Senior Technical Animator

Avalanche Studios is the original creator of the award-winning Just Cause franchise (published by Square Enix), the developer of Mad Max (published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment) and is currently working on Rage 2 (published by Bethesda Softworks), scheduled for release in 2019. As a publisher, Avalanche Studios has brought free-to-play service theHunter Classic to market and reached more than 7 million registered players across 190 countries. theHunter franchise was expanded in 2017 to also include premium title theHunter: Call of the Wild, which was released for PC and subsequently console platforms. Avalanche Studios, which is based in Stockholm, New York City and Malmö, was founded in 2003 by Christofer Sundberg and Linus Blomberg. The studio develops games using its proprietary Apex technology, enabling huge open worlds filled with emergent gameplay.

The Position
As the Senior Technical Animator you will be responsible for all character, vehicle and prop related set-ups (including skinning) required for the animation team. You will also be responsible for providing tools and improving pipelines and workflows that will maximise efficiency and creating the vision for future pipelines. The ideal candidate will have experience creating advanced skeletons and control rigs for characters (bipedal and quadrupedal) and custom rigs/set-ups for vehicles and props. An in depth knowledge of skinning characters and creating set-ups required for secondary motion is also necessary.

Alongside your project, you will be a member of our knowledge based platform Crafts. In the Technical Animation Craft, you meet and develop with Technical Animators and Animator Scripters cross-projects. You share experiences and knowledge with each other, in order to learn and to be aligned cross-projects on what makes the best Open-world experiences.

Required Qualifications
Excellent understanding of character rigging & custom rigs
Expert knowledge of at least one 3d-package (MotionBuilder, Maya or 3DsMax)
Excellent skinning skills
High proficiency in technical problem solving
A good understanding of anatomy and human motion
Advanced scripting skills
At least 1 current gen title released working as a Technical Animator
Good communication skills and experience working in a team environment
A desire to push animation in video-games to new levels of believability

Desired Qualifications
An accomplished knowledge of Motion Builder and Maya
Experience working with ragdoll set-ups (ideally within Havok).
Experience creating high and low res facial rigs
Experience of scripting with Python
Basic animation skills
Experience of SDK plugin development
Experience working with procedural, additive, layered animation and animation state trees
Experience working with Moven/Xsens suits and/or IPISoft
Experience working with agile/scrum development methodology
A keen gamer who keeps up to date with industry related developments

To apply for this position please register below with a detailed CV and cover letter. Apply as soon as possible as we review applications continuously. All further information is provided under non-disclosure agreement only. All applicants are required to relocate to work full-time in Stockholm.

Our values
At Avalanche Studios, we believe in worlds without limits, and we are committed to develop a diverse and inclusive workplace. We strive to hire great talent from a variety of backgrounds. Being part of our world is not contingent on where you’re from, your gender, or sexual orientation. It’s all about your passion, courage and craftsmanship.

Stockholm Studio
Our state of the art studio is located in the beautiful area of Södermalm, in the center of Stockholm and the Game industry Hub. Our studio is a beautiful place inspired by our catalog of games, from the lush jungle of a lobby (Just Cause) to the corroded steel beams housing the light fixtures above your new workplace (Mad Max). We hope you’ll come to think of this place as your home turf and creative foundation.