Senior Technical Animator (Tools & Pipeline)

Studio Gobo is an established AAA games studio, part of the Keywords family. Our team has worked on multiple world class projects for companies such as Guerrilla Games, Arkane, Warner Bros, Ubisoft, Disney and Tencent. Projects include LEGO Horizon Adventures, Redfall, Hogwarts Legacy, For Honor, Marvel Super Heroes: Guardians of the Galaxy and Star Wars: Rise Against the Empire playsets for Disney Infinity 3.0.

As a Technical Animator focused on tooling and pipelines, you’ll leverage your expertise in content construction and pipeline management to tackle complex challenges. You’ll drive the development of cutting-edge visuals, setting the standard for innovation and quality while contributing to the success of our games.

At Studio Gobo, we’re proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. We offer a comprehensive benefits package and an award-winning environment that support your growth and well-being. We've been recognized six times by GamesIndustry.Biz as one of the Best Mid-Sized Game Studios to work for in the U.K.

A Technical Animator at Studio Gobo...

• Grow and develop tooling and pipelines for the animation & rigging teams.

• Provide technical art and animation tool support for the animation team.

• Enforce asset organisation and standardisation.

• Analyse and troubleshoot all aspects of the animation pipeline.

• Work with animation team on optimization and performance strategies.

• Be the communication conduit between programming and art disciplines.

• Collaborate and share knowledge on latest advancements with other technical experts within the company.

• Participate in setting vision for content and tools and collaborate with engineers to develop cutting edge tools and technologies.

• Review / integrate animation solutions or help develop new ones.

• Advise the animation team on technical issues as they arise.

Things we'd love to see from you:

• Strong knowledge of Python development within a studio environment.

• Experience of Qt/PySide.

• Strong knowledge of the Maya API (Pymel/OpenMaya/Cmds).

• Eagerness to explore new techniques & approaches.

• Comfortable writing & deploying standalone Python tools.

• Experience working with version control systems like Perforce or Git.

• Experience of industry standard game engines such as Unreal Engine, Unity or Lumberyard.

• Deep understanding of an animator’s needs and requirements.

• Genuine interest in playing games.

Please also let us know if you have:

• Previously shipped a AAA title for desktop, console or mobile.

• C++ experience (either Maya and/or Unreal).

• Experience baking destruction to animation.

• Knowledge of physical based animation / motion matching.

• Machine learning knowledge.

• Experience working with source control APIs (perforce, git, ...).

Benefits

When you join Studio Gobo you can expect to enjoy a unique culture. Whether its relaxing with one of our wellness benefits, or discussing the latest games over lunch, cooked by our in-house chef. The Studio knows that it’s the best people that make the best games and this is what Studio Gobo invests in. Below you will find all the benefits and perks you can enjoy as a Studio Gobo team member.

• Holidays - 22 days’ annual leave entitlement, plus 3 days’ studio closure over the Christmas period, giving a total of 25 days paid annual leave plus all 8 UK bank holidays.
• Bonus Anniversary Holidays - An additional day of annual leave for each year’s anniversary working at Studio Gobo, to a maximum of 5 extra days!
• Generous Team Project Bonuses
• Visa & Relocation Package - For qualified employees, we will pay for the visa costs for you and your family. We will also provide you with a relocation allowance.
• Company Pension Scheme – Employer contribution matching award-winning pension scheme provided by NEST under the UK governments automatic enrolment scheme.
• Employee Share Purchase Plan (ESPP) - ESPP is an easy way for staff to get involved in entry level company ownership or make a small profit on savings.
• Private Medical Insurance Scheme – Full private medical cover provided by BUPA Private Healthcare.
• Group Life Insurance
• Private Dental Insurance Scheme – Full private dental cover provided under our Dental plan company scheme.
• Group Income Protection
• EAP - Employee Assistance Program that assists employees with personal problems and/or work-related problems that may impact their work, health, mental and emotional wellbeing.
• Volunteer Time Off ‘Studio Gobo in the Community’ – Spend one day per year on full pay volunteering for the non-profit organisation of your choice.
• Cycle & Tech Scheme – Receive up to £3000 worth of goodies as part of this salary sacrifice scheme.
• Eye-care Vouchers – Free eye tests.
• Train Travel Season Ticket Loan – Interest-free company loan to spread the cost of an annual season ticket.
• Health and Wellbeing Allowance - £50 per month to spend on your choice of a range of healthy activities.
• Fast Growing Studio – Plenty of room for career advancement
• Industry Conferences Budget – A generous annual studio conferences budget. Many of our employees benefit from attending conferences such as GDC, UnrealFest or SIGGRAPH, THU, Develop etc every year.

Perks

• Inspire & Motive Programme - Offering training opportunities, inspiring workshops and industry conferences.
• Free locally roasted Coffee & Speciality Teas
• Gobo Cereal Bar – Extensive granola, muesli and breakfast cereal selections.
• Full Chefs Kitchen & Equipment – Free use of our large full-sized chef’s kitchen ideal for whipping up a quick snack or a culinary feast.
• World Famous Free Lunches – Every Friday our studio enjoys a studio lunch together. Cooked in-house by our very own chef with meat, vegan and gluten free options available every week.
• Fresh Fruit & Healthy Snacks – Provided every day, with a suggestion board for new treats!
• Pastries, Cakes & Doughnuts – For the odd naughty pleasure.
• Soft Drinks Fridge – A large range of free chilled soft drinks.
• Gobo Beer & Wine Fridge – Free beers, ales and wine and even the odd gin and tonic! Grab a beer at our end of week Show and Tell sessions and see what everybody else in the company has been up to!
• In-house Social Clubs – There are lots of ways to socialise with your colleagues here! From day one you’re invited to join in clubs for D&D fans, board games, bouldering, drawing nights, yoga, cooking club – the list goes on and there is always space open for new members!
• Extensive Video Game & Book Library – Borrow a game, a book or even a whole console.
• Spacious Industrial Chic Studio Space – Many visitors comment on what an amazing studio space we have. We’ve invested a lot of time, thought and money into our studio. And we get to work in this space every day. Our working environment makes an incredible difference in our mood and productivity.
• Dogs with Jobs – Studio Gobo is a dog-friendly employer. Bring doggo into the studio to meet and hang out with the rest of the team any time!
• Project Wrap Parties, Cinema Nights & Team Nights Out – We work hard together so it’s good to let off steam and spend some time together seeing what the wonderful city of Brighton & Hove has to offer.
• Monthly Studio Social Nights – Once per month the studio plays host to the biggest party in Brighton & Hove (probably). The drinks fridge is open for all. Invite a loved one to join us for food, drinks and anything in an array of board games, Smash Bros tournaments or even a bit of karaoke.
• Summer Festival – Every year on a hot summer’s afternoon, we all leave work early to enjoy the sun with company organised pop-up diner, cocktail shack, bouncy castle, face painting and other fun amenities. The whole family is invited to spend the day coming to socialise with us, on us :)

Keywords Studios is dedicated to following a well-established Equal Opportunities Policy. We endeavour to create a workplace which provides for equal opportunities for all employees and potential employees.

PERSONAL DATA PROTECTION POLICY

By providing your information in this application, you understand that we will collect and process your information in accordance with our Applicant Privacy Notice. For more information, please see our Applicant Privacy Notice at https://www.keywordsstudios.com/en/applicant-privacy-notice .

Role Information: EN
Studio: Studio Gobo
Location: Europe, United Kingdom, Brighton
Area of Work: Game Development
Service: Create
Employment Type: Full time, Permanent
Working Pattern: In-office, Hybrid