Character Animation Lead

Character Animation Lead

Epic Games is looking for a Character Animation Director to join our Special Projects team to help drive the vision and execution of character animation across experimental and gameplay-driven prototypes. You will combine strong animation fundamentals with technical fluency in Unreal Engine to build responsive, expressive, and scalable animation systems. You will act as a bridge between animation and engineering - helping to define workflows, shape systems, and solve complex problems at the intersection of gameplay and motion. This role requires both hands-on creation and leadership: setting quality bars, guiding others, and helping a small team move quickly without sacrificing clarity or craft.
Lead the creation and implementation of high-quality, gameplay-driven animation in Unreal Engine. Prototype and iterate on new approaches to character movement, responsiveness, and player-driven animation. Collaborate closely with engineers and technical designers to design scalable, flexible animation systems. Excite those around you with creative and clear thinking. Own animation quality and leadership across projects, ensuring a strong and consistent point of view. Translate gameplay needs into animation behaviors that feel intuitive and responsive. Debug and solve complex animation and integration issues in the engine. Contribute to and help evolve animation pipelines, tools, and workflows for rapid iteration. Mentor and support other animators, fostering a culture of curiosity, experimentation, and craft excellence.
Expert-level understanding of character animation principles, with the ability to deliver both realistic and stylized motion. Deep experience working in Unreal Engine, including Animation Blueprints, state machines, blending, and runtime systems. Strong understanding of gameplay animation - how input, timing, and responsiveness shape player experience. Proven ability to collaborate effectively with engineers and technical designers on complex, system-driven features. Experience building or contributing to animation systems (not just assets), including debugging and iteration in-engine. Comfort working in ambiguous, exploratory environments with rapid iteration cycles. Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to balance creative goals with technical constraints. Excellent communication and leadership skills. Experienced AAA development or equivalent real-time production environments.
Bonus Points: Experience with motion matching, procedural animation, or emerging animation technologies. Familiarity with Control Rig and runtime rigging workflows in Unreal Engine.
Epic Games deeply values diverse teams and an inclusive work culture, and we are proud to be an Equal Opportunity employer.