Unknown Worlds is seeking a Senior Technical Animator to work on Subnautica 2. In this role, you will collaborate closely with Animation, Art, Design, and Engineering to build polished, performant animation systems for players, creatures, and gameplay features.

You will be a key individual contributor on the Animation team, responsible for integrating animation and art assets in Unreal Engine 5 and developing the systems that support them, including Animation Blueprints, physics assets, Control Rig workflows, procedural animation, and related tools. The ideal candidate is self-motivated, highly collaborative, and passionate about creating elegant technical solutions that support immersion, wonder, and strong moment-to-moment gameplay.

This is a full-time remote position on a globally distributed team.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• 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.

QUALIFICATIONS

• 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.

PREFERENCES:

• Experience with procedural animation systems such as Control Rig.
• Python or C++ scripting/programming experience.
• Experience creating animation tools and scripts that improve production workflows.
• Experience with Unreal Engine materials, cloth simulation, or hair simulation.
• Previous work on underwater games or games developed in Early Access or a similar open development model.