Character Animation Lead

About the role

Epic Games spans across 25 countries with 46 studios and 4,500+ employees globally. For over 25 years, we've been making award-winn

Responsibilities

• In this role, you will
• 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

Requirements

• Expert-level understanding of character animation principles, with the ability to deliver both realistic and stylized motion; experience with motion matching, procedural animation, or emerging animation technologies is a plus
• 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
• Animating in-engine using Unreal Engine animation tools; familiarity with Control Rig and runtime rigging workflows in Unreal 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
• Experienced AAA development or equivalent real-time production environments
• Excellent communication and leadership skills
• This role is open to multiple locations across the US (including CA & WA).
• Pay Transparency Information
• EPIC JOB + EPIC BENEFITS = EPIC LIFE
• California Base Pay Range
• $210,445 - $308,652 USD
• Washington Base Pay Range
• $191,313 - $280,592 USD

Benefits

Additional Information

WHAT MAKES US EPIC? At the core of Epic's success are talented, passionate people. Epic prides itself on creating a collaborative, welcoming, and creative environment. Whether it's building award-winning games or crafting engine technology that enables others to make visually stunning interactive experiences, we're always innovating. Being Epic means being a part of a team that continually strives to do right by our community and users. We're constantly innovating to raise the bar of engine and game development. ART What We Do Push your artistic talent to the limit on a team of world-class environment, character, and concept artists who strive to innovate and inspire.

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