Super Spline Studios is seeking an experienced Lead 3D Games Animator to join its animation leadership team. This position is responsible for supervising character animation production across gameplay systems, cinematics, and mechanics while mentoring internal and external animators.
The selected candidate will guide animation quality standards, collaborate closely with cross-discipline teams, coordinate schedules, and ensure that animation assets integrate smoothly into real-time engines.
This role requires strong artistic direction capability combined with pipeline awareness and production leadership skills.
Job Overview : Lead 3D Games Animator
Company Name: Super Spline Studios
Job Title: Lead 3D Games Animator
Employment Type: Permanent / Full-Time
Work Mode: Remote (Europe) or Hybrid (Leamington Spa, UK studio)
Location Options: Europe Remote or Leamington Spa Office (United Kingdom)
Experience Required: Minimum 7+ years in game animation
Department: Animation / Gameplay / Cinematics
Tools Required: Autodesk Maya, Unity, Unreal Engine (UE4/UE5)
Leadership Level: Lead / Senior
Schedule: 4-day work week
Salary Range: Competitive (based on experience and location)
Industry: Video Game Development / Animation Co-Development
Super Spline Studios is a specialized animation co-development partner supporting game studios with high-quality character animation, technical animation workflows, and cinematic production across multiple platforms. The studio collaborates with leading global entertainment companies and game developers and provides flexible remote-friendly production environments tailored to animation professionals.
The studio follows a people-first production philosophy, offering structured career progression support, training subsidies, profit-share initiatives, and a permanent four-day work week policy designed to improve work-life balance without reducing compensation.
This opportunity is ideal for experienced animation professionals looking to transition into a leadership-focused gameplay animation role within a collaborative and technically advanced production environment.
The Lead Animator will contribute across creative execution, technical delivery, and team leadership functions.
- Lead animation production across gameplay and cinematic sequences
- Maintain consistent animation quality standards across projects
- Provide creative direction for character personality, movement style, and performance delivery
- Ensure animation assets support gameplay readability and responsiveness
Team Management
- Mentor junior and mid-level animators
- Coordinate workload distribution across animation teams
- Support external animation partners and freelancers
- Provide feedback reviews and performance guidance
- Foster collaboration between animation, rigging, design, and engineering teams
Production Coordination
- Create animation schedules aligned with project milestones
- Support delivery planning and timeline tracking
- Communicate progress updates with internal leadership and clients
- Manage animation priorities across multiple concurrent projects
- Implement animations directly into game engines
- Work with animation state machines and runtime behavior systems
- Coordinate motion capture planning and shoot direction when required
- Support technical animation workflows including rigging and skinning integration
Applicants should demonstrate strong professional experience in gameplay animation leadership within real-time production pipelines.
Experience Requirements
- Minimum 7 years professional animation experience in video games
- Experience leading animation teams on shipped titles
- Previous freelance or co-development experience considered advantageous
- Proven ability to manage animation schedules and production deliverables
Technical Skills
Candidates should demonstrate proficiency in:
- Gameplay animation systems
- Animation state machines
- Motion capture workflows
- Rigging and skinning fundamentals
Experience with the following engines is preferred:
Applicants must demonstrate strong creative animation capability across multiple styles and gameplay contexts. This includes:
- High-quality hand-keyed character animation
- Creature animation workflows
- Environmental animation assets
- Stylized and realistic animation styles
- Personality-driven performance animation
- Gameplay readability and responsiveness awareness
The ability to adapt animation style depending on project requirements is essential.
The Lead Animator plays a critical role in shaping both animation output and team performance. Candidates should demonstrate:
- Problem-solving capability across pipeline challenges
- Confidence mentoring internal and external team members
- Ownership of production responsibilities
- Ability to provide constructive creative feedback
A collaborative mindset and supportive leadership approach are highly valued.
The successful candidate will also contribute to:
- Animation scheduling and milestone planning
- Production tracking and reporting
- Cross-discipline collaboration with designers and programmers
- Animation polish and gameplay refinement
Workplace Environment and Benefits
Super Spline Studios offers a flexible production environment designed to support long-term creative careers in game animation.
Key Benefits Include
4-Day Work Week
Employees benefit from a permanent reduced-week structure without reduced salary expectations.
Remote Flexibility
Work remotely from within Europe or collaborate on-site at the Leamington Spa studio.
Flexible Hours
Schedules support productivity across time zones and working styles.
Variety of Project Types
- Gameplay animation
- Cinematic animation
- Character performance animation
- Stylized productions
- Realistic productions
- Mechanics-driven animation systems
The studio supports professional development through:
- structured progression planning
Positive Production Culture
The studio maintains a strict policy against overtime crunch and supports sustainable creative workflows.
This role is well suited for professionals who:
- Enjoy mentoring animation teams
- Understand real-time gameplay animation pipelines
- Communicate effectively with clients and internal teams
- Adapt quickly to new tools and workflows
- Thrive in collaborative cross-discipline environments
- Maintain high creative standards under production timelines
A passion for gameplay animation and character performance design is essential.
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