CD PROJEKT RED is seeking an experienced Cinematic Animation Lead to join the development team working on The Witcher 4—the first entry in a new saga within the globally celebrated Witcher franchise. This leadership position plays a central role in shaping the emotional depth, storytelling quality, and cinematic realism of character-driven scenes in one of the most anticipated open-world RPG projects currently in production.
The Cinematic Animation Lead will guide a team responsible for delivering high-quality cinematic performances across narrative sequences while ensuring animation direction aligns with the tone, atmosphere, and storytelling traditions of the Witcher universe. The role blends artistic leadership, pipeline optimization, team mentorship, and production coordination within a large-scale AAA development environment.
This position is ideal for senior animation professionals with strong cinematic storytelling instincts and proven experience leading animation teams on narrative-focused game titles.
Job Overview : Cinematic Animation Lead
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Company Name | CD PROJEKT RED |
| Position Title | Cinematic Animation Lead |
| Project | The Witcher 4 |
| Employment Type | Full-Time |
| Work Model | Hybrid / In-Office |
| Location | Warsaw, Poland |
| Experience Required | 8+ years (4+ years leadership) |
| Engine Requirement | Unreal Engine |
| Software Tools | MotionBuilder / Maya |
| Team Leadership | Yes |
| Industry Level | AAA Game Development |
| Salary Range | 31,800 – 43,800 PLN gross monthly |
| Additional Compensation | Stock incentive eligibility |
Role Responsibilities
The Cinematic Animation Lead contributes both creatively and technically across multiple production areas, ensuring cinematic storytelling maintains consistent emotional impact throughout the player experience.
Cinematic Animation Direction
Primary responsibilities include:
- Delivering high-quality cinematic animation performances
- Supporting emotionally engaging character storytelling
- Maintaining animation consistency across narrative scenes
- Ensuring cinematic tone matches franchise expectations
- Supervising cinematic animation implementation across production milestones
These responsibilities help establish strong player immersion across story-driven gameplay sequences.
Cross-Department Collaboration
This leadership role involves close coordination with multiple disciplines across the studio pipeline.
Collaboration includes working with:
- Narrative teams
- Cinematic designers
- Production teams
- Animation directors
- Technical animation specialists
The Cinematic Animation Lead ensures cinematic animation integrates smoothly with storytelling systems and gameplay frameworks.
Pipeline Development & Workflow Optimization
Maintaining efficient cinematic animation pipelines is a key part of the role.
Responsibilities include:
- Refining cinematic animation workflows
- Supporting motion capture integration pipelines
- Improving animation review processes
- Maintaining consistent production standards
- Ensuring scalable animation delivery pipelines across the project
Pipeline improvements contribute directly to production efficiency across AAA development timelines.
Animation Scope Planning & Production Coordination
The Cinematic Animation Lead participates in planning animation delivery capacity across project phases.
Key responsibilities include:
- Estimating animation production scope
- Managing animation backlog priorities
- Supporting production milestone scheduling
- Aligning animation goals with narrative pacing
- Coordinating cinematic performance requirements with directors
Effective planning ensures cinematic animation delivery remains aligned with project timelines.
Leadership & Team Mentorship
This position includes full leadership responsibility for the cinematic animation team.
Leadership responsibilities include:
- Mentoring cinematic animators
- Conducting regular 1-to-1 performance meetings
- Supporting career development planning
- Overseeing recruitment and onboarding processes
- Creating a collaborative and supportive team culture
Strong mentorship ensures long-term animation team growth and production consistency.
Communication & Stakeholder Alignment
The Cinematic Animation Lead maintains transparent communication across departments and leadership groups.
Responsibilities include:
- Presenting progress updates to stakeholders
- Supporting production reviews
- Identifiying and resolving workflow blockers
- Aligning animation objectives with narrative direction
- Maintaining documentation clarity across pipelines
Clear communication ensures smooth coordination across large-scale AAA production teams.
Applicants should demonstrate strong cinematic storytelling experience combined with leadership-level production expertise within AAA game development environments.
Core Experience Requirements
Candidates must have:
- Minimum 8+ years animation experience in game development
- At least 4+ years in leadership roles
- Experience working on shipped AAA narrative-driven titles
- Proven ability leading cinematic animation production teams
- Strong portfolio demonstrating cinematic storytelling expertise
Experience with performance-driven animation is essential for success in this role.
Technical Requirements
The position requires advanced production-level familiarity with modern cinematic animation tools.
Applicants should demonstrate:
- Professional expertise with Unreal Engine
- Experience using MotionBuilder or Maya pipelines
- Strong understanding of motion capture workflows
- Experience improving cinematic animation pipelines
- Familiarity with animation production tools integration
These technical capabilities support efficient cinematic storytelling implementation.
Storytelling & Cinematography Understanding
The Cinematic Animation Lead plays a central role in maintaining narrative performance authenticity.
Candidates should demonstrate:
- Strong cinematic composition understanding
- Expertise in performance-based animation storytelling
- Experience delivering emotionally impactful scenes
- Knowledge of interactive cinematography principles
- Ability to translate narrative tone into animation direction
Narrative sensitivity ensures cinematic animation supports player immersion throughout the experience.
Work Model & Studio Environment
This role is based in Warsaw and offers a hybrid or in-office work structure depending on team collaboration needs.
Working at CD PROJEKT RED provides access to:
- Large-scale AAA RPG production pipelines
- Cross-disciplinary international collaboration
- Narrative-focused cinematic production environments
- Advanced motion capture workflows
- Long-term franchise development opportunities
Warsaw serves as one of Europe’s leading game development hubs with strong international studio presence.
The estimated compensation range for this role is:
31,800 – 43,800 PLN gross per month
Final compensation depends on:
- Leadership experience level
- AAA project history
- Cinematic storytelling expertise
- Pipeline development contributions
- Motion capture workflow specialization
Additional compensation benefits include:
- Eligibility for long-term stock incentive programs
- Private medical healthcare packages
- Life insurance coverage
- Mental health support services
- Sports and wellness memberships
- Family-support initiatives
- Professional training programs
- Access to internal learning platforms
These benefits support long-term professional stability and creative growth.
CD PROJEKT RED promotes a collaborative international environment designed to support both creativity and employee well-being.
Additional studio perks include:
- Onsite gym facilities with climbing wall
- Yoga and boxing classes
- Dog-friendly office environment
- Bicycle infrastructure support
- Electric vehicle charging stations
- Flexible dress code culture
- Knowledge-sharing workshops
- Social studio events and gatherings
These initiatives contribute to maintaining a supportive AAA production environment.
Career Impact Opportunity
Joining CD PROJEKT RED as a Cinematic Animation Lead on The Witcher 4 provides the opportunity to shape cinematic storytelling in one of the industry’s most influential RPG franchises while leading animation quality standards across a major next-generation narrative experience.
CD PROJEKT RED hiring Cinematic Animation Lead, Poland
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