Absurd Ventures is looking for a Senior Technical Animator to join our growing animation team. This role sits at the intersection of animation, rigging, and engineering, supporting the creation, integration, and optimization of high-quality character and creature animation systems.

What You'll Do

Partner with animators, character artists, gameplay designers, and engineers to develop and maintain robust animation pipelines in Unreal Engine.
Implement, debug, and optimize animation systems including state machines, blend trees, IK, motion matching, and procedural animation solutions.
Create and maintain character and creature rigs, animation blueprints, and supporting tools.
Ensure animation systems are performant, scalable, and stable across a large open world.
Support animation integration for gameplay, cinematics, traversal, combat, and systemic behaviors.
Identify workflow inefficiencies and develop tools or processes to improve iteration speed and quality.
Troubleshoot animation-related issues and provide technical guidance to the animation team.
Maintain documentation and best practices for animation systems and pipelines.

What We're Looking For

Solid experience authoring traditional 3D animation for games.
Professional experience as a Technical Animator or similar role on shipped games or large-scale interactive projects.
Strong understanding of character rigging, skinning, and deformation techniques.
Hands-on experience with Unreal Engine animation systems, including Animation Blueprints and Control Rig.
Proficiency with DCC tools such as Maya or equivalent.
Solid scripting or technical experience (Blueprints, Python, or similar) to support tools and workflows.
Strong problem-solving skills and ability to communicate technical concepts to non-technical team members.

Nice to Have

Experience working on open-world or systems-driven games.
Familiarity with advanced animation techniques such as motion matching, procedural animation, or runtime IK solutions.
Experience collaborating closely with gameplay and AI teams.
Knowledge of performance optimization for console hardware.
Experience supporting both gameplay animation and in-engine cinematics.

Technical Stack

Unreal Engine, Animation Blueprints, Control Rig
Maya
Blueprints, Python

Benefits & Compensation

Compensation: $140,000 to $160,000 per year + equity (certain roles may be eligible for equity).
Medical, dental, and vision insurance
Life insurance and disability insurance
401(k) matching
Vacation time, sick time, and company holidays
Parental leave