for action games
• An appreciation for appealing squash & stretch, smear frames, multiples
• Expert knowledge of Maya character animation workflows
• Exceptional ability to problem-solve and drive creative solutions despite ambiguity
• Task driven, self-motivated, and proactive
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Embrace “we” culture in addition to being an outstanding collaborator and communicator
• High social intelligence, great interpersonal skills, and empathy for creative teams
• Proficiency establishing runtime animation systems that prioritize responsive feedback
• Willingness to manage and mentor the animators on your team
• Proven ability to lead and mentor a group of art leads

NICE-TO-HAVE SKILLS

• Experience with development using Unreal Engine
• Familiarity with the competitive gaming landscape
• Experience working on a live game (“game as a service”)