Gameplay Animator; Mentor

Position: Gameplay Animator (Mentor)

M3DS Academy is looking for an experienced Gameplay Animator to guide students through personalized 1-on-1 mentorship.

You’ll help aspiring animators create expressive, believable character movement and understand how animation functions in a real-time game environment. Projects may include locomotion, combat, traversal, and implementation in Unreal Engine.

What you’ll do

• Provide animation critiques focused on posing, timing, spacing, weight, and body mechanics.
• Guide locomotion, combat, traversal, and transition workflows.
• Demonstrate animation polishing and motion capture cleanup where relevant.
• Help students implement animation using Animation Blueprints, State Machines, Blend Spaces, and Montages.
• Explain root motion, in-place animation, retargeting, and animation layering.
• Support project planning, reel development, and portfolio breakdowns.

What we’re looking for

• Professional experience in gameplay animation, character animation, or technical animation.
• A reel demonstrating strong character movement and animation for games.
• Practical experience with Maya or another professional animation package.
• Experience implementing animation in Unreal Engine.
• Strong animation fundamentals and an understanding of gameplay responsiveness.
• The ability to explain workflows and provide constructive feedback in English.

Motion Matching, Control Rig, or motion capture experience is an advantage. Previous mentorship experience is welcome, but not required.

What we offer

• Fully remote freelance collaboration, a flexible schedule coordinated with students, and a place in the M3DS mentor network.
• Further workshops, masterclasses, and educational collaborations may be available.