BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENT, INC is hiring: Senior Rigging & Simulation Artist - Temp

Team Name: Cinematics

Job Title: Senior Rigging & Simulation Artist – Temp (SFD / Cinematics)

Requisition ID: R026504

Job Description:

Blizzard Entertainment’s Animation team is looking for a motivated and experienced senior character technical artist to join its award-winning cinematics department.

Are you a highly motivated artist who has built complex rigs and is capable of maintaining a high level of visual and technical quality for all characters? Do you have a passion for character CFX and a diligent technical mind to bring them to their full potential? We have a wide range of projects, and we are looking for a multifaceted artist with that can help round out our team.

This role is anticipated to be a hybrid work position, with some work on‑site and some work‑from‑home. The potential home studio for this role is Irvine, CA. However, we understand each person’s circumstances may be unique and will work with you to explore other possible options, including remote work arrangements.

This is roughly a 6‑month temporary position.

What You Bring to the Table

Priorities can often change in a fast‑paced environment like ours, so this role includes, but is not limited to, the following responsibilities:

You must have a strong understanding of anatomy, muscles, cloth/hair behavior, and be comfortable in a scripted environment. Experience with simulation rigs and directable shot sims for hair and cloth are a necessity. You must be attuned to the needs of a production pipeline and those of the animators we support. Our team works in an intensely art‑driven environment, so you must be able to work collaboratively with other departments including modeling, animation, FX, and lighting.

Minimum Requirements:

• 8+ years’ experience rigging characters in Maya, or similar software
• Previous experience working in feature film or a TV animation pipeline
• Experience in Python, MEL, C/C++, or other programming languages
• Strong communication skills

Knowledge & Skills

• Strong communication skills
• Ability to manage, share knowledge and experience
• Strong knowledge of character kinematics, deformations, and topology
• Knowledge of cutting‑edge character pipeline and workflow techniques
• High proficiency in technical problem solving

Extra Points:

• History of generating cloth/hair rigs and creating art directed shot simulations
• Thorough knowledge of layout, modeling, rigging, simulations, and animation tools and workflows currently used in the industry
• Knowledge on subjects such as Maya tool development and pipeline design
• Experience working in Houdini
• Experience rigging in Unreal
• Ability to generate tools to facilitate the rigging and simulation pipeline
• Passion for Blizzard Games and Cinematics

Required Application Materials

• Resume (PDF Preferred)
• Demo Reel and Shot Breakdown showing rigging/simulation and technical proficiency

Rewards

• Medical, dental, vision, health savings account or health reimbursement account, healthcare spending accounts, dependent care spending accounts, life and AD&D insurance, disability insurance
• 401(k) with Company match, tuition reimbursement, charitable donation matching
• Paid holidays and vacation, paid sick time, floating holidays, compassion and bereavement leaves, parental leave
• Mental health & wellbeing programs, fitness programs, free and discounted games, and a variety of other voluntary benefit programs like supplemental life & disability, legal service, ID protection, rental insurance, and others
• If the Company requires that you move geographic locations for the job, then you may also be eligible for relocation assistance

In the U.S., the standard base pay range for this role is $38.85 - $71.83 Hourly. These values reflect the expected base pay range of new hires across all U.S. locations. Ultimately, your specific range and offer will be based on several factors, including relevant experience, performance, and work location. Your Talent Professional can share this role’s range details for your local geography during the hiring process. In addition to a competitive base pay, employees in this role may be eligible for incentive compensation. Incentive compensation is not guaranteed. While we strive to provide competitive offers to successful candidates, new hire compensation is negotiable.

We are committed to working with and providing reasonable assistance to individuals with physical and mental disabilities. If you are a disabled individual requiring an accommodation to apply for an open position, please email your request to accommodationrequests@activisionblizzard.com. General employment questions cannot be accepted or processed here. Thank you for your interest.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status, among other characteristics.