Bellevue, United States

At ArenaNet, we’ve always believed that games are art. They have the power to communicate ideas and tell stories. They can change the way we think, reflect our cultures, and move us. As the developer of the award-winning Guild Wars game series, we’re proud to share our passion for the online worlds we’ve created with over 11 million players worldwide.

ArenaNet develops and publishes games for every kind of person, which means our games need to be built by every kind of person. We believe the best experiences come from working together, celebrating differences, and helping each of our team members shine.

We are looking for a passionate Animation Lead with proven experience in the full AAA production pipeline, from rapid prototyping to delivering polished, optimized final animations. In this role, you’ll be instrumental in shaping the game's look and feel by creating a variety of character and creature animations that set both visual and technical benchmarks. As the Lead, you'll guide, mentor, and support the Animation team by reviewing work and providing feedback on both technical and artistic aspects. Your positive, adaptable mindset, strong interpersonal skills, and proactive approach will help foster a supportive and inspiring team culture, empowering artists to deliver their best work.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

Create AAA animations for gameplay, locomotion, and combat for a variety of characters and creatures
Collaborate with Design to achieve clear and expressive action gameplay animations that feel responsive to player input
Work closely with Art Director, Design, and other disciplines to develop an eye-catching animation style
Work closely with Designers, Animators, and Tech Artists to establish highly iterative workflows and scalable pipelines
Work closely with Tech Art to iterate on character and creature rigs and refine animation workflows
Manage, mentor and support the animation team through sharing knowledge, process, and constructive feedback
Maintain the Animation team’s scope of work by prioritizing and delegating tasks, planning estimates, and updating as needed to ensure individuals’ workloads are manageable and the team’s deliverables can be completed at a healthy cadence
Participate in teamwide playtests and contribute your ideas and feedback to group discussions

WHAT YOU’LL NEED TO BE SUCCESSFUL

8+ years of professional experience in the game industry, including experience as a Senior Animator or higher
Ability to keyframe strong gameplay animation and execute at a very high level, as shown by examples of professional or personal work
Deep understanding of kinetics, action gameplay animation, and animation systems
Experience implementing animation content into existing runtime systems
Expert knowledge of Maya character and creature animation workflows
Strong understanding of UE4+ animation systems and workflows
Outstanding ability to problem-solve and explore creative solutions in an ambiguous space
Experience directing, enhancing, and implementing motion capture data
Passion for working collaboratively and the ability to communicate feedback in a positive and healthy way
Outstanding verbal and written communication skills
Strong organizational and time management skills
Unwavering commitment to creating a positive and inclusive work environment

PLUSES

Technical Skills: Scripting
Technical Skills: Rigging
Experience animating in different styles
Experience with runtime procedural animation

This is a hybrid position based out of our Bellevue, WA office.

Please note that the pay range listed in this job posting reflects the full salary range for this position. While we provide this range to offer transparency, our target hiring range typically falls between the minimum and the midpoint, allowing for growth potential within the role.

Total compensation is salary plus an annual bonus potential. When determining an offer amount, many things are taken into consideration such as qualifications, experience, internal equity and work location. We strive to provide competitive and equitable compensation packages to all our employees.

This role is also eligible for medical, dental, vision and life insurance, short and long term disability, 401(k), flexible and dependent care spending accounts, PTO, paid holidays and parental leave.

Bellevue pay range

$118,945—$184,360 USD

Don’t meet every single requirement on this job post? Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At ArenaNet, we believe diversity in culture, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and backgrounds make us a better team – we celebrate it. So, if you’re excited about this role, but your experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification listed, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

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Animation Lead (Unannounced Project)