Principal Animator
People Can Fly Studio
ChefFlux
Lead Technical Animator
People Can Fly Studio
full-time
Posted on:
Location Type: Remote
Location: Remote • Montreal • 🇨🇦 Canada
Visit company websiteJob Level
Senior
Tech Stack
FluxPython
About the role
- Develop and maintain rigging, pipelines, and processes used by the animation team.
- Assign, delegate, and support individuals in their tasks, monitoring and reviewing the progress of their work.
- Provide constructive feedback and clear communication to improve behavior and performance, ensuring a continuous improvement approach.
- Take responsibility for evaluating direct reports during periodic performance reviews, providing insights and assessments that help their career development.
- Foster a motivating team environment and support a healthy work–life balance by clearly defining expectations and scope of work, empowering individuals to propose solutions and voice their opinions.
- Use data such as opinion surveys and satisfaction results.
- Collaborate and communicate effectively with other leads, directors, departments, and project partners on an ongoing basis to build trust and achieve project goals and ambitions, especially with animators and modelers.
- Follow the director's guidance/vision and put it into practice.
- Contribute to the director's leadership by providing key data, raising issues, requesting guidance, and relaying information to the relevant project managers.
- Define quality guidelines and standards for technical animation.
- Create custom pipeline tools and collaborate with engine and project leads for continuous improvement of these tools.
- Independently implement characters in Unreal Engine, including cloth, physics, and setup configurations.
- Deliver R&D projects, pipeline and workflow improvements, and perform retrospectives and implement their outcomes.
- With their team, help solve the most challenging technical problems.
- Lead recruiting efforts in collaboration with HR.
- Ensure onboarding of new employees.
Requirements
- Strong mentoring and leadership skills
- Familiarity with Unreal Engine art production pipelines, including character and animation-related features.
- Deep knowledge of Maya, specializing in rigging and dress-out.
- Thorough understanding of character anatomy and movement.
- Excellent communication skills with the ability to clearly provide technical feedback on tasks, rigs, tools, and documentation.
- Experience with physical simulation for cloth, hair, and other physics-driven elements.
- Experience with runtime animation systems.
- Knowledge of current and emerging technologies and trends in the video games industry.
- Knowledge of facial rigs/face setups for games, television, or film.
- Proficiency in Atlassian tools (JIRA, Confluence) or other production tracking tools such as ShotGrid (formerly Shotgun) / FTrack.
- Solid programming skills, with the ability to write Python code.
- Software: Maya, Unreal Engine, MotionBuilder, Houdini, Blender.
- Experience: Typically 8+ years of experience, including previous leadership roles; around 2 years of management experience on AAA titles.
- Nice to have: Experience in animation and modeling.
- Familiarity with C++ programming.
Benefits
- A set of employee benefits 100% paid by People Can Fly (PCF).
- The insurance provider reimburses 100% of claims (up to $1,000 of services per year), with options for family or individual coverage.
- Comprehensive dental coverage, including routine dental care.
- Employer RRSP contribution matching of 4% pre-tax, 100% vested from day one.
- One week of paid time off during the winter holidays.
- 20 days of paid vacation and 5 paid sick days.
- Free virtual health and mental well-being care sessions included in the plan for employees and their dependents.
- Opportunities for personal development and the chance to work in a global environment.
- The opportunity to work within a creative team of people who are passionate about what they do.
Applicant Tracking System Keywords
Tip: use these terms in your resume and cover letter to boost ATS matches.
Hard skills
rigginganimation pipelinescharacter anatomyphysical simulationruntime animation systemsPython programmingC++ programmingMayaUnreal EngineMotionBuilder
Soft skills
mentoringleadershipcommunicationteam collaborationfeedback provisionproblem-solvingperformance evaluationtask delegationmotivationsupporting work-life balance
