Gameplay Animator (Sports Games)

Location: Hybrid role in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada; Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada is also listed as an available location.

Salary: CAD $60,500–$89,540 per year at the start of employment. Total compensation may also include a bonus and/or equity awards, plus medical, financial, and other benefits.

Company

Small Axe Studios is hirify.global’s standalone game development studio, founded in 2023 to create a new sports franchise and player-first interactive sports experience.

What you will do

• Implement authentic, high-quality sports gameplay animations from ideation through final feature implementation.
• Collaborate with Animation Leads and Directors to meet animation quality, brand, schedule, and professional standards.
• Work with Designers to support animation-based features and with Engineers to influence technical implementation.
• Implement animation features in engine with Design Leads and Engineering teams.
• Manage mocap shot lists and references to support production.
• Champion animation quality and authenticity in feature-level decision-making.

Requirements

• Experience developing and shipping AAA games using Unreal Engine 4 or 5.
• Experience working on second-to-second interactive animation features.
• Passion for and understanding of sports games.
• Player-experience focus.
• Excellent understanding of human mechanics specific to sports behaviors.
• Open-minded, organized, proactive, and collaborative working style.

Nice to have

• Passion for playing and/or watching sports.
• Passion for video games.

Culture & Benefits

• Hybrid work arrangement.
• Collaborative environment focused on creative collaboration, technical excellence, and bold ideas.
• Opportunity to work on a brand-new sports IP and shape a player-first experience.
• Medical, financial, and other benefits may be available to employees.
• Bonus and/or equity awards may be included in total compensation.