Senior Technical Animator

Unknown Worlds Entertainment

Senior Technical Animator role focused on building animation systems for Subnautica 2. Ideal for highly collaborative individuals passionate about technical solutions in gaming.

Posted 7/7/2026full-timeRemote • 🇺🇸 United StatesSeniorWebsite

Tech Stack

Tools & technologies

Unreal Engine

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Implement, tune, and maintain animation systems in Unreal Engine 5 that meet the project’s artistic, technical, multiplayer, and platform requirements.
Prototype, test, and ship animation, physics, procedural animation, and rigging solutions for real-time gameplay.
Create and maintain Animation Blueprints, Control Rigs, physics assets, animation frameworks, and animator-facing tools that support efficient content implementation.
Partner with Animation, Design, Art, and Engineering to ensure animation features are both artistically strong and functionally robust.
Identify Animation team needs and improve workflows, pipelines, best practices, and documentation to support consistent execution against art and design pillars.
Participate in planning, help define realistic milestone goals, and communicate risks, dependencies, and implementation needs clearly.
Contribute actively to the Animation team’s creative process by giving, receiving, and incorporating feedback.
Mentor more junior team members and model a high standard of craft, problem solving, ownership, and collaboration.

Requirements

What you’ll need

7+ years of experience as a Technical Animator, including at least one shipped Unreal Engine 5 title in a Technical Animator role.
Strong proficiency with Unreal Engine 5 animation systems, including Animation Blueprints, Blueprints, components, interfaces, and object-oriented or class-inheritance workflows.
Strong understanding of state-driven and parameterized animation approaches, runtime gameplay animation, and performance-conscious implementation.
Strong real-time character rigging knowledge, including weighting, blend shapes, deformation joints, and related animation software workflows such as Blender.
Experience designing intuitive tools, frameworks, and workflows that empower animators and streamline production.
Strong debugging and documentation skills, with the ability to diagnose complex animation issues and communicate solutions clearly.
Deep understanding of animation, art fundamentals, and aesthetic judgment as applied to real-time games.
Demonstrated ownership of complex features with minimal oversight in a collaborative, cross-disciplinary environment.
Excellent written, visual, and verbal communication skills, with strong organization and self-direction.
Comfortable working on a remote, globally distributed team.

Benefits

Comp & perks

Annual professional development
Home office stipends
Paid time off for volunteer/non-profit work

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills & Tools

Technical AnimationAnimation FrameworksProcedural AnimationPhysics AssetsState-Driven AnimationParameterized AnimationBlend ShapesDeformation JointsAnimation Software WorkflowsPerformance-Conscious Implementation

Soft Skills

Excellent Communication SkillsOrganizationSelf-DirectionProblem SolvingCreative Feedback Incorporation