Technical Director - Animation Splinter Cell

Job Description

Our Mission

Ubisoft's 19,000 team members, working across more than 40 locations worldwide, are bound by a joint mission to enrich players' lives with original and memorable gaming experiences. Their dedication and talent have brought to life many acclaimed franchises such as Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, Watch Dogs, Just Dance, Rainbow Six, and many more to come. Ubisoft is an equal opportunity employer who believes diverse backgrounds and perspectives are vital in creating worlds where players and teams can thrive and express themselves. If you are excited about solving game changing challenges, cutting edge technologies, and pushing the boundaries of entertainment, we invite you to join our journey and help us create the unknown.
Our Studio

Ubisoft Toronto is one of the largest development studios within Ubisoft, employing talented developers from around the world. We create worlds and tell stories that grip you, inspire you and challenge you. Since opening in 2010, we have shipped innovative game projects on some of Ubisoft's biggest brands: Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, Watch Dogs, For Honor and Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell.

Most recently, we launched Far Cry 6, the most ambitious Far Cry game to date, featuring the talented Giancarlo Esposito as Anton Castillo. Our studio has also led the development of the newest game in the Watch Dogs franchise – Watch Dogs: Legion (2020), a stand out for its tech and design work, play as anyone gameplay in an open world, and rich and detailed rendition of a future London. Starlink: Battle for Atlas (2018) was Ubisoft Toronto's first new IP, using technology that seamlessly blended physical and digital gameplay. Splinter Cell Blacklist was the first title released by Ubisoft Toronto in 2013. We have an exciting roadmap of projects for the future and can't wait to share more details.

Are you looking to work with enthusiastic experts who are tackling industry-changing challenges in entertainment and beyond? At Ubisoft Toronto, we are always striving to get better, be better and do better – embracing innovative ideas, exploring new technologies, and working together courageously and collaboratively.

Ubisoft Toronto Inc.
224 Wallace Avenue. M6H 1V7
Toronto, Ontario
www.toronto.ubisoft.com

Location of position: Toronto, Ontario

Job Description
On being a Technical Animation Director at Ubisoft Toronto
With a high-level understanding of the capabilities of our technology combined with your visibility on the project as a whole, as a Technical Animation Director at UbiTO, you provide expert insight, tools, and support to steer a game – and its creators – towards success.

Unafraid to innovate, you establish an actionable plan to bridge the gap between coming up with ideas and putting them into practice. Though every day of development brings its own mix of both expected and unforeseen challenges, you never lose sight of the big picture. As a strategic thinker and tactical planner, you balance short-term priorities with long-term goals, while consistently considering the future impacts of your choices.

Type of Position: Permanent, full-time.

What you'll do
• Collaborate with other core team members to develop the overall vision & determine technical feasibility.
• Review game design concepts + identify and analyze risks (engine, memory, frame rate, etc.).
• Work closely with programmers to assess existing animation and rigging tools + occasionally design custom ones to improve pipelines.
• Support animators, game designers, and riggers with their technical needs + informatively and constructively explain the root causes of risks, blockers, etc.
• Train team members on tools and techniques + raise awareness of new processes.
• Resolve complex, escalated issues & make technical validations.
• Prepare post-mortems + recommend cost- and time-efficient solutions to evolve our animation content & tech.
• Anticipate technological advancements and stay up to date on market trends to define our best practices + share them with our studios and the industry.
• Participate in recruitment to build the animation team & foster their professional development.

Qualifications

What it takes to make it
• An undergraduate degree in 3D Animation, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or equivalent
• At least 7 years of animation, rigging, or programming experience (or related experience) + 3 years of leadership
• In-depth knowledge of game engines (e.g. Unity or Unreal) & 3D software (3DS Max, Maya, and MotionBuilder) + an understanding of scripting languages (e.g. C#, Python, JavaScript, MaxScript), motion capture, and state machines
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, mentorship, time management, organizational, and presentation skills
• A highly innovative, collaborative, attentive, and solution-oriented spirit
• Critical thinking, curiosity, resourcefulness, and plenty of flexibility
• Familiarity with bug tracking software (e.g. Jira) and version management systems (e.g. Perforce)
• A passion for sharing your knowledge and helping others learn and grow

We know that skills and competencies show up in different forms and can be based on different experiences, that's why we strongly encourage you to apply even though you may not have all the requirements listed above.

What to send our way
• Your CV, highlighting your education, experience, skills, and games shipped

Please feel free to send us samples of your work or any supporting documentation you find relevant.

Jobcode: Reference SBJ-g3n8k4-18-220-140-5-42 in your application.