Head of Animation - Nekki - game developer and publisher

Nekki is a game development studio with over 20 years of experience, focusing on product quality and player experience within the action game genres. Nekki is also the creator of Cascadeur, software for creating realistic action animation in films and games.

We are currently looking for a Head of Animation to lead our PC/Console animation direction, including working closely with the animation team on our flagship project – SPINE.

SPINE is made with Unreal Engine 5 and centered around cinematic gun-fu shootouts. It’s a third-person beat’em’up with a full set of PC gaming features, including a deep storyline, a unique setting, cutscenes, intriguing enemies, memorable bosses, character progression, and, most importantly, breathtaking battles with a wide array of firearms.

Responsibilities:

• Manage animation teams by conducting regular performance reviews, providing constructive feedback, and supporting professional development.
• Work closely with team leads, providing guidance and nurturing their professionalism and animation lead skills.
• Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams across different project departments, looking for ways to optimize production of animations.
• Monitor industry in search of new tech and approaches that could help studio with animation production.
• Work closely as animation expert with game designers to help teams develop needed features, including 3C (Character, Camera, Controls), combat systems and weapon animations etc.
• Works with producers and art direction to define the production plan, break down tasks for the team, assign priorities, and monitor progress.
• Review project animations based on gameplay requirements, style and quality requirements, and feedback.
• Troubleshoot animation-related project issues, improve animation pipelines and tools, and optimize workflows to enhance teams efficiency.

What we are looking for:

• 5+ years of experience animating characters for video games.
• Experience working on AA/AAA titles.
• Proven experience leading and mentoring large animation teams (10+ animators).
• Strong understanding of various animation systems and approaches, from keyframe animation to animation graphs, motion capture etc.
• Strong proficiency in Autodesk Maya and Unreal Engine 5. Knowledge of Cascadeur is a strong plus.
• Excellent problem-solving and communication skills.
• Good command of English.
• Fluent communication in Russian is required.

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