Associate Character Director

Associate Character Director

Please note this is a hybrid role; On-Site work required in Orlando, FL studio.

As the Associate Character Director, you are part of a team focused on delivering amazing, best-in-class visual experiences. The focus will be Modeling, Rigging, and Animation techniques to create photo realistic\stylized visuals. Your position is a blend of art and technology where you will explore new ways to drive visual quality while researching technology to drive innovation (i.e., procedural workflows, AI, and ML driven solutions, etc.).

Responsibilities :

• Lead the Character domain production team of a project.
• support the production cycle by collaborating with Development Directors, Art Directors, Producers, Designers to help create the game’s features and create production roadmap.
• Work closely with the Sr Director of Characters, Principal Animation Director, Technical Leadership, and Partner Teams (A-Team, Create, SEED, Frostbite, etc.) to drive quality, efficiency, and innovation in the Character domain.
• In collaboration with the Sr Director of Characters, the focus of work will be high impact and strategic initiatives to drive the character domain forward with targeted deliverables for the project you lead.
• Partners with the Sr Director of Characters to ensure the creative/artistic quality standards of the studio are adhered to in overall Character domain production deliveries.
• Creates prototypes for previsualization and new IP in partnership with the Sr Director of Characters and team Art Directors to determine how to approach and achieve the desired look, both technically and artistically.
• provide feedback and guidance in refining character rigs, ensuring they meet the highest quality standards for photo-realism\stylize in AAA games.
• Collaborates closely with Sr Director of Characters, Animation Directors, and team Art Directors to establish Character, and animation visual targets and workflows for partner teams and outsourcing.
• Analyzes existing Character and animation workflows across multiple projects to propose improvements and drive alignment.
• In partnership with Technical Leadership, help develop cost-effective tools and techniques to empower the creativity for the animators to create amazing content and experiences.
• Consult with other studios in the company regarding research and development of Character/animation production and quality based on aligned direction and vision of the studio Sr Director of Characters.
• Partners with the Sr Director of Characters to develop a 3-Year Roadmap for quality and innovation for believable characters and performance.
• Stays current within the industry and the visual arts to ensure the studio is pioneering in the Character/animation domain and utilizing the industry-leading and/or leading-edge tools and processes.

Qualifications :

Incorporating both artistic and technical skills, the ideal candidate will have a background demonstrating an ability to drive quality and innovation through individual and collaborative efforts.

• Minimum of 8-10 years of professional experience as a Character lead, preferably in the gaming industry or a related field.
• Experience generating deformer training data for AI or ML applications is highly desirable.
• Comprehensive knowledge of several CG fundamentals such as modeling, texturing/shading/surfacing, Character, animation, lighting, and rendering.

• Proven ability to develop rigs and define topology standards for deformation quality and efficiency.

• Expert in human anatomy and human locomotion.

• Familiarity with many modern art software packages and expert understanding of at least one (Maya, Houdini, Substance, ZBrush, etc.)

• Expert level knowledge of FACS based facial shape modeling as well as corrective shapes for body Character.

• Mentor and provide guidance to junior Character artists, helping them expand their domain expertise and improve their skills.
• Write documentation for pipelines/tools created.
• Deep understanding of real-time game engine pipelines and a proven ability of delivering high quality assets while working within technical limitations.
• Ability to work independently, with minimal daily supervision.

• Possess passion, energy, enthusiasm to drive results, and highly action oriented.

• Flexible and agile: ability to adapt quickly and be effective in a highly dynamic environment.

• Able to collaborate successfully across teams and studios and effectively communicate messaging and vision.

This position provides an opportunity to contribute to the overall vision and success of the team. If you are a talented and experienced Associate Character Director who thrives in a fast-paced, innovative environment, we would love to hear from you.

Please include a portfolio or reel highlighting your character work with your application.