Character Animation Lead

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.

What You'll Do

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.

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 behaviours 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

What we're looking for

• 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
• Animating in engine using Unreal Engine animation tools
• 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

This role is open to multiple locations in North America.

EPIC JOB + EPIC BENEFITS = EPIC LIFE

Our intent is to cover all things that are medically necessary and improve the quality of life. We pay 100% of the premiums for both you and your dependents. Our coverage includes Medical, Dental, a Vision HRA, Long Term Disability, Life Insurance & a 401k with competitive match. We also offer a robust mental well-being program through Modern Health, which provides free therapy and coaching for employees & dependents. Throughout the year we celebrate our employees with events and company-wide paid breaks. We offer unlimited PTO and sick time and recognize individuals for 7 years of employment with a paid sabbatical.