Lead Animator (Stylized Games | Unity3D)

Lead Animator (Stylized Games | Unity3D)

Position Overview

We are looking for a Lead Animator who combines strong artistic skills with hands-on production experience, capable of delivering high-quality, gameplay-driven animation for AA and AAA projects in Unity3D.

In this role, you will:

• Create expressive, stylized animations with strong readability, timing, and personality

• Act as the main animation point of contact on our side while working closely with the client’s Principal Animator

• Stay deeply involved in production while supporting animation quality, consistency, and direction

This is a hands-on lead role within a fully remote and collaborative environment, ideal for an animator who enjoys both ownership and execution, and thrives in close collaboration with client-side leadership.

Responsibilities

Client Collaboration & Alignment

• Collaborate directly with the client’s Principal Animator, following direction and ensuring alignment with their vision and pipeline

• Act as the main animation representative on our side

• Translate client feedback into high-quality, production-ready animation

Stylized Character Animation

• Create high-quality keyframe animations with strong posing, timing, and personality

• Focus on readability, exaggeration, and clarity for real-time gameplay

• Animate characters to support player control, feedback, and responsiveness

• Explore stylized approaches, including reduced frame techniques and creative timing solutions

Unity3D Animation Implementation

• Implement animations in Unity3D using Animator Controllers, blend trees, and state machines

• Iterate on animation behavior in-engine to match gameplay and design requirements

• Ensure smooth transitions, responsiveness, and consistency across animation systems

Animation Quality & Ownership

• Maintain overall animation quality and consistency across the project

• Stay hands-on in day-to-day production, actively creating animations

• Support and guide other animators when needed

Performance & Platform Awareness

• Adapt animation solutions to real-time and mobile constraints

• Optimize animations for performance, memory usage, and scalability

Collaboration & Iteration

• Work closely with designers, programmers, technical artists, and character artists

• Iterate based on gameplay feedback, technical constraints, and production needs

• Communicate clearly within a remote, agile workflow

Requirements

Experience

• 5+ years of professional experience as a game animator

• Experience working as a Senior or Lead Animator on game projects

Portfolio

• Strong animation reel focused on stylized, gameplay-ready character animation

• Clear examples of posing, timing, acting, and readability in real-time contexts

Animation & Artistic Skills

• Excellent understanding of keyframe animation principles

• Strong artistic sense for stylized and gameplay-driven animation

• Experience with stylized motion approaches, including lower frame rate techniques

Tools & Pipeline

• Strong experience with Maya as a primary animation tool

• Experience with Blender or other DCC tools is a plus

• Good understanding of real-time animation pipelines

Engine & Game Development

• Proven experience implementing animation in Unity3D

• Understanding of how animation interacts with gameplay systems and player input

Mindset & Communication

• Strong communication skills and ability to work closely with client-side leadership

• Comfortable balancing ownership with hands-on animation work

• Problem-solver attitude with openness to experimentation

• Fluent English and experience working in a fully remote environment

Bonus Skills

• Experience working on mobile games or performance-constrained platforms

• Familiarity with stylized or pixel-inspired animation aesthetics

• Basic technical animation or rigging knowledge

• Experience with procedural or semi-automated animation workflows

• Experience working in distributed or fully remote teams

What We Offer

• Stylized AA and AAA game projects with strong artistic identity

• Stable full-time role with flexible contract options (employment or B2B)

• Direct impact on animation quality and production workflows

• Collaborative, experienced, and production-focused studio culture

• Competitive compensation

• Annual team retreats focused on alignment, learning, and team bonding