Technical Animator (Star Wars) - Temporary Assignment

Requisition Number: 152080

Position Title: Contingent

External Description:

Respawn Entertainment is a AAA game development studio that was founded in 2010 by former co-founders of Infinity Ward and creators of the multi-billion dollar Call of Duty and Modern Warfare franchises. We shipped Titanfall and Titanfall 2 to critical acclaim, and recently shipped a free-to-play battle royale game in the Titanfall universe, Apex Legends. We are currently hiring for our Star Wars™, Apex Legends, and Super Secret VR game development teams. The opportunity to create groundbreaking games with some of the best developer talent in the industry awaits our future team members.  

We’re looking for a passionate Technical Animator who will balance both technical and creative needs to support the team’s goals of creating amazing animations, art, and gameplay. We’re picturing someone who is passionate about building tools and rigs, ensuring an efficient pipeline, and supporting the efforts of all development departments beyond just animation.

**This position is a temporary assignment to start, with potential for longer term employment. Working hours are full time and onsite at our studio in Chatsworth, CA. (Relocation is not offered for this position.)**

 

What’s it like to be a Technical Animator at Respawn?

-           Day to Day - Our Technical Animators are responsible for rigging and skinning props, developing pipelines/tools/processes, R&D, troubleshooting technical problems, MEL/Python scripting in Maya, and are always seeking to raise the quality bar, develop solutions, and streamline processes.

-                      Independence - Our Technical Animators have the opportunity to do their best work under the support of leadership but without micromanagement. Once you are up to speed, there is a lot of opportunity to bring new ideas to the table and freedom to make improvements where processes could be better.

-                      Impact - The Technical Animation team is a “glue” department that has a big impact on the performance and efficiency of others, including but not limited to the animation team. They are constantly helping solve problems by collaborating with animation, mocap, VFX, design, art, and at times code as well. Our Technical Animation team is passionate about learning, inspiring, solving problems, and providing support to help others to do their best work. They have a direct impact on helping achieve the goals of believable animations and immersive gameplay that feels great.

-                      Progress - The Technical Animation team is engaged with evolving our pipelines, tools, and rigs. They seek ways to make improvements and are always looking to advance our technology and help take our animations to the next level. You will have a voice regarding how we can do things better - on the tech animation side and beyond.

-                      Values - Our animation and tech teams are aligned on their values. They share their inspiration, knowledge, and passion with the others in their department. They aspire to treat everything they work on as a personal masterpiece. They play the game and are encouraged to speak up if they see anything that is not up to our high standards. They put their time and passion into what will have the biggest payoff for both developers and players.

-                      Ownership - Our teams are small and everyone has a lot of ownership over their work. As a Technical Animator you will have the opportunity to own your rigs and/or tools from conceptualization to shipping. As part of a small team you will have the opportunity to shine here.

-           Growth - At Respawn we believe that all of our team members are on a path of professional development, and making progress in that journey is a key component of happiness and satisfaction in one’s work.  Our team members are encouraged to follow their career interests, while also challenging themselves.  To facilitate this, our leads work with each team member to identify areas of strength, and areas of desired development, and whenever possible, assign tasks and projects which will inspire the team member to grow in skill, knowledge, and capability.

 

What do we look for in Technical Animator candidates?

-       You’ve Made Stuff You are Proud Of - What we’d love to see in your tech animation portfolio is work that you developed yourself from concept to finish - ideally including rigs, animation tools, scripts, and/or any pipeline work that you can share.

-       Technical Chops - We count on our technical animators to troubleshoot technical problems and to keep abreast of the latest relevant advancements in the industry. Ideally you have extensive experience with rigging and scripting and can bring an agile problem-solving ability to the table.

-       A Keen Eye - Our tech animators need to have a sense for proper skin deformation. The better the skinning and rigs, the more believable our characters and animations will be in our games.

-       A Spirit for Collaboration - As mentioned above, our tech animation department provides glue that holds it all together. We look for people who love to support the efforts of others by helping make their work lives easier and ensuring they can deliver high quality work in game.

-       Passion - We look for technical animators who are highly passionate. Our tech animation team is constantly sharing knowledge and working to raise the quality bar. No one is phoning it in here – our team members love what they do and it shows in their work.

-       Potential Over Experience – We value talent over years of experience. Experience counts, but potential is important too. We look for talented, highly motivated people who have a knack for hands on technical development, but who also balance their drive to make cool stuff with the understanding of what is highest priority for the team members and the game.

-       Teamwork – Positivity and a great attitude help to fuel greatness. The ability to accept feedback and critiques will help you tailor your work towards what’s best for the game. Making games is a group effort and you will collaborate closely with other departments. Teamwork is very important to our success.

Ideally, you also will have...

Professional game development experience.

Mastery of relevant software packages such as Maya.

Experience working with both keyframe and motion capture data.

A strong understanding of video game development pipelines.

Self-direction and the ability to work autonomously as well as with a team.

Experience supporting the development efforts of real time animations in a game engine.

If this opportunity sounds like a great fit for you, please submit your resume and reel and we will get back to you once we have reviewed.

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Community / Marketing Title: Technical Animator (Star Wars) - Temporary Assignment

Company Profile:

We are a global team of creators, storytellers, technologists, experience originators, innovators and so much more. We believe amazing games and experiences start with teams as diverse as the players and communities we serve. At Electronic Arts, the only limit is your imagination.

EEOText:

About Electronic Arts

Everything we do is designed to inspire the world to play. Through our cutting-edge games, innovative services, and powerful technologies, we bring worlds with infinite possibilities to millions of players and fans around the globe.

We’re looking for collaborative and inclusive people with diverse perspectives who will enrich our culture and challenge us. We take a holistic approach with our benefits program, focusing on physical, emotional, financial, career, and community wellness to support our people through every chapter of life. We provide comprehensive benefit packages and support for a balanced life with paid time off and new parent leave, plus free games and so much more. Our goal is to provide a safe and respectful workplace that empowers you to thrive in both work and life.

Electronic Arts is an equal opportunity employer. All employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, genetic information, religion, disability, medical condition, pregnancy, marital status, family status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We will also consider employment qualified applicants with criminal records in accordance with applicable law. EA also makes workplace accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities as required by applicable law.

Days Open: 191

Can this position be remote?:

EEO Employer Verbiage:

About Electronic Arts

Everything we do is designed to inspire the world to play. Through our cutting-edge games, innovative services, and powerful technologies, we bring worlds with infinite possibilities to millions of players and fans around the globe.

We’re looking for collaborative and inclusive people with diverse perspectives who will enrich our culture and challenge us. We take a holistic approach with our benefits program, focusing on physical, emotional, financial, career, and community wellness to support our people through every chapter of life. We provide comprehensive benefit packages and support for a balanced life with paid time off and new parent leave, plus free games and so much more. Our goal is to provide a safe and respectful workplace that empowers you to thrive in both work and life.

Electronic Arts is an equal opportunity employer. All employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, genetic information, religion, disability, medical condition, pregnancy, marital status, family status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We will also consider employment qualified applicants with criminal records in accordance with applicable law. EA also makes workplace accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities as required by applicable law.