Animation Director Jobs in San Rafael, CA (NOW HIRING)

As a Senior Gameplay Animator at Cloud Chamber, you will be part of a remarkably talented team of animators who are tasked with breathing life into the world of BioShock. You will be responsible for the creation of exemplary gameplay animations as well as implementation and optimization of your work in the Unreal Engine. You will work in close collaboration with a distributed group of developers, across disciplines, to set the standards that educate and inspire our team; ultimately bringing the world of BioShock to life.

What You'll Do:

• Create gameplay, AI, and scripted animation that matches the visual style of the game, using both keyframe and augmented mocap techniques. 
• Work closely with programmers and designers to support a multitude of features. 
• Collaborate with Senior Animators on complicated sets of animation data to fulfill various gameplay and AI systems.
• Participate in reviews with the gameplay team, give and receive constructive feedback.
• Communicate and collaborate with members of other disciplines as needed.
• Estimate the time required to carry out your own tasks and to meet deadlines.
• Provide knowledge and solutions for everyday animation challenges. 
• Work closely with programmers to establish and refine the animation pipeline.
• Develop high-quality gameplay animations that meet project standards and ensure animations align with the animation director's vision for the project.
• Collaborate with cross-disciplinary teams to integrate animations into the game.
• Problem-solve, debug, and optimize animations to ensure smooth gameplay experiences.
• Utilize exceptional knowledge to create and maintain gameplay and AI systems related to gameplay animation.
• Maintain a strong understanding of character performance, form, gestures, and silhouettes for both player characters and AI entities.
• Apply expertise in anatomy and caricature to enhance the visual appeal and believability of character animations.
• Excel in animating various elements, including the human bipedal figure, organic forms, quadrupedal creatures, and mechanical objects.
• Utilize motion capture data and hand-keyed facial animation techniques for realism.
• Engage in research, gather reference materials, and document findings to share with the team, aiding in animation development.
• Mentor, coach, and train more junior animators.  

What We'll Do Together:

At Cloud Chamber, we are champions of high standards, pushing for progress and embracing change. We will work closely and constructively across design, art, engineering, animation, and audio teams to realize our creative ambitions. Together, we will stay current on technological advancements and identify solutions to overcome developmental obstacles to deliver a unique, world-class, immersive AAA experience.

Skills & Experience:

• Previous experience as a Senior Animator on a AAA title.
• Exemplary skills in keyframe, stylized 3D animation, using Maya and/or Motion Builder. 
• Experience working in Unreal Engine for animation implementation and debugging.
• Strong understanding of character performance, form, gesture, and silhouette in regard to player character and AI.
• Excellent understanding of anatomy and caricature.
• Exceptional skills in animating the human bipedal figure, organic forms, quadrupedal, and mechanical objects.
• Exceptional knowledge of how to create and maintain gameplay and AI systems in game engines as they pertain to video game animation.
• Experience structuring & maintaining animation processes such as rigging or prototyping.
• Experience working with motion capture data and editing it.
• Excellent problem solving and debugging skills.
• Experience with hand key facial animation and tools such as Jali.
• A love for research, reference, and documenting your findings to share with the team.

Who You Are:

• A reliable, positive force multiplier, actively seeking opportunities to integrate work across disciplines and contribute to a healthy, supportive team environment.
• A solid communicator with excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to articulate complex ideas clearly, package information for diverse audiences, and deliver difficult feedback with empathy and professionalism.
• Experienced in working in cross-disciplinary teams with strong communication skills.
• Persistent and self-motivated with a proactive mindset.
• Able to maintain effectiveness and quality under pressure, ambiguity, and fast-changing priorities.
• An active listener able to build and maintain trust-based relationships across all levels of the organization, understand differing perspectives, and navigate organizational complexity with tact and emotional intelligence.
• Highly open to feedback and direction, possessing a desire to learn new skills, and capable of producing quick, quality revisions based on new insights or constraints.
• A strong ownership of tasks, striving to drive work forward autonomously while maintaining a critical eye for detail and organization, ensuring high standards of quality.
• Dedicated to upholding Cloud Chamber's core values, contributing to a positive and respectful company culture while striving for excellence in all endeavors.

Who We Are:

At Cloud Chamber we strive to make BioShock games that move people: evocative, immersive, and meaningful experiences that stay with you long after you've rolled credits. Great games are born from great collaborations, supported by a culture that brings out the best in our teams. We work openly, learn through play, take ownership, push ourselves to be better, and deliver for our players.

For candidates located in Quebec:
This position requires professional proficiency in both French and English. Proficiency in English is required to collaborate with our U.S. teams and international partners, as well as to handle specialized technical documentation (reading, writing, and communication).

#LI-Hybrid

The pay range for this position in California at the start of employment is expected to be between $100,200 and $148,320 per Year. However, base pay offered is based on market location, and may vary further depending on individualized factors for job candidates, such as job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and other objective business considerations. Subject to those same considerations, the total compensation package for this position may also include other elements, including a bonus and/or equity awards and eligibility to participate in our 401(K) plan and Employee Stock Purchase Program. Regular, full-time employees are also eligible for a range of benefits at the Company, including: medical, dental, vision, and basic life insurance coverage; 14 paid holidays per calendar year; paid vacation time per calendar year (ranging from 15 to 25 days) or eligibility to participate in the Company's discretionary time off program; up to 10 paid sick days per calendar year; paid parental and compassionate leave; wellbeing programs for mental health and other wellness support; family planning support through Maven; commuter benefits; and reimbursements for fitness-related expenses.