Lead 3D Animator (Remote/Permanent)

Beffio Studio – https://www.beffio.com
Job Type: Permanent / Remote
Location: Fully Remote

About Us

Beffio Studio is a co-development art studio passionate about gaming and entertainment. Since 2013, we’ve delivered premium art production services to clients around the world. From stylized to photorealistic visuals, we specialize in character and environment design, art direction, technical art, and full integration into engines like Unreal and Unity. Our portfolio includes High on Life, Fortnite Creative, Battle Teams 2, The Medium, and Circuit Superstars.

Position Overview

We’re looking for an experienced and passionate Lead Animator to join our team. In this key role, you’ll define the animation pipeline from the ground up, establish benchmarks for quality and style, and ensure smooth collaboration between animators, tech artists, and designers.

This is a hands-on leadership position for someone who has shipped at least one AA or AAA title, can deliver high-quality animations, and thrives in a collaborative, cross-disciplinary environment. You’ll help build the foundation for our animation workflows, set quality standards, and lead by example.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Vision: Define the artistic direction, style, and quality standards for animations across multiple projects.

• Benchmarking: Create animation benchmarks to set clear expectations for style, fidelity, and performance.

• Mentor & Review: Guide, support, and provide feedback to animators, fostering growth and consistency across the team.

• Hands-On Production: Deliver polished in-game animations, including keyframe animation and implementation in engine.

• Pipeline Development: Establish efficient workflows for animation production, ensuring scalability and clarity.

• Engine Integration: Implement and optimize animations within Unity3D and Unreal Engine for smooth gameplay performance.

• Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration: Work closely with character artists, riggers, designers, and technical teams to ensure animations align with gameplay and artistic goals.

• Freelancer Oversight: Support and review external animators to maintain internal quality standards.

• Client-Facing: Join select client meetings to present progress, discuss animation direction, and address feedback.

Requirements

• Shipped Titles: At least 1–2 shipped AA or AAA games as an animator.

• Stylistic Versatility: Ability to work across both stylized and realistic animation styles.

• Technical Proficiency: Strong skills in Maya, Blender, or equivalent, with expertise in keyframe animation and motion capture cleanup.

• Engine Experience: Proven ability to work in Unity3D and Unreal Engine (UE4/UE5), including animation blueprints, state machines, and implementation.

• Leadership Experience: Previous experience mentoring or leading an animation team.

• Quality Awareness: Strong sense of timing, weight, posing, and storytelling through movement.

• Performance Optimization: Understanding of animation compression, retargeting, and engine constraints.

• Communication: Fluent in English with strong verbal and written skills.

• Portfolio: A polished portfolio or reel showcasing high-quality animations, including gameplay-ready examples.

Bonus Skills

• Experience with procedural animation systems or physics-driven animation

• Basic rigging or technical animation knowledge

• Familiarity with shader-driven effects to enhance animations

• Experience working with remote teams and freelancers

• Passion for game design, storytelling, and pushing the boundaries of real-time animation

What We Offer

• Creative Ownership: Build and own the animation pipeline from the ground up.

• Remote Flexibility: Work from anywhere, with core hours between 10:00–15:00 CET.

• Stable Collaboration: Long-term engagement with flexible contract options (B2B or employment).

• Paid Time Off: Minimum 20+ days of paid holidays annually.

• High-Profile Projects: Contribute to international projects with strong creative visibility.

• Growth Path: Opportunities to evolve into Animation Director or Department Lead roles.

• Yearly Retreats: Join team getaways designed to recharge, align, and celebrate our wins.

• Modern Pipeline: Work with cutting-edge tools and a remote-first production ecosystem.