Lead Technical Animator – Gears of War – The Coalition

The Coalition is a Microsoft first-party development studio located in Vancouver, Canada. We are the official home of the Gears of War franchise, and our objective is to forge the future of the IP and push the limits of Microsoft’s entertainment platforms and devices. Our team is comprised of deep creative and technical talent from across our industry and beyond, working cohesively to delight our fan base and pass expectations of what is possible. As a studio, we lead from our values and work together to promote respect and inclusion, a growth mindset, G.R.I.T (Guts, Resourcefulness, Initiative & Tenacity), all while putting our team first! Join us and let’s go far together! 

The Lead Cinematic Technical Animator is accountable for partnering with peers in the studio to develop and maintain our cinematic and runtime narrative animation systems. They are expected to lead a team of technical animators providing support of the cinematic animation and layout teams to implement the narrative and creative direction. Strong communication skills and a collaborative outlook are critical for this role.

• Collaborate with animation leads, and engineers in the design and implementation of real-time cinematic workflows, tools and pipeline, with a particular focus on transitions between gameplay states and cinematics, as well as narrative moments during gameplay
• Collaborate with the Cinematic Director to implement the overall creative direction of our product
• Collaborate with the production team to estimate and plan work, identify dependencies etc.
• Lead and manage the cinematic technical animation team
• Support the cinematic team with any technical animation issues they may have
• Be a positive and creative force in the team, working in a manner that supports and encourages a diverse and inclusive culture

• Must have 5+ years of experience in AAA video game development, working with real-time cinematic animation systems
• Real-time engine experience, ideally in Unreal
• Experience creating Unreal blueprints, and working with Sequencer/Matinee is a major benefit
• Experience with Python is a benefit
• Self-motivated, creative problem solver, great communicator
• Ability to give and receive constructive feedback
• Passion for the industry and an understanding of industry trends and technologies

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or the recruiting process, please send a request via the Accommodation request form.

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