Animation Director (AAA Games)

Location: San Mateo, California, United States; based on-site at the San Mateo studio with a combination of in-studio and remote workdays.

Salary: $136,880–$253,260 annual base pay in the United States; incentive compensation may also apply.

Company

hirify.global is a video game developer known for the Call of Duty franchise and AAA multiplayer and single-player experiences. The studio is part of Activision and wholly owned by Microsoft.

What you will do

• Define and champion the animation vision, quality bar, creative direction, strategy, priorities, staffing plans, and production goals.
• Lead, mentor, and develop Animation Leads, Principal Animators, and other animation team members.
• Collaborate with Art, Design, Narrative, Engineering, Production, and studio leadership to support gameplay, storytelling, and player immersion.
• Drive character, gameplay, cinematic, and AI animation experiences for first-person and third-person gameplay.
• Oversee animation content, systems, pipelines, workflows, performance capture, and motion capture integration in proprietary and industry-standard tools.
• Review deliverables, provide artistic direction, and partner with outsourcing and co-development teams to maintain consistent quality.

Requirements

• 12+ years of professional animation experience in game development, including significant leadership experience.
• Experience leading animation teams through the development and delivery of AAA titles.
• Deep understanding of animation principles, character performance, gameplay animation, cinematics, and motion capture pipelines.
• Strong expertise with Maya and modern animation workflows.
• Experience partnering across Art, Design, Engineering, Narrative, and Production.
• Ability to establish creative vision and execute it through direct and indirect leadership.
• Strong understanding of game engines, animation systems, state machines, blending, and technical animation pipelines.
• Experience building, mentoring, and growing high-performing animation teams.
• Excellent communication, collaboration, presentation, and stakeholder management skills, plus a passion for games and exceptional player experiences.

Nice to have

• Experience shipping multiple AAA first-person action titles.
• Experience with performance capture direction and cinematic animation pipelines.
• Experience working with globally distributed development teams and external partners.
• Strong understanding of player-centered design and animation’s role in gameplay feel and immersion.

Culture & Benefits

• Collaborative, inclusive environment focused on creative excellence, continuous growth, and exceptional player experiences.
• Medical, dental, vision, health savings or reimbursement accounts, insurance, and disability coverage.
• 401(k) with company match, tuition reimbursement, charitable donation matching, and paid holidays, vacation, sick time, and parental leave.
• Mental health and wellbeing programs, fitness programs, free and discounted games, and additional voluntary benefits.
• Relocation assistance may be available if the company requires a geographic move for the job.