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Lead Animator

Job Description

The Lead Animator will lead a team tasked with bringing to life the characters who inhabit the world of our upcoming, stylized game. The Lead Animator will have a solid understanding of current AAA-quality animation techniques and software. They will possess excellent communication skills in order to collaborate with their team both in-house and overseas as well as the other leads and directors. They will be responsible for setting an example through creating beautiful and believable animations, taking them from blockout to implementation to final polish. The Lead Animator will manage the day to day operation of the Animation team. They are expected to maintain quality and artistic consistency as defined by the Art Director.

This is a full time salary position. Work may be performed remotely within the continental US, or per our hybrid work model in the greater Boston area (Tues/Thurs in our office and other 3 days per week WFH). Relocation assistance is available.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development of the Animation pipeline to deliver high quality, competitive assets
• Manage day to day operations of the Animation Team: content reviews, establishing deliverables, and working as the direct manager of the members of the team
• Lead by example: Take direct ownership over the creation of some of the animation tasks
• Mentor Animators, help them grow and achieve their personal goals
• Maintain the art direction and the core vision of the game while keeping the Animation Team motivated, inspired, and productive
• Actively participate in technical and aesthetic problem solving discussions
• Monitor the needs of design, art and engineering to ensure clean handoff for assets
• Tracking the progress of assigned animation tasks and communicating any blockers the team may have

Qualifications

• Candidates must have a US work permit or citizenship.
• Experience shipping a game as a Senior or Lead Animator
• A portfolio that demonstrates a strong animation skillset with a variety of character types, including humans, quadrupeds, environmental props and creatures
• Maya proficiency
• Knowledge of current game industry Animation trends, technologies, rigging, tools pipelines, performance trade-offs and interdepartmental dependencies
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to effectively coordinate with producers, programmers, designers, as well as artists
• Curiosity, kindness, and a positive and professional can-do attitude

Nice to Haves

• Shipped a game with stylized art and animation
• Experience with Unreal Engine 4 / 5
• Mocap experience or experience with Motion Builder
• Video editing experience with Premier, After Effects, or similar
• Scripting experience (Mel, Python, or visual / Blueprint)
• Experience implementing or adding animations to state machines and adjusting blends
• Rigging experience
• 2D animation experience
• Experience leading teams

Additional Information

• 100% company paid medical, dental, and vision plans available - for employees and dependents
• 401K with matching
• Company paid long & short term disability plans, and life insurance
• Profit sharing plan
• Unlimited PTO and flexible schedule
• Environmental company paid offset of employees’ carbon footprint via Wren.co
• Some positions available for Remote work
• Positions worked in office are hybrid: M/W/F work from home & T/Th work in office, with lunch provided on the in office days
• Dog friendly office
• Many opportunities for advancement as our team grows and takes on new challenges

The Molasses Flood is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to embracing and celebrating diverse thoughts and backgrounds throughout our organization. Employment at The Molasses Flood is based on ability – not an individual’s race, creed, color, religion, sex or gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin or ancestry, alienage or citizenship status, physical or mental disability, pregnancy, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, status as a victim of domestic violence or sex offenses, reproductive health decisions, or any other characteristics protected by applicable law. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment.

Company Description

The Molasses Flood is the newest member of the CD PROJEKT group, and is located in Boston, MA. We were founded by industry veterans in 2014, and since then have created The Flame in the Flood and Drake Hollow. We’re currently working on an ambitious and exciting new project and are growing our team across all departments. We value every voice on the team, open communication and transparency, and run a studio based on mutual respect and kindness between all members and levels of the team. If this sounds like the type of team you’d like to be a part of, we encourage you to apply. If you require any specific accommodations as part of our application process, please let us know so we can try to provide for your needs.