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Technical Animation Director

JOB TITLE: Technical Animation Director

LOCATION: Brno or Prague, Czech Republic

FUNCTION: Art/Animation

REPORTS TO: Studio Manager

CONTRACT: Permanent

What We Need:

We are looking for a talented Technical Animation Director who is articulate about the state of technical animation for modern AAA games, is a visionary for where game animation is heading over the next five years, is passionate about empowering technical animators, and is adept at problem solving for unexpected and unique challenges that come with proprietary tech. In addition, you will act as a hub and facilitator of technical knowledge for Engineering, Design, Animation and Art, and be a mentor for Lead Technical Animators and the Technical Animation team as they progress in their careers.

What You Will Do:

As the Technical Animator Director, you are responsible for the studio’s long term Technical Animation strategy, the overall development of our animation technology, and the mentoring of the technical animation team. You will review contemporary games and development practices as you create and drive the vision for the studio through mapping out a long term technical animation plan that includes; pipeline improvements and recommending new processes and tools that allow Hangar 13 to deliver state of the art systems and workflows that enable the animation group to create compelling, next gen AAA experiences.

• Help define, create and maintain the animation pipeline and toolsets from Maya/Motionbuilder to our game engine.
• Partner with the Animation Director, Leads and Engineers to help implement solutions and tools that increase animation quality and performance.
• Work directly with Animators, Technical Animators, Character TDs and engineers to troubleshoot our proprietary animation tools and pipelines.
• Author custom animation tools in Maya/Motionbuilder
• Grow and manage a team of technical animators and TDs.
• Tools development, training and documentation for the animation team

Who We Think Will Be A Good Fit:

• 10+ years game industry experience in technical animation
• Demonstrable experience designing and driving the implementation of real-time animation systems and technology.
• Expert knowledge of AAA animation pipelines, tools, software and 3rd party solutions
• Proficiency with dynamic IK, physics and rigging / animation for use with those systems
• Maya, Motionbuilder, MEL Scripting, Python, C# or programming experience
• Experience implementing animation in game engines such as Unreal, Unity, or other proprietary in-game animation engines with a thorough understanding of blend trees, IK, state machines, tagging, and scripting
• Knowledge of performance capture pipelines, processes and data manipulation
• Prior tools development, training and documentation experience.
• Experience with ragdoll/character physics setup
• Experience in a leadership and/or management role

Who We Are:

Hangar 13 is an internal 2K development studio based in four locations: Novato (California), Brighton (UK), and Brno & Prague (Czech Republic), working collaboratively as one team.

Each of our locations provides the opportunity to Bravely Create on big-budget, AAA console titles in a diverse and inclusive environment.

At Hangar 13, we want people driven by curiosity — Visionaries who aren’t afraid to explore new territory. Intrepid individuals who embrace the weird, the challenging, the unconventional.

We’re continuing to build a space that empowers you to take risks and redefine what’s possible,

Where your inquisitive nature is nourished —

A home for people who aren’t satisfied with what is, but who are obsessed by what could be.

So bring your talent,

Your unique point-of-view, Your fearless tenacity,

And together, we’ll Bravely Create.

Brno:

Located in the south-east part of the Czech Republic, just a 2-hour drive from Prague, 3 hrs from Budapest and mere 90 minutes from Vienna, surrounded by vineyards from the south-east and highlands from the north-west, Brno is a comfortable place to live and work. This Czech Republic´s second largest city offers everything you need without the big city rush - modern architecture, perfect cuisine, award-winning bars, and diverse countryside.

Prague:

Located in the heart of Europe, with its enchanting historical centre and magic energy, Prague is one of the world's most stunning cities. The Hangar 13 office is based in the city centre, just a few minutes from the Old Town and its famous astronomical clock. Cultural events, vibrant nightlife, sports and leisure time activities, beautiful nature – all just a few steps away.

Please note that 2K Games and its studios never uses instant messaging apps or personal email accounts to contact prospective employees or conduct interviews and when emailing, only use 2K.com, hangar13games.com and 2kczech.com accounts.