CultureMill Recruiting
Lead Game Animation Engineer
CultureMill Recruiting, San Francisco, California, United States, 94199
Base pay range
$160,000.00/yr - $240,000.00/yr Your actual pay will be based on your skills and experience — talk with your recruiter to learn more. We’re working with a well-funded and top-rated VR game studio to help them hire a
Lead Game Animation Engineer
to architect and evolve their animation systems across character gameplay, social features, and AI-driven interactions. This is a hands-on role focused on
building, tuning, and scaling animation systems
that feel great in fast-paced, physics-based multiplayer experiences. You\'ll collaborate closely with engineers and design leadership to deliver responsive, high-fidelity character motion—and take full ownership of the animation engineering domain as the studio grows.
What You’ll Do
Architect and implement core animation systems (animation graphs, IK layers, state machines, blending logic)
Improve and refine inverse kinematics (IK) systems for lifelike character movement
Integrate animation with gameplay systems, AI bots, and player interactions in real-time
Own the quality bar for responsiveness, realism, and performance in animation systems
Collaborate with cross-functional team members to deliver new features and elevate animation fidelity
Contribute to long-term planning of animation tools and pipelines
Work within the Unity game engine
What We’re Looking For
Must have shipped multiple mobile or XR games in Unity
Demonstrated experience building and integrating animation systems in a shipped game
Strong understanding of inverse kinematics (IK), animation blending, and procedural motion
Deep technical proficiency in C#, C++, or equivalent—hands-on and systems-oriented
Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-moving environment
Strong attention to animation polish and gameplay feel
Nice-to-Have
Background in physics-driven or sports gameplay systems
Familiarity with animation tooling, rigging pipelines, or runtime optimization for real-time games
VR experience
Seniority level
Director
Employment type
Full-time
Job function
Computer Games
Get notified about new Senior Character Animator jobs in the
San Francisco Bay Area .
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$160,000.00/yr - $240,000.00/yr Your actual pay will be based on your skills and experience — talk with your recruiter to learn more. We’re working with a well-funded and top-rated VR game studio to help them hire a
Lead Game Animation Engineer
to architect and evolve their animation systems across character gameplay, social features, and AI-driven interactions. This is a hands-on role focused on
building, tuning, and scaling animation systems
that feel great in fast-paced, physics-based multiplayer experiences. You\'ll collaborate closely with engineers and design leadership to deliver responsive, high-fidelity character motion—and take full ownership of the animation engineering domain as the studio grows.
What You’ll Do
Architect and implement core animation systems (animation graphs, IK layers, state machines, blending logic)
Improve and refine inverse kinematics (IK) systems for lifelike character movement
Integrate animation with gameplay systems, AI bots, and player interactions in real-time
Own the quality bar for responsiveness, realism, and performance in animation systems
Collaborate with cross-functional team members to deliver new features and elevate animation fidelity
Contribute to long-term planning of animation tools and pipelines
Work within the Unity game engine
What We’re Looking For
Must have shipped multiple mobile or XR games in Unity
Demonstrated experience building and integrating animation systems in a shipped game
Strong understanding of inverse kinematics (IK), animation blending, and procedural motion
Deep technical proficiency in C#, C++, or equivalent—hands-on and systems-oriented
Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-moving environment
Strong attention to animation polish and gameplay feel
Nice-to-Have
Background in physics-driven or sports gameplay systems
Familiarity with animation tooling, rigging pipelines, or runtime optimization for real-time games
VR experience
Seniority level
Director
Employment type
Full-time
Job function
Computer Games
Get notified about new Senior Character Animator jobs in the
San Francisco Bay Area .
#J-18808-Ljbffr