About the role

In this vital technical leadership role, you will be responsible for shaping and developing the architecture of gameplay animation systems across our projects. Your expertise will be instrumental in pushing the boundaries of animation quality, responsiveness, and performance, ensuring that our games deliver an exceptional player experience. You will work closely with engineering, art, and design teams to develop innovative solutions and workflows that integrate seamlessly into the game development pipeline. While this position does not involve direct management of personnel, you will serve as a technical mentor and influencer within the animation department, inspiring best practices and fostering a culture of innovation. Your work will focus on solving complex technical challenges related to real‑time animation systems, optimizing performance, and implementing cutting‑edge technologies to enhance gameplay and visual fidelity.

Key facts

Location: Brighton, England, United Kingdom

Engagement: Permanent

What you’ll do

- Design, develop, and oversee the architecture of gameplay animation systems, ensuring they are scalable, efficient, and capable of supporting complex real‑time interactions across multiple projects.
- Lead research and development initiatives to evaluate and adopt new animation technologies such as Motion Matching, machine learning, and other emerging techniques that can improve animation quality and responsiveness.
- Collaborate with engineering teams to create and refine tools, pipelines, and workflows that facilitate the integration of advanced animation features into the game engine.
- Troubleshoot and resolve complex runtime animation issues, optimizing systems to meet strict performance, memory, and stability requirements on target hardware platforms.
- Establish and document technical standards, best practices, and workflows for the technical animation team to ensure consistency and quality across projects.
- Work closely with art directors, gameplay designers, and animators to refine character mechanics, camera controls, and animation responsiveness, ensuring a cohesive player experience.
- Support and mentor technical animators by conducting code reviews, providing technical guidance, and sharing knowledge to foster skill development within the team.




- Assist in integrating motion capture data and traditional animation techniques into the game pipeline, ensuring smooth workflows and high‑quality results.
- Contribute to defining the technical roadmap for animation features, aligning development efforts with project goals and technological advancements.
- Participate in cross‑disciplinary meetings to ensure animation systems meet gameplay, artistic, and technical requirements.
- Stay informed about industry trends, emerging technologies, and best practices in animation and real‑time graphics to continually improve the studio’s capabilities.
- Collaborate with external vendors or technology providers when necessary to evaluate new tools or solutions that could benefit the animation pipeline.
- Support the implementation of new features and systems during production, providing technical expertise to ensure successful integration and deployment.
- Document technical specifications, workflows, and processes to facilitate knowledge sharing and onboarding of new team members.
- Contribute to the continuous improvement of development processes, workflows, and tools to increase efficiency and quality.

Requirements

- Extensive experience designing and implementing gameplay animation systems for AAA titles, particularly using Unreal Engine.
- Deep proficiency with Unreal Engine’s animation tools, including Anim Blueprints, Control Rig, State Machines, and Sequencer.
- Strong understanding of low-level animation principles, including optimization, memory management, and multi‑threading techniques.
- Proven ability to troubleshoot complex runtime animation issues and optimize performance on various hardware platforms.
- Excellent communication skills, capable of translating technical concepts to non-technical team members and aligning multidisciplinary teams around technical strategies.
- Experience translating creative concepts into technical specifications and actionable development plans.
- Solid understanding of character physics, movement mathematics, and real‑time animation constraints.




- A portfolio demonstrating your ability to solve complex technical animation problems in shipped titles.
- Experience with scripting and programming in C++ and Python to extend engine capabilities and automate workflows.
- Knowledge of motion capture data processing, integration, and optimization.
- Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast‑paced, dynamic environment.
- Strong problem‑solving skills and attention to detail, with a focus on delivering high‑quality solutions.
- Familiarity with version control systems such as Perforce or Git.

Nice to have

- Experience with custom engine modifications or proprietary animation tools.
- Background in traditional animation or motion capture data workflows, with an understanding of how art and technology intersect.
- Knowledge of DCC tools such as Maya API, MotionBuilder, or Houdini for pipeline integration and data processing.
- Experience working on cross‑platform projects, including consoles and PC.
- Familiarity with real‑time physics and character control systems beyond animation, such as ragdolls or inverse kinematics.

Skills & tools

- Unreal Engine (latest versions)
- Animation Blueprints, Control Rig, Sequencer, State Machines
- C++ and Python scripting
- Motion Matching techniques
- Optimization and performance profiling tools
- Version control systems (Perforce, Git)
- Motion capture data processing tools
- DCC tools such as Maya, MotionBuilder, Houdini (preferred)

Practical notes

2K is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace, providing equal employment opportunities to all applicants. We ensure that all aspects of employment, from hiring to perks, are conducted fairly and without discrimination. We also offer reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities during the application and interview process. If you require assistance, please contact our HR team. Please be vigilant against scams involving impersonation of company representatives. 2K will never conduct interviews via instant messaging apps or request sensitive personal information outside official channels. If you suspect any fraudulent activity, report it through the appropriate channels. We encourage all applicants to verify communications and only engage through official company email addresses and platforms.

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📌 Principal Technical Animator (Brighton)
🏢 2K
📍 Brighton