Gameplay Animation Lead

Bonfire is looking for a Gameplay Animation Lead/Director to guide our animation team and help define the animation vision and quality for our multiplayer team-based competitive game. As the Animation Lead, you will collaborate with animators and across disciplines to bring characters to life and create impactful gameplay experiences through exciting combat and expressive motion. 

Bonfire Studios is a highly collaborative environment where every developer's voice shapes the company, the game, and the tasks we work on each day. As a key leader on a small, focused team, you will have the opportunity to make a significant positive impact on our team and IP, and help create amazing experiences for our players.

About the role...

• You will lead and collaborate with a lean team of skilled and passionate animators to guide and evolve the animation style for our characters and world.
• Collaborate with leads and vision holders across disciplines to ensure cohesion and alignment with the overall vision for the game.
• Guide the animation team towards a high but executable quality bar while respecting the constraints of gameplay and tech, and while also allowing space for artists' autonomy and exploration.
• Help drive innovation and identify opportunities for evolving style and quality. Inspire the animation team to explore what is artistically possible and also positively impact player experience.
• Collaborate across disciplines to jam on character development, creating combat that feels amazing, as well as other features and team goals.
• Build the animation team and cast team members to their strengths and interests, while recognizing potential and providing opportunities for learning and growth. Serve as a coach and mentor; provide support, invest in team members' development, and help them navigate challenges.
• Drive alignment and prioritization of animation-focused strategies and goals, both within the animation team and with partners - such as development of features, process/efficiency, tech and tools, and leveraging external resources or outsourcing partners as needed, etc.
• You'll wear many hats, have ample opportunity to utilize your prior experience and also be supported in experimenting with new areas of interest to you.
• Your ultimate impact on the studio will be unbounded; we lean on each other's passions and embrace one another's unique perspectives on game development to help us all grow as a team together. You will have many opportunities to contribute to areas of the game and the company outside your core focus.

We're excited about you because you...

• Have proven experience creating high quality, in-game animations, ideally on multiple shipped titles. 
• Are excited by the competitive multiplayer combat space and understand the importance animation plays there.
• Have a keen understanding of combat systems and exceptional skill in crafting satisfying, impactful assets to drive those systems.
• Have experience developing animation systems in new engines.
• Feel comfortable taking ownership of features and seeing them though to the end.
• Are highly self motivated and good at understanding and focusing on the biggest needs for the game. 
• Are highly skilled at animation and are able to convey character through Gameplay Animations.
• Push for animation fidelity, but are always ready to put gameplay quality first.
• Believe, as we do, that great games are the product of great teams that put their people first.
• Want to have a large impact while collaborating with other talented developers in a tight knit AAA studio, rolling up your sleeves and using your passions and interests to shape your role at the company.
• Thrive on collaboration and communicate well with developers of all disciplines.
• Are open, humble, eager, and excited about learning and contributing in multiple areas of the studio. Your curiosity propels you to jump in and dive deep on new problems.
• Value building trust with the people you work with.
• Value working with a diverse team and welcome different perspectives.
• Have a growth mindset and also care about helping others develop.
• Are as passionate about the creative process and developing games as we are!

You'll love working at Bonfire because we...

• Have strong values that include transparency, ownership, and trust. We are a people-first studio that also strives for a high bar of excellence in our creations.
• Celebrate craft expertise because we are a small, tight-knit group of highly experienced game developers who are as passionate about our team as we are our game.
• Offer opportunities to learn and contribute beyond your focused discipline in areas of interest or passion.
• Practice candor and feedback, leveling ourselves and each other up in the process.
• Play games and have fun together, kindling our own love for games and learning about each other.

The base salary range for this position is $189,000 - $290,000 USD. The range doesn't tell the whole story - we are always open to candidates at different stages in their careers and consider candidates' potential impact holistically, not just their years of experience or skill level. There is also more to our total comp package than salary, we offer equity to every new hire as well as a comprehensive benefits package and more. We will be happy to share more about our compensation opportunities when we chat with you!

You can learn more about Bonfire's studio culture, team, benefits, and perks on our website: www.bonfirestudios.com. Any information you submit is used for recruiting purposes only, and is never shared. You can learn more in our privacy policy here.