[Hiring] Lead Animator @Snail Games USA

Role Description

We are seeking a talented and ambitious Animator to join our Central Art team. This role focuses on creating expressive, high-quality character and creature animations for both fantasy and science-fiction projects. You’ll work directly with our Senior Technical Animator to establish and uphold animation standards across multiple teams, produce freehand animations in Unreal Engine 5 and Blender, and review work submitted by overseas partners through written and video feedback. The ideal candidate combines artistic instinct with technical fluency and has the range to animate both grounded, humanoid performances and imaginative alien creatures.

Responsibilities

• Lead animation quality and execution across multiple projects, aligning with each project’s creative direction and gameplay needs.
• Create polished keyframe animations for human, creature, and alien characters using Blender and Unreal Engine 5.
• Define and maintain animation standards, style guides, review criteria, and best practices in partnership with the Senior Technical Animator.
• Lead animation reviews, providing actionable written feedback, video critiques, and demonstrations to internal teams and overseas partners.
• Mentor animators in performance, body mechanics, timing, and animation polish.
• Collaborate with production and project leads to scope animation work, prioritize deliverables, identify risks, and support achievable schedules.
• Partner with art, design, and technical teams to ensure animations integrate smoothly into gameplay systems and meet visual and technical requirements.
• Maintain stylistic consistency within each project while supporting a range of realistic and stylized animation approaches.
• Keep animation tasks, review notes, references, and approvals organized in Jira.

Qualifications

• A strong portfolio demonstrating excellent animation fundamentals, including weight, timing, body mechanics, expression, and appeal.
• Professional video game animation experience, including experience leading animation work, mentoring artists, or owning animation quality for a team or project.
• Proficiency in Blender and Unreal Engine 5 for keyframe animation, iteration, and polish.
• Ability to create compelling performances for both humanoid characters and creatures with varied anatomy.
• Experience translating creative direction into clear animation targets and actionable feedback.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to guide remote teams and external partners.
• Ability to balance hands-on animation work with reviews, mentorship, and delivery responsibilities across multiple projects.
• A collaborative, organized, and proactive approach to solving artistic and production challenges.

Requirements

• Experience shipping games in a lead or senior animation role.
• Experience directing external animation partners or distributed teams.
• Understanding of mocap planning, workflows, and cleanup.
• Knowledge of UE5 Control Rig, retargeting, Animation Blueprints, or animation state machines.
• Experience developing animation pipelines alongside technical animators.
• Mandarin language ability or experience collaborating with Chinese-speaking teams.
• Familiarity with Chinese cultural or cultivation themes.

Benefits

• True focus on work/life balance.
• Paid company holidays, vacation, and separate sick leave.
• Medical, dental, vision, and Life/LTD.
• 401k with company match.

Work Authorization

Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States. Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

Additional Information

As part of the Company's activities in video game development, publishing, and short-form video content creation, certain projects, discussions, or creative materials may include themes, visuals, language, or subject matter that some individuals could find mature, violent, sexual, graphic, or otherwise sensitive in nature ("Mature Content"). Examples may include, but are not limited to, depictions or descriptions of combat, violence, adult themes or relationships, suggestive or satirical humor, or strong language. Employees are expected to engage with such material in a professional and creative context as part of their job duties.