Senior Animator for 343 Industries

September 14, 2024
$153,600 - $250,200 / year

Job Description

About the job : Senior Animator

343 Industries is the developer of the blockbuster Halo series of video games. As part of Xbox Game Studios, the Halo franchise encompasses games, television series, novels, comics, licensed collectibles, apparel and more. We are looking for talented new voices to join our team to build the next generation of games and experiences in our award-winning sci-fi universe. Are you passionate about bringing characters to life and creating immersive gaming experiences? Do you thrive in a collaborative environment where your creativity and skills can shine? If so, we have the perfect opportunity for you! Join our passionate team as a Senior Gameplay Animator for Halo!


343 is looking for a Senior Animator to work closely with our Animation and Design Leads to breathe life into our characters and experiences. You’ll collaborate with experience teams to create stunning previz, prototypes, and production animations that help define the look and feel of the game. You’ll also partner with tech art and engineering teams to help drive the development of cutting edge, sustainable workflows. Your expertise in innovative production technologies will be crucial in maintaining and communicating the capabilities and limitations of these technologies as they relate to our project goals.


Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. As employees we come together with a growth mindset, innovate to empower others, and collaborate to realize our shared goals. Each day we build on our values of respect, integrity, and accountability to create a culture of inclusion where everyone can thrive at work and beyond.

Responsibilities : Senior Animator

  • Work closely with Animation and Design Leads to understand and support the big picture goals of the project.
  • Provide mentorship, animation feedback, and training to less-experienced animators.
  • Collaborate with experience teams to create previz, prototypes, and production animation that helps define the look and feel of the game.
  • Maintain and communicate innovative production technologies and the capabilities/limitations of these technologies as they relate to the project goals.
  • Actively contribute to the continued improvements of the techniques and best practices of the animation team.
  • Animate characters (body and facial), cameras, vehicles, weapons, props, and environmental animation using both keyframe and motion capture animation.

Qualifications

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS: Senior Animator

  • Bachelor’s Degree or Certificate in Design, Fine Arts, Human Computer Interaction, Visual Communications or related art field AND 4+ years experience in art design or a related art field working on computer games or entertainment
  • OR equivalent experience.
  • Experience shipping at least one AAA game OR experience in the film industry AND experience working with one or more game engines.
  • Experience with Maya animation workflows.
  • Proficiency in animation principles and their application to create believable characters and experiences.

Prefferred Qualifications : Senior Animator

  • Ability to understand the needs of gameplay animation from multiple perspectives: animation quality, design requirements, and player feedback and expectations.
  • Communication, time-management, and organizational skills
  • Experience with Houdini simulation and animation
  • Python or Mel scripting experience
  • A passion for the Halo Universe

Art IC5 – The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $117,200 – $229,200 per year. There is a different range applicable to specific work locations, within the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, and the base pay range for this role in those locations is USD $153,600 – $250,200 per year.

Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here: https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/us-corporate-pay

Microsoft will accept applications for the role until October 4, 2024.

#gamingjobs #halo

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. Consistent with applicable law, all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations.