Job Overview

• Company Name : Second Star Games
• Job Title : Senior Animator
• Location : Warrington, Cheshire, UK
• Job Type : Full-Time / Permanent
• Salary Range : Competitive (Estimated £55,000 – £75,000 based on UK Senior benchmarks)
• Work Model : Hybrid (Tue–Thu In-Studio
• Core Hours : 10:00 – 16:00 (Flexible around these times)
• Project Focus : Neverland: A Peter Pan Adventure

Second Star Games is a rising star in the UK games industry, currently embarking on an ambitious journey to reimagine one of the most beloved stories in literary history. We are seeking a visionary Senior Animator to help us build “Neverland: A Peter Pan Adventure.” This project is more than just a game; it is an invitation to explore a world of wonder, danger, and timeless magic.

As a Senior Animator, you won’t just be moving joints in Maya—you will be the soul of our characters. You will define how Peter flies, how Hook schemes, and how the creatures of Neverland interact with a world designed for exploration and discovery. Based in our Warrington studio, you will join a team that values craftsmanship, expressive storytelling, and the “hand-keyed” touch that brings a unique charm to family-friendly adventures.

The Vision: Neverland: A Peter Pan Adventure

At Second Star Games, we are focused on creating high-quality, expressive, and family-friendly worlds. Our current project requires an animation style that balances the fluid, exaggerated physics of a magical island with the grounded emotional weight of a narrative-driven adventure. We believe that movement is the purest form of storytelling, and as a Senior member of the team, you will be the primary architect of that movement.

Key Responsibilities

1. Character & Creature Animation

You will lead the animation effort across all facets of the game. This includes:

• Locomotion & Traversal: Creating the iconic movement sets for characters navigating the diverse terrain of Neverland.

• Combat & Action: Developing snappy, responsive, and visually satisfying combat animations that feel “right” in the player’s hands.

• Emotive Performance: Breathing life into cinematic sequences and in-game dialogue moments through high-fidelity facial and body acting.

2. Technical Integration & Collaboration

Animation does not exist in a vacuum. You will act as a bridge between multiple departments:

• Design: Working closely with Level and Gameplay Designers to ensure that animations support the “feel” of the game and provide necessary gameplay cues.

• Engineering: Collaborating with programmers to implement animations using state machines, blend trees, and Animation Blueprints within Unreal Engine 5.

• Art: Ensuring that the character silhouettes and deformations hold up under the rigors of real-time movement.

3. Iteration & Prototyping

You will drive the creative process by:

• Capturing your own reference footage and conducting motion studies.

• Rapidly prototyping movement sets to test gameplay mechanics early in the development cycle.

• Taking full ownership of the animation pipeline, from initial block-out to final polish.

What We Are Looking For

Professional Experience

• Proven Track Record: At least one shipped title on Console or PC in a professional capacity.

• Software Mastery: Expert-level proficiency in Autodesk Maya.

• Engine Knowledge: Experience with Unreal Engine 5 (UE5) is highly preferable, specifically regarding the technical implementation of animation assets.

Artistic Excellence

• Hand-Keyed Specialist: While mocap has its place, we are looking for an artist who excels at hand-keyed animation. We want that “crafted” feel that perfectly captures the personality and physics of a fantastical world.

• The 12 Principles: A profound understanding of timing, spacing, squash and stretch, and weight. Your work should demonstrate a mastery of these fundamentals in a real-time context.

• Versatility: A showreel that displays a range of work, including high-energy gameplay loops and subtle, nuanced cinematic performances.

Mindset

• Self-Starter: You don’t wait for a task list. You see where quality can be pushed and you take the initiative to improve it.

• Storyteller: You have a passion for characters and a deep interest in how movement can convey a story to a wide, family-friendly audience.

Benefits & Ways of Working

Second Star Games believe in a work-life balance that respects your time while fostering the collaborative energy that only happens when a team is in the same room.

• Hybrid Flexibility: Second Star Games gather in the Warrington studio from Tuesday to Thursday to collaborate and brainstorm. Mondays and Fridays are at your discretion—whether you prefer the quiet of your home office or the buzz of the studio.

• Core Hours: Second Star Games core hours are 10:00 to 16:00, allowing you to tailor your start and end times to fit your personal life, school runs, or commute.

• Financial Security: A 4% company pension scheme and EMI Share Options for eligible employees, giving you a real stake in the success of the studio.

• Generous Leave: 25 days of holiday plus all UK Bank Holidays.

• Top-Tier Tech: We provide high-specification hardware and the latest software licenses so you can focus on your craft without technical hurdles.

Why Warrington?

Located between the creative hubs of Manchester and Liverpool, our Warrington studio offers the perfect balance of accessibility and local charm. It’s a fantastic base for those who want to work on world-class AAA-quality projects without the daily grind of a central London commute.

How to Apply

If you are ready to take the Second Star Games to the right and work on a project that will define your career, we want to hear from you. Please submit your CV along with a stunning showreel that highlights your best character and gameplay work.