Associate Rigging Director

Job Description

As the Associate Rigging Director, you are part of a team focused on delivering amazing visual experiences. The focus will be modeling, rigging, and animation techniques to create photo realistic visuals and animation. Your position is a blend of art and technology where you'll explore new ways to increase visual quality while researching technology to inspire creativity (i.e. procedural workflows, AI and ML-driven solutions, etc.).

Responsibilities:
• Work with the Sr Director of Characters, Principal Animation Director, Technical Leadership, and Partner Teams (A-Team, Create, SEED, Frostbite) to guide quality, efficiency, and new ideas in the rigging/animation domain.
• In collaboration with the Sr Director of Characters, the focus of work will be high impact and strategic initiatives to drive the character rigging/animation domain forward.
• Partner with the Sr Director of Characters to ensure the creative/artistic quality standards of the studio are adhered to in overall character, rigging, and animation production delivery.
• Create prototypes for previsualization and new IP in partnership with the Sr Director of Characters and team Art Directors to determine how to approach and achieve the desired look, both technically and artistically.
• Generate simulation deformer training data for AI or ML applications, enhancing the accuracy and realism of character animations.
• Establish muscle, skin, hair, fur, and clothing simulations that integrate into the character rigs, contributing to realistic and immersive visual experiences.
• Construct and refine character rigs, ensuring they meet the highest quality standards for photo-realism in AAA games.
• Collaborate with Sr Director of Characters, Animation Directors, and team Art Directors to establish rigging, and animation visual targets and workflows for partner teams and outsourcing.
• Analyze existing rigging and animation workflows across multiple projects to propose improvements and lead agreement.
• In partnership with Technical Leadership, develop cost-effective tools and techniques to empower the creativity for the animators to create amazing content and experiences.
• Liaise with other studios in the company regarding research and development of rigging/animation production and quality based on aligned direction of the studio Sr Director of Characters.
• Partner with the Sr Director of Characters to develop a 3-Year Roadmap for quality and new ideas for believable characters and performance.
• Stay current within the industry and the visual arts to ensure the studio is pioneering in the rigging/animation domain and utilizing the industry-leading and leading-edge processes.

Qualifications:

Incorporating both artistic and technical skills, you will have a background demonstrating an ability to guide quality and progress through personal and collaborative efforts.
• Minimum of 8-10 years of professional experience as a VFX Character Rigging Artist in the gaming industry or a related field.
• Experience generating deformer training data for AI or ML applications.
• Comprehensive knowledge of several CG fundamentals such as modeling, texturing/shading/surfacing, rigging, animation, lighting, and rendering.
• Experience developing rigs and defining topology standards for deformation quality and efficiency.
• Expert at human anatomy and human locomotion.
• Experience in scripting and programming (Python, MEL, and C# desired).
• Familiarity with many modern art software packages and expert understanding of at least one (Maya, Houdini, Substance, and Z-Brush)
• Expert level knowledge of FACS based facial shape modeling and corrective shapes for body rigging.
• Mentor and provide guidance to junior rigging artists, helping them expand their domain expertise and improve their skills.
• Write documentation for pipelines/tools created.
• Understanding of real-time game engine pipelines and an ability of delivering high quality assets while working within technical limitations.

You will report directly to the Sr Director of Characters, providing an opportunity to contribute to the vision and success of the team. If you are an experienced and experienced Associate Rigging Director who excels in a fast-paced, innovative environment, we would love to hear from you.

Please include a portfolio or reel showcasing your character rigging work with your application.

'US COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

The base salary ranges listed below are for the defined geographic market pay zones in these states. If you reside outside of these locations, a recruiter will advise on the base salary range and benefits for your specific location.

EA has listed the base salary ranges it in good faith expects to pay applicants for this role in the locations listed, as of the time of this posting. Salary offered will be determined based on numerous relevant business and candidate factors including, for example, education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, and business or organizational needs.

BASE SALARY RANGES
• California (depending on location e.g. Los Angeles vs. Sacramento):
º $113,300 - $171,700

Base salary is just one part of the overall compensation at EA. We also offer a package of benefits including paid time off (3 weeks per year to start), 80 hours per year of sick time, 16 paid company holidays per year, 10 weeks paid time off to bond with baby, medical/dental/vision insurance, life insurance, disability insurance, and 401(k) to regular full-time employees. Certain roles may also be eligible for bonus and equity.
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Jobcode: Reference SBJ-rzbqz1-3-135-190-113-42 in your application.