Hybrid Principal Animation Engineer

at AGBO

• Job title: Principal Animation Engineer
• Job type: Full Time
• Experience level: Lead
• Salary: Not specified
• Degree requirement: Bachelor's Degree
• Tech skills: Unreal Engine
• Location requirements: Hybrid, Raleigh, United States

About the role

• Principal Animation Engineer leading the technical vision for animation systems in interactive projects at AGBO. Focusing on building scalable, high-performance animation architecture for gaming.

Responsibilities

• Define and lead the technical strategy for animation systems within Unreal Engine (UE5), ensuring scalability, maintainability, and performance.
• Architect and implement advanced runtime animation systems including state machines, animation blueprints, motion matching, locomotion systems, blending frameworks, and procedural solutions.
• Collaborate closely with animators to ensure animation content integrates seamlessly and performs optimally in-engine.
• Establish and communicate best practices for animation pipelines, performance optimization, replication, and networked animation systems.
• Serve as the primary technical partner to Animation leadership, translating creative goals into sustainable engineering solutions.
• Identify performance bottlenecks and proactively implement solutions to maintain high frame-rate targets.
• Partner with Design and Gameplay Engineering to ensure tight integration between animation systems, combat mechanics, and player controls.
• Contribute to tooling improvements and workflow enhancements that increase iteration speed and team efficiency.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• 10+ years of professional experience in gameplay or animation engineering, with multiple shipped titles and at least one in a senior or principal capacity.
• Significant professional experience as an Animation Engineer on at least one shipped UE4 or UE5 title.
• Experience developing animation systems for a third-person game, with strong understanding of locomotion, combat, and character responsiveness.
• Deep expertise in C++ and Unreal Engine animation frameworks (Animation Blueprints, Montages, Blend Spaces, Control Rig, etc.).
• Strong understanding of character movement, camera systems, and player input responsiveness.
• Experience optimizing animation systems for performance across platforms.
• Proven ability to lead technical initiatives and mentor other engineers.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to clearly articulate technical concepts to non-engineering partners.

Benefits

• In-person collaboration with technical and creative teams is essential
• Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the U.S.
• AGBO Labs LLC is committed to operating fair and unbiased recruitment procedures allowing all applicants an equal opportunity for employment, free from discrimination