Irvine, California, United States · Remote OK
$60/hr–$70/hr
Our Team We're building a PvE co-op action game with a small, highly autonomous team. Each discipline is represented by a single owner. There is no large animation department, dedicated technical animation team, or produ…
Skills: Character Animation, Gameplay Animation, Facial Animation, Rigging, Skinning
Irvine, California, United States • Remote OK
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The role involves owning the entire animation pipeline from rigging and implementation to final polish for a PvE co-op action game. Responsibilities include creating high-quality character performances and responsive gameplay animations while improving technical workflows in Unreal Engine.
Candidates must have a strong portfolio demonstrating expertise in both character performance and gameplay animation, along with proficiency in rigging and Unreal Engine. The ability to work independently in a remote, asynchronous environment and a habit of building personal projects is highly valued.
We're building a PvE co-op action game with a small, highly autonomous team.
Each discipline is represented by a single owner. There is no large animation department, dedicated technical animation team, or production layer separating disciplines. The people who thrive here are comfortable making decisions, solving problems independently, and moving work forward without extensive process or oversight.
We care more about demonstrated capability than years of experience, previous titles, or studio pedigree. Show us great animation work, shipped games, side projects, game jam projects, mods, tools you've built, pipelines you've improved, or anything else that demonstrates your ability to create and ship great experiences.
Animation is the primary focus of this role.
We're looking for someone who can create both expressive character performances and exceptional gameplay animation. Our characters need to feel compelling when viewed up close through facial expressions, acting, personality, and charm, while also feeling responsive, readable, and satisfying during gameplay.
You'll own animation from rigging and implementation through final polish. Most of your time will be spent creating animation, but because of our team's size, you'll also be expected to identify technical challenges, improve workflows, and occasionally step outside traditional discipline boundaries when it helps the project move forward.
This is a fully remote role. Much of the team's coordination happens asynchronously, so success requires clear written communication, proactive updates, and the ability to make progress without waiting for meetings or direction.
The strongest candidates tend to be builders. They make games outside of work, participate in game jams, create mods, experiment with new tools, or otherwise demonstrate a habit of learning and creating beyond their day job.
Create high-quality character, gameplay, and combat animation.
Bring personality, appeal, emotion, and charm to characters through performance and facial animation.
Create responsive, readable, and satisfying gameplay animation that supports combat and player feedback.
Rig, skin, and prepare assets for animation.
Implement, iterate on, and polish animation directly in Unreal Engine.
Work closely with Design and Engineering to improve gameplay feel, responsiveness, readability, and player experience.
Coordinate with Character Art, Environment Art, and VFX to ensure assets integrate smoothly into the game.
Identify bottlenecks and improve workflows through tooling, automation, technical solutions, or process improvements.
Evaluate and leverage AI-assisted workflows when they meaningfully improve iteration speed, content creation, or production efficiency.
Occasionally collaborate with external art partners to review deliverables, communicate feedback, and maintain quality standards.
Own animation as a discipline from concept through final implementation.
A portfolio demonstrating exceptional animation work.
Demonstrated strength in both character performance animation and gameplay animation.
Strong understanding of character acting, facial expression, appeal, timing, and physicality.
Strong understanding of gameplay readability, responsiveness, combat feel, and player feedback.
Strong rigging skills.
Experience implementing animation content in Unreal Engine.
Comfort working directly in-engine to solve problems and iterate on content.
The ability to independently own a discipline and make forward progress with minimal oversight.
Strong written communication skills and comfort working in a fully remote, asynchronous
environment.
The ability to discuss technical and creative tradeoffs with designers, engineers, artists, and external partners.
Comfort learning unfamiliar tools, workflows, or disciplines when doing so benefits the project.
Comfort using AI-assisted tools as part of a modern game development workflow.
Experience as a Technical Animator, Tech Artist, Art Director, or other cross-disciplinary role.
Experience building tools, pipelines, procedural systems, or workflow automation.
Experience managing external vendors or outsourcing relationships.
Experience shipping an indie game, game jam project, mod, or significant personal project.
Experience working on small teams where individuals routinely contribute outside their primary discipline.
Experience with cooperative action games, boss-focused encounters, or other highly replayable multiplayer experiences.
Affinity for complex competitive games such as League of Legends, Teamfight Tactics, or similar titles.
Experience with endgame MMO content such as raiding in World of Warcraft, Final Fantasy XIV, or similar games.
Familiarity with anime-inspired visual styles, character archetypes, and modern anime storytelling conventions.
This position pays a range of $60 - 70 per hour (USD).
Individual pay within this range may span multiple levels within the discipline and is determined by assessed job-related skills, experience, relevant education, or training. It also factors in market demands and business needs. The disclosed range is not adjusted based on location and may be subject to change or modification based on business needs in the future. This role is contracted through a third-party that provides health benefits, etc., which your recruiter can discuss more during the hiring process.
We are an equal opportunity employer that places high value on diversity and inclusion. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, age, disability status, sex (including pregnancy), gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, military status, or veteran status.
You must be legally authorized to work and reside in the United States. We do not sponsor visas or support employment outside the U.S. for this role.
Second Dinner is an award-winning independent game development studio that is here to make the most fun games in the world. Not super fun games. Not SUPER DUPER fun games. We mean the MOST fun games. In fact, our game MARVEL SNAP has earned multiple Mobile Game of the Year Awards (Game Awards, DICE), Best Strategy Game (IGN), and the Apple Design Award for Innovation! Second Dinner is a remote-first studio, so while we are headquartered in Irvine, California, most of our team is fully remote across the United States. We want the most talented teammates wherever they call home. A diverse team with varied perspectives makes us a better company and will help us make better games. If you can bring something new to the table and expand our point of view, that's a huge upside.
Offices: Irvine, California 92606, US
Second Dinner is an award-winning independent game development studio that is here to make the most fun games in the world. Not super fun games. Not SUPER DUPER fun games. We mean the MOST fun games. In fact, our game MARVEL SNAP has earned multiple Mobile Game of the Year Awards (Game Awards, DICE), Best Strategy Game (IGN), and the Apple Design Award for Innovation! Second Dinner is a remote-first studio, so while we are headquartered in Irvine, California, most of our team is fully remote across the United States. We want the most talented teammates wherever they call home. A diverse team with varied perspectives makes us a better company and will help us make better games. If you can bring something new to the table and expand our point of view, that's a huge upside.
Offices: Irvine, California 92606, US
