Animation Programmer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

General Information
Locations: Vancouver - Great Northern Way, British Columbia, Canada

• Location: Los Angeles - Chatsworth
• State: California
• Country: United States of America

Role ID
214760
Worker Type
Regular Employee
Studio/Department
EA Studios - Respawn
Work Model
Hybrid
Description & Requirements
Electronic Arts creates next-level entertainment experiences that inspire players and fans around the world. Here, everyone is part of the story. Part of a community that connects across the globe. A place where creativity thrives, new perspectives are invited, and ideas matter. A team where everyone makes play happen.
Founded in 2010 by the original creators of the Call of Duty Franchise, Respawn was created with the philosophy that when talented people have creative freedom, they'll make extraordinary games that achieve the unexpected. From our roots as an indie studio to joining the expansive roster of studios at Electronic Arts, this remains our guiding principle. We truly love what we do and want to share our passion with players worldwide. Our shipped titles include critically acclaimed multi-platform games Apex Legends, Titanfall, Titanfall 2, Star Wars™ Jedi: Fallen Order, Star Wars™ Jedi: Survivor and Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond. Join us for the opportunity to create groundbreaking games with some of the best developer talent in the industry.
You can learn more about our studio and values at respawn.com/studio.
Respawn Entertainment is seeking an Outsourcing Support Animator to support Apex Legends. This hybrid role sits at the intersection of external development, hands-on gameplay animation, and production coordination.
You will coordinate with internal and external animation partners delivering animation content while ensuring daily feedback, internal approvals to ensure that assets and experiences are aligned with Apex's quality bar and gameplay expectations. In addition, you will be responsible for hands-on implementation, and integration of external content.
What You'll Do...
External Vendor Leadership & Daily Feedback

• Own day-to-day communication with external animation vendors
• Provide clear, structured, and actionable feedback aligned with Apex animation direction
• Partner with Animation Leadership to define briefs, reference packages, and quality targets
• Track vendor deliverables across sprints and milestones
• Manage revision cycles and approval tracking
• Identify quality, scope, or schedule risks and escalate proactively

Internal Alignment & Approval Management

• Drive internal review and approval processes for outsourced animation
• Ensure Animation Leads, Design, Tech Animation, and Engineering are aligned before content lock
• Interface closely with Production to maintain schedules, priorities, and milestone targets
• Provide visibility into vendor progress, risks, and forecasted delivery timelines
• Help balance roadmap priorities with vendor capacity

Gameplay Animation & Mocap Collaboration

• Block and prototype animations to establish timing and gameplay intent when needed
• Assist in coordinating motion capture sessions and reference assets
• Provide performance notes and help shape capture objectives
• Review vendor work in-engine to ensure gameplay clarity, responsiveness, and performance standards
• Execute targeted polish passes on high-priority content as needed

Implementation, Integration & Pipeline Health

• Export, ingestion, and validation of animation assets in-engine
• Ensure naming conventions, rig compatibility, and version control standards are upheld
• Coordinate with Tech Animation and Engineering to resolve integration issues
• Maintain and update animation briefs, documentation, and tracking systems
• Contribute to process improvements that scale Apex's external development pipeline

Ideally, You Have...

• 5+ years of game animation experience, including external development collaboration
• Shipped at least one AAA title (FPS or action preferred)
• Experience managing or directly leading outsourced animation partners
• Strong understanding of mocap workflows and gameplay animation systems
• Experience partnering closely with Production to maintain schedule integrity
• Familiarity with SOW creation, scope planning, and milestone tracking
• Knowledge of Maya, MotionBuilder and engine integration workflows
• Experience working within Jira or similar production tracking tools
• Experience in a live-service development environment

Why This Role Matters...
Apex Legends operates on a fast-paced live-service cadence with high gameplay readability standards. This role ensures external animation support scales effectively while maintaining Respawn's quality bar, schedule discipline, and cross-team alignment.
You will act as the connective tissue between external partners, internal animation teams, and production, ensuring outsourced content integrates seamlessly into the game.
Pay Transparency - North America
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS
The ranges listed below are what EA in good faith expects to pay applicants for this role in these locations at the time of this posting. If you reside in a different location, a recruiter will advise on the applicable range and benefits. Pay offered will be determined based on a number of relevant business and candidate factors (e.g. education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, or business needs).
PAY RANGES
* British Columbia (depending on location e.g. Vancouver vs. Victoria) *$92,900 - $129,200 CAD
* California (depending on location e.g. Los Angeles vs. San Francisco) *$104,400 - $157,400 USD
Pay is just one part of the overall compensation at EA.
In the US, we offer a package of benefits including paid time off (3 weeks per year to start), 80 hours per year of sick time, 16 paid company holidays per year, 10 weeks paid time off to bond with baby, medical/dental/vision insurance, life insurance, disability insurance, and 401(k) to regular full-time employees. Certain roles may also be eligible for bonus and equity.
For Canada, we offer a package of benefits including vacation (3 weeks per year to start), 10 days per year of sick time, paid top-up to EI/QPIP benefits up to 100% of base salary when you welcome a new child (12 weeks for maternity, and 4 weeks for parental/adoption leave), extended health/dental/vision coverage, life insurance, disability insurance, retirement plan to regular full-time employees. Certain roles may also be eligible for bonus and equity.
About Electronic Arts
We're proud to have an extensive portfolio of games and experiences, locations around the world, and opportunities across EA. We value adaptability, resilience, creativity, and curiosity. From leadership that brings out your potential, to creating space for learning and experimenting, we empower you to do great work and pursue opportunities for growth.
We adopt a holistic approach to our benefits programs, emphasizing physical, emotional, financial, career, and community wellness to support a balanced life. Our packages are tailored to meet local needs and may include healthcare coverage, mental well-being support, retirement savings, paid time off, family leaves, complimentary games, and more. We nurture environments where our teams can always bring their best to what they do.
Electronic Arts is an equal opportunity employer. All employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, genetic information, religion, disability, medical condition, pregnancy, marital status, family status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We will also consider employment qualified applicants with criminal records in accordance with applicable law. EA also makes workplace accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities as required by applicable law.