Technical Animator

Description

This client is developing next-generation animated avatars to support employee training and accessibility initiatives through real-time 3D character experiences in Unreal Engine. We are seeking a skilled Technical Animator with expertise in Unreal Engine, Meta Human workflows, Control Rig development, and motion-capture integration.

The ideal candidate will have a strong experience in character animation and rigging, with specialized experience creating realistic and expressive hand, finger, and upper-body movements. This role is critical to the development of characters where precision, natural motion, and character believability are essential.

Key Responsibilities

· Import, retarget, clean, and optimize motion-capture data for real-time playback in Unreal Engine.

· Design, build, and maintain animation rigs and Control Rigs for Meta Human and Unreal-based characters.

· Create and refine highly detailed hand and finger animations that support accurate sign language communication and natural character performance.

· Develop facial animation assets including expressions, eye gaze behaviors, and idle states.

· Implement and maintain Animation Blueprints, Blend Spaces, Montages, State Machines, and animation layers within Unreal Engine.

· Prototype and iterate on signing gestures, transitions, conversational behaviors, and avatar interactions.

· Collaborate with engineers, designers, and accessibility specialists to ensure animation quality and technical performance.

· Produce demos and visual assets for stakeholder reviews and deployment readiness.

· Establish animation standards, documentation, naming conventions, and pipeline best practices.

Additional

Skills & Qualifications

Required Qualifications

· 4+ years of experience in Technical Animation, Character Animation, Game Development, Virtual Production, or Interactive Media.

· Advanced proficiency in Unreal Engine animation systems, including Animation Blueprints, Control Rig, Blend Spaces, Montages, and Sequencer.

· Experience building and maintaining character rigs for Meta Human or Unreal Engine skeletons.

· Hands-on experience importing, retargeting, cleaning, and integrating motion-capture data.

· Strong understanding of character rigging, skinning, deformation, body mechanics, and animation principles.

· Demonstrated expertise animating realistic hands, fingers, gestures, and nuanced character performances.

· Proficiency in Maya, Blender, or comparable 3D animation software.

· Ability to rapidly prototype, iterate, and respond to technical and creative feedback.

Preferred Qualifications

· Experience with gesture-based communication.

· Experience creating Control Rigs specifically for hand articulation, finger posing, and detailed gesture animation.

· Knowledge of facial performance capture, FACS-based animation systems, and facial rig customization.

· Experience with Meta Human pipelines, including facial animation, retargeting, LOD management, and rig customization.

· Experience with virtual humans, digital avatars, or real-time character systems.

· Familiarity with Perforce or similar version control systems.

· Experience in AAA games, cinema tics, VFX, or virtual production environments.

The successful candidate will combine technical expertise with artistic animation skills to create believable, expressive avatar performances. Particular emphasis will be placed on the quality, accuracy, and realism of hand and finger movements that support natural sign language communication and accessibility-focused experiences.

Experience Level

Intermediate Level

Job Type & Location

This is a Contract position based out of Seattle, WA.

Pay and Benefits

The pay range for this position is $45.00 - $46.00/hr.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following:  - Medical, dental & vision
- Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital  - 401(k) Retirement Plan
- Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available
- Life Insurance…