Principal Character Technical Artist at 31st Union

United States

$163.4k - $241.88k

WE ARE GAME MAKERS Who we are: We are a diverse team of developers driven by a passion for our art, united by our core values and inspired by a culture of inclusivity to build amazing games that thrill players everywhere. We pursue growth and innovation in an environment of safety and trust. Our culture is built on the belief that the more varied voices in our collective will strengthen our team and our games. We are looking for our next teammate who will raise our bar and make us better. What We Need: Characters are the heart of our free-to-play AAA multiplayer action game and the core driver of our economy. Because of this, the Principal Character Technical Artist is one of the most vital roles in our studio. You will use your mastery of DCC applications, Unreal Engine 5, rigging, and complex character and animation pipelines to actively expand the creative decision space for our playable characters. Your technical foresight will directly inform the design process, inspiring the creative leadership with what we are truly capable of building. What You’ll Do: Creative Partnership & Strategy: Partner with Pillar teams to shape feature development. Identify technical risks early, propose innovative solutions that elevate core mechanics, and provide strategic estimates to guide R&D investments. Technical Innovation & Fidelity: Establish and own the technical standards for character rigging, technical animation, and dynamic presentation (cloth, hair, physics) in UE5. Actively prototype cutting-edge solutions to ensure our champions compete with the industry's state of the art. Pipeline Architecture & Tooling: Maintain and extend a rich and performant character pipeline from DCC applications into Unreal Engine. Develop procedural tooling that maximizes content creation efficiency and empowers cross-discipline artists across our US and Valencia studios. Performance & Optimization: Establish technical budgets and performance benchmarks. Ensure high visual fidelity is balanced with optimal runtime performance for a live multiplayer environment. Work with Engineering to ensure character animation systems scale across platform targets. Mentorship & Leadership: Guide, deploy, and mentor a team of character technical artists. Elevate their technical skills and foster a culture of creative problem-solving. What Will Make You A Great Fit: Experience: 8+ years of game development experience, with at least 3 years in a Senior or Principal Technical Artist role on a shipped AAA title. Engine Mastery: Deep expertise in Unreal Engine 5, including Blueprints, Control Rig, Niagara, and physics/cloth simulation. DCC & Scripting: Expert proficiency in standard DCCs (Maya, Blender, Houdini) and strong scripting skills (Python, C++, or VEX) for tool and pipeline development. Specialization: Exceptional understanding of human anatomy, facial/skeletal rigging, weight painting, and procedural animation techniques. Bonus: Experience working on live-service, free-to-play, or multiplayer action games. The pay range for this position in California at the start of employment is expected to be between $163,400 and $241,880 per year. However, base pay offered is based on market location, and may vary further depending on individualized factors for job candidates, such as job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and other objective business considerations. Subject to those same considerations, the total compensation package for this position may also include other elements, including a bonus and/or equity awards and eligibility to participate in our 401(K) plan and Employee Stock Purchase Program. Regular, full-time employees are also eligible for a range of benefits at the Company, including: medical, dental, vision, and basic life insurance coverage; 14 paid holidays per calendar year; paid vacation time per calendar year (ranging from 15 to 25 days) or eligibility to participate in the Company’s discretionary time off program; up to 10 paid sick days per calendar year; paid parental and compassionate leave; wellbeing programs for mental health and other wellness support; family planning support through Maven; commuter benefits; and reimbursements for fitness-related expenses. Ontario only: The use of Artificial Intelligence is not being used to screen candidates. The position is for an existing vacancy. #LI-Remote #LI-Onsite #LI-Hybrid