Staff Machine Learning Engineer (Animation)

TL;DR

Staff Machine Learning Engineer (Animation): Designing and shipping ML tools to accelerate animation workflows with an accent on motion synthesis, retargeting, and physics-based character control. Focus on removing mechanical steps from the animator’s workflow and implementing state-of-the-art generative motion models.

Location: Singapore (Full relocation support provided)

Company

Riot Games is a player-focused game developer known for creating one of the world's most played PC games, League of Legends.

What you will do

• Build assistive animation tooling using motion synthesis, matching, blending, and physics-based control to automate mechanical steps.
• Partner with animators and tech artists to identify and automate costly keyframing, cleanup, and retargeting work.
• Define and run evaluations for motion quality, focusing on naturalness, foot-sliding, and responsiveness.
• Research and integrate state-of-the-art motion generation and character control developments into production rigs.

Requirements

• Master’s or Ph.D. in Computer Science, Statistics, Mathematics, or a related AI/ML field.
• Deep expertise in motion and character-animation ML, including motion synthesis and reinforcement learning for character control.
• At least 5 years of experience delivering impactful, end-to-end ML solutions in Animation.
• Proven record of state-of-the-art contributions via peer-reviewed publications (e.g., SIGGRAPH, NeurIPS, CVPR) or shipped production systems.
• Proficiency in Python, C, C++, or C# and frameworks such as PyTorch, TensorFlow, or JAX.
• Hands-on experience with Generative Models, including motion diffusion, flow matching, VAEs, and transformers.

Nice to have

• Experience working in the gaming industry or a related field.

Culture & Benefits

• Full relocation support to Singapore.
• Comprehensive health insurance for employees, spouses, and children.
• Open paid time off and retirement benefits with company matching.
• Life insurance, parental leave, and short/long-term disability coverage.
• Play Fund to encourage deepening knowledge of players and community through games.