As a member of the Animation team, you bring champions to life through classic animation principles and body mechanics. You will create high quality animations for a diverse and growing universe, including bipeds, quadrupeds, and creatures. A great reel will showcase a variety of walk cycles, a diverse selection of game-related animation, and a foundation in the principles of animation, including weight, anticipation, and impact. Also working to expand our current content pipeline, you will collaborate with designers and artists to develop new features and technologies. Your craft expertise will breathe life into iconic and beloved characters for players.

As a Sr. Manager, Animation Art  on our R&D team you will help to build and manage the animation team, communicate goals, and guide your team to deliver high quality results. You will mentor, motivate, and develop the team in terms of their work and career progression. Your craft expertise and high-level execution will enrich the player’s experience and help establish and style for all characters moving forward. 

Responsibilities

• Partner with other leads on the team to understand and develop a cohesive vision for the character animation for the game, that includes personality, visual aesthetics and gameplay.
• Work with Creative leadership and production to define prioritization for Animation tasks and product initiatives.
• Establish and clearly communicate short and long term goals.
• Anticipate and recognize potential conflicts or production issues and recommend appropriate solutions.

• Ensure the animation functions within technical performance targets set for the features, product, and platforms.
• Be a career mentor and coach for the animators on your team by aligning on career goals and setting a plan to achieve them.
• Guide your team in developing healthy practices for giving and receiving feedback.
• Represent the Animations team’s voice and direction to other teams and products.
• Work with recruiting and art leadership to establish and support the growth, staffing, and resource allocation of the animation art discipline over time.

Required Qualifications

• Minimum of 7 years of professional experience as an animator in games or related industries.
• Minimum of 3 years managing artists
• Expert understanding of animation principles - appeal, timing, spacing, weight, etc.
• Experience with Maya and a strong understanding of AAA character creation pipelines.
• Highly proficient communication skills and capacity to act as an ambassador between Design, Concept, 3D, Tech Art, Production, Audio and VFX.
• Experience giving thorough direction and delivering timely, clear feedback.
• Experience shipping at least one game from a first person perspective

Desired Qualifications

• Experience developing in Unreal
• Experience with the technical requirements for a variety of game platforms
• Experience with Cinematic development and pipelines
• Familiar with Riot’s products – gameplay, art, and animation style.

For this role, you'll find success through craft expertise, a collaborative spirit, and decision-making that prioritizes the delight of players. We will be looking at your past studies, experience, and your personal relationship with games. If you embody player empathy and care about the experiences of players, this could be the role for you!

Our Perks:

Riot has a focus on work/life balance, shown by our open paid time off policy, in addition to other perks such as flexible work schedules. We offer medical, dental, and life insurance, parental leave for you, your spouse/domestic partner and children, and a 401k with company match. Check out our benefits pages for more information.

Riot Games fosters a player and workplace experience that values teamwork embodied by the Summoner's Code and Community Code. Our culture embraces differences as a strength, and our values are the guiding principles for how we approach work. We are committed to putting diversity and inclusion (D&I) at the center of everything we do, and promoting a fair and collaborative culture where Rioters treat one another with dignity and respect. We encourage you to read more about our value of thriving together and our ongoing work to build the most inclusive company in Gaming.

(Los Angeles only) Base salary range between $168,000 USD - $234,000 USD + incentive compensation + equity + 401K with company match + medical, dental, vision, and life insurance + short and long-term disability + open PTO.

(Bellevue only) Base salary range between $168,000 USD - $234,000 USD + incentive compensation + equity + 401K with company match + medical, dental, vision, and life insurance + short and long-term disability + open PTO.

It’s our policy to provide equal employment opportunity for all applicants and members of Riot Games, Inc. Riot Games makes reasonable accommodations for handicapped and disabled Rioters and does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, handicap, veteran status, marital status, criminal history, or any other category protected by applicable federal and state law, including the City of Los Angeles’ Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance relating to an applicant's criminal history.