Little Zoo | Senior Technical Animator

Little Zoo is an elite creative studio dedicated to pushing the boundaries of character performance and technical innovation. We are currently seeking a highly skilled, senior-level Unreal Engine Technical Animator to join our world-class remote team.

At Little Zoo, we believe that the bridge between a beautiful animation and a seamless in-game experience is built by technical experts. We are looking for an individual who possesses a deep mechanical understanding of character rigs, a mastery of Unreal Engine 5, and the scripting prowess to optimize workflows. If you thrive on solving complex implementation challenges and bringing digital characters to life through advanced physics and blueprints, we want to hear from you.

Technical Animator Job Overview

• Company Name: Little Zoo
• Position Title: Senior Technical Animator
• Employment Type: Full-Time
• Work Location: 100% Remote
• Core Technology: Unreal Engine 5, Autodesk Maya
• Experience Level: Senior (5+ Years)

Compensation & Industry Benchmarks

Little Zoo provides competitive compensation packages tailored to senior-level expertise. While final offers are dependent on the candidate’s specific geographic location and depth of technical skill, we align our ranges with global AAA remote standards.

Note: Final compensation is determined by project-related factors, years of shipped game experience, and the results of a technical rigging/implementation test.

The Mission: Technical Excellence in Motion

As a Senior Technical Animator at Little Zoo, you are the architect of character functionality. Your role is pivotal in ensuring that the artistic vision of our animation team translates perfectly into a performant, high-fidelity real-time environment. You will be responsible for the “heavy lifting” of asset setup, from complex vehicle rigging to the intricate nuances of cloth and hair simulation.

Core Responsibilities

• Engine Integration: Expertly set up assets within Unreal Engine 5, including the configuration of cloth simulations, physics bodies, and complex Animation Blueprints.
• Rigging Architecture: Design and maintain robust rigs for a diverse range of characters, environmental props, and complex vehicles.
• Aesthetic Refinement: Apply post-sculpts and corrective shapes to ensure character deformations remain high-quality across extreme ranges of motion.
• Cross-Departmental Collaboration: Act as the primary liaison between the Animation team and the Technical Art department to implement in-game assets flawlessly.
• Technical Troubleshooting: Identify and resolve implementation issues, troubleshooting FBX imports, state machine logic, and real-time technical bottlenecks.
• Tool Development: Innovate and evolve the studio’s pipeline by scripting custom tools to bridge the gap between DCC applications and the engine.

Job Requirements & Qualifications

We are looking for a veteran who has navigated multiple production cycles and possesses a “problem-solver” mindset.

Essential Technical Skills

• Industry Tenure: Minimum of 5 years of professional experience in technical animation, specifically for the gaming industry.
• Unreal Engine 5 Mastery: Advanced expertise in UE5’s rigging and animation systems (Control Rig, Sequencer, and Anim Blueprints).
• Maya Proficiency: In-depth knowledge of Autodesk Maya, specifically its rigging toolsets, skinning workflows, and deformer logic.
• Scripting Prowess: Proven ability to develop tools and scripts (Python/PyMEL) for Maya, MotionBuilder, or other DCC applications to automate repetitive tasks.
• Rigging Fundamentals: A strong understanding of anatomy, weight distribution, and mechanical constraints.

Professional Qualities

• Communication: Exceptional verbal and written English skills. As a remote studio, clear and proactive communication is our lifeline.
• Connectivity: A high-bandwidth internet connection is required to handle large asset transfers and real-time collaborative reviews.
• Adaptability: The ability to pivot between different project styles and technical requirements with ease.

The “Nice to Haves”

• Simulation Expertise: Specific experience with real-time cloth (Chaos Cloth) and hair physics.
• Motion Capture: Familiarity with MoCap pipelines and data retargeting.

Life at Little Zoo: The Remote Advantage

Working at Little Zoo means joining a studio that pioneered remote collaboration before it was a global standard. We prioritize a healthy work-life balance while maintaining the high-octane creative energy of a physical studio.

• Radical Flexibility: Manage your own schedule while collaborating with a global team across multiple time zones.

• Professional Autonomy: We hire seniors because we trust their judgment. You will have the freedom to suggest and implement new technical workflows.

• Cutting-Edge Tech: Work with the latest builds of Unreal Engine 5 and contribute to projects that push the envelope of real-time fidelity.

• Inclusive Culture: Join a diverse group of “Zoo-keepers” who are passionate about games, art, and the technology that connects them.

Application Instructions

To be considered for this senior-level position, please submit the following:

1. Technical Portfolio: A reel or website showcasing your rigging work, tool development, and in-engine implementation examples. Applications without a portfolio will not be considered.

2. Resume: Detailed history of your work in the games industry, highlighting shipped titles.

3. Code/Tool Samples: (Optional) If you have a GitHub or snippets of Python tools you have built for Maya/UE5, we would love to see them.