TECHNICAL ANIMATOR

At Bespoke Pixel, we're all about creating something extraordinary. We’re a small, fully funded, independent studio working on a well-known IP, and we’re pushing boundaries when it comes to gameplay and quality. The role and your impact We are looking for a Technical Animator who is equal parts creative and technical. You will build and improve animation state machines and workflows, and adapt character rigs as the game evolves, helping our characters move with the quality, responsiveness and personality we aspire to. This is a hands on role with close daily collaboration across animation, game design, sound and engineering. Together, you will quickly find the right solutions for tight, fun gameplay loops. Because we are a small team in the startup phase, the role will not fit neatly inside one box. You should enjoy moving between animation, systems, tools and debugging, with the player experience as your primary measure of success. What you will do · Own animation systems: Develop, implement and evolve real time animation systems in Unreal Engine 5, including Animation Blueprints, state machines, blend spaces and transition logic. · Maintain character rigs: Adapt and update existing rigs as the game's needs evolve, applying good practices to keep them stable, efficient and easy to use. · Connect animation and gameplay: Work with gameplay programmers and designers to translate movement, abilities and interactions into responsive in game animation behaviour. · Improve tools and workflows: Create scripts, tools and pipeline improvements that remove repetitive work, reduce errors and help animators iterate faster from DCC tools to engine. · Solve and optimize: Diagnose issues across rigs, assets and runtime systems, then profile and improve performance without losing animation quality. · Support the team: Partner closely with animators, technical artists, designers and programmers, and share practical solutions that help the team move faster. What we are looking for We care more about what you have built and the judgment behind it than a precise number of years. Your profile will probably include: · Professional experience as a Technical Animator or in a closely related technical animation role for PC or console games, including work on at least one shipped title. · Strong practical experience with Unreal Engine animation systems, ideally Unreal Engine 5, including Animation Blueprints, state machines, blend spaces, retargeting and runtime debugging. · Experience maintaining character rigs, skinning and deformation systems in Maya or a comparable DCC package. · Scripting or programming experience in Python, Blueprint, C++ or similar, with the ability to create useful tools and automate workflows. · A solid understanding of animation pipelines, asset integration and performance constraints. · The ability to communicate clearly across animation, design and engineering and turn different disciplines' needs…