Senior Technical Animator

About Small Axe Studios

Established in 2023, Small Axe Studios is 2K's innovative independent studio headquartered in Burnaby, British Columbia. The studio is dedicated to developing 2K's next major sports franchise, assembling a team of creative and technically skilled individuals driven by collaboration and bold ideas to deliver an exceptional, player-focused gaming experience.

Role Overview

The Senior Technical Animator will serve as the key link between engineering, animation, and art departments, applying technical rigor, anatomical expertise, and creative problem-solving skills. This role involves creating and enhancing character rigs with precise skinning for gameplay and cinematic use, as well as ensuring smooth integration into Unreal Engine.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop, maintain, and optimize character body and facial rigs tailored for both gameplay and cinematic purposes.
• Establish and execute the asset binding and skinning pipeline to support the Character Art and Animation teams.
• Collaborate closely with animators to guarantee rigs meet their quality and usability requirements.
• Design and sustain rigging pipelines and tools, including FACS-based facial rigging systems.
• Construct and support motion capture animation processing pipelines and databases.
• Coordinate with engineering teams to assure efficient runtime performance of character assets.

Candidate Profile

• Minimum of six years’ experience as a Technical Animator or Rigging TD within the gaming sector or related fields.
• In-depth understanding of rigging and skinning techniques for both body and facial animations.
• Comprehensive knowledge of human anatomy, deformation mechanics, and fundamental animation principles.
• Proficiency in Maya and MotionBuilder software.
• Advanced scripting skills using Python; knowledge of C++ is advantageous.
• Confirmed experience integrating character rigs into Unreal Engine frameworks.
• Familiarity with Unreal Engine’s Control Rig, Metahuman technology, and animation systems.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with character simulation aspects like cloth dynamics, muscle systems, and hair movement.
• Knowledge of motion capture data workflows and pipelines.
• Development of rigging tools or facial solvers intended for real-time applications.
• Hands-on experience with cloth rigging and simulation technologies.

Additional Information

Small Axe Studios is an equal opportunity employer committed to facilitating accommodations for applicants with disabilities throughout the hiring process and employment. The annual salary range for this position in British Columbia is between CAD 99,800 and CAD 147,680, adjusted based on location and candidate-specific qualifications such as expertise and experience. The compensation package may also include bonuses, equity awards, and comprehensive benefits. Temporary or internship positions may not be eligible for certain benefits or payments.

Note: 2K Games prohibits the use of instant messaging apps and personal emails for recruitment or interviews. Official communications are conducted exclusively through 2K.com email accounts.