Lead Animator

Full Time Job
Location: London, United Kingdom

Rocksteady Studios is an award-winning, critically acclaimed video game developer. Founded in 2004, we are home to the widely celebrated Batman: Arkham series of games. Our philosophy for game development is all about treating people well to create quality entertainment that stands the test of time. We're a one-project studio that built our success by combining genre-defining gameplay and character-driven cinematic narrative with AAA production values. Born in the heart of London, our multicultural team takes inspiration from the culture and history of our home in one of the most diverse cities in the world.

Your New Role...

Rocksteady Studios is looking to add to its family of permanent staff. We are looking for a Lead Animator who is ready for the challenge of leading a team of world-class Gameplay Animators towards our next 90+ Metacritic title while enforcing and informing the Animation Director's vision of the project, holding reviews and providing feedback to the team, leading-by-example, and pushing the boundaries of animation in video games.

Your Role Accountabilities...
• Responsible for managing and developing the individuals within the Gameplay Animation team to ensure they are achieving the best results, are happy, and set up to excel within the studio.
• Work closely with the Animation Director to Lead the Gameplay Animation teams to produce world-class animation for our titles, which will include dedicating a portion of time throughout the milestones to produce content for the game.
• Responsible for working with the production team to create schedules/roadmaps for the Gameplay Animation teams, delivering across the stages of the project.
• Manage the Gameplay Animation backlogs, bugs, and risks in an effective manner, to ensure the smooth running of the department throughout the project.
• Scope, manage, and run the Outsource plans for Gameplay Animation when required. This will include:
• Assembling benchmark internal asset packs and documentation.
• Quality control and providing clear and regular feedback.
• Liaise with key members of staff and dependency departments, to identify workflow issues and potential requirements.
• Oversee the creation and maintenance of all relevant documentation for the project(s), including naming & terminology for all gameplay animation assets and folder structures.

Qualifications
& Experience...
• Extensive experience in Gameplay Animation within a Leadership position
• An exceptional eye for detail
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, including morale, influence, motivation and the ability to write clear, detailed documentation.
• Able to work well on your own to develop ideas, vision, and direction for the team, as well as work as part of the larger team.
• Self-motivated to learn new techniques and methods.
• Unreal Engine 4 experience a plus
• Solid working experience of Motion Builder a plus
• Solid working practices in Excel, JIRA, Confluence, Slack, and Shotgun a plus
• Good working knowledge of 3DSMax desirable
• Experience in leading/managing outsource teams desirable
• A keen interest in developing and executing high-quality Facial animation is advantageous desirable

If you don't fit all the requirements, we encourage you to still apply.

How We Get Things Done…

This last bit is probably the most important! Here at WBD, our guiding principles are the core values by which we operate and are central to how we get things done. You can find them at www.wbd.com/guiding-principles/ along with some insights from the team on what they mean and how they show up in their day to day. We hope they resonate with you and look forward to discussing them during your interview.

The Legal Bits…

Warner Bros. Discovery embraces the opportunity to build a workforce that reflects the diversity of our society and the world around us. Being an equal opportunity employer means that we take seriously our responsibility to consider qualified candidates on the basis of merit, regardless of sex, gender identity, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, religion or belief, marital status, pregnancy, parenthood, disability or any other category protected by law.

If you're a qualified candidate with a disability and you need a reasonable accommodation in order to apply for this position, please contact us at recruitadmin@warnermedia.com.