Newcastle upon Tyne
At Couch Heroes, we’re all about heart, humor, and player connection. We’re building an original multiplayer game in Unreal Engine 5, blending stylish visuals, expressive characters, and a touch of chaos you can only get when friends share the same couch (or at least the same server). You understand the power of a strong silhouette, the poetry in exaggeration, the beauty in a perfectly “baroque” pose that turns gameplay into performance. We’re looking for a Lead Animator who lives for motion that feels good, the weight behind a jump, the swagger in a walk, the perfectly timed punch that makes players yell “ohhh!” You’ll be shaping the soul of our characters and leading a small, scrappy team of animators who love bringing worlds to life one frame at a time. You’ll be hands-on with keyframe animation while also guiding a team of animators, helping to define workflows, mentor artists, and collaborate across disciplines. This isn’t a factory line job. It’s a playground for creative thinkers who thrive on experimentation, collaboration, and crafting animation that hits with personality. In this role, you’ll work closely with our Art Director and partner teams across the studio to bring expressive, stylized, and cinematic animations to life in Unreal Engine 5. If you thrive at the intersection of leadership, creativity, and gameplay feel, we’d love to hear from you. You’ll report directly to the Art Director and play a key role in rounding out the Animation department. Your Role Team Leadership & Department Development • Build, structure, and lead the Animation team as we scale the studio., • Mentor junior, mid and senior level animators; review work, provide clear, actionable feedback., • Help define and document workflows, animation standards, and visual direction., • Support hiring efforts and manage external partners or outsourcing if needed., • Foster a collaborative, respectful, and efficient team culture. Hands-On Animation & Implementation • Create high-quality keyframed character animations using Maya and in-house rigs/tools., • Take animations from initial concept to in-engine implementation with the support of tech animation (Unreal Engine 5)., • Deliver gameplay-ready animation assets for characters, creatures, and VFX elements., • Provide clear animation review to artists as needed to guide quality., • Ensure animation assets meet design requirements and are delivered on time. Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration • Work closely with Character Art, VFX, Tech Art, and Engineering to ensure seamless integration., • Participate in syncs, milestone reviews, bug triage, and pipeline coordination., • Represent the Animation team in cross-functional meetings and planning discussions. First 6–12 Months In your first 6 months: • Deliver an animation set of game-ready player characters that meets the design requirements., • Restructure and optimize the animation pipeline to integrate more tightly with the rest of the team., • Solidify workflows across internal and external animation production., • Define and drive the visual style, rhythm, and expressiveness of all things that move—player, creatures, VFX, cinematics., • Become the go-to lead for animation decisions across the project. Must-Haves • 7+ years of professional experience in animation for games, film, or cinematic content., • Strong familiarity with 3C's design and animation to work hand in hand with combat design., • 3+ years in a lead or supervisory role managing other animators., • A strong reel showcasing keyframe character and creature animation., • Expertise in Maya, with a solid understanding of rigging, skinning, and clean posing., • Familiarity with the Unreal Engine 5 animation pipeline., • Strong instincts for stylized, expressive motion and performance-based animation., • Experience directing and working with motion capture shoots, reviewing deliveries, and guiding polish., • Strong knowledge of human and animal anatomy., • Experience delivering animations that align with gameplay and narrative requirements., • Ability to give clear feedback on weight, timing, performance, and readability. Nice-to-Haves • Experience with facial animation and lip sync., • Background in 2D animation, drawing, or traditional art., • Experience working on MMOs or RPGs., • Familiarity with outsourcing pipelines and asset tracking tools like Perforce., • Experience blending hand-keyed animation with procedural systems or constraints. About You • You lead with empathy, clarity, and a sharp artistic eye., • You know how to mentor and grow a team, not just manage it., • You’re collaborative across disciplines and speak the language of both art and tech., • You can manage the stress of yourself and others, and know when to de-escalate to protect the team’s productivity and well-being., • You’re adaptable, curious, and unafraid of new tools or workflows., • You take ownership and pride in both the animation craft and the player experience it delivers. About Couch Heroes Couch Heroes is a growing, international game studio building a modular, social-first MMO world designed for creativity, expression, and deep player connection. We’re crafting a platform where players shape stories, collaborate on content, and explore a constantly evolving universe together. We’re remote-first, legally based in the UK, and scaling operations to support our multi-year roadmap. We value autonomy, curiosity, and collaborative ownership and we’re always looking for people who love games and building great teams. 🧭 Location: Remote 📄 Type: Full-time 🕹️ Start: ASAP
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