Hybrid Senior Gameplay Animator

at Velan Studios, Inc.

• Job title: Senior Gameplay Animator
• Job type: Full Time
• Experience level: Senior
• Salary: $80,000 - $120,000 per year
• Degree requirement: Bachelor's Degree
• Tech skills: Python
• Location requirements: Hybrid, Troy, United States

About the role

• Senior Gameplay Animator creating immersive character animations at Velan Studios. Collaborating with teams to enhance gameplay mechanics and bring characters to life in groundbreaking games.

Responsibilities

• Help define and drive the game’s animation style with expressive, solid body mechanics that makes gameplay feel amazing.
• Take ownership of the full gameplay animation process, from rough prototypes to polished game performances.
• Drive in-engine development with excellent engine competency, including animation systems, state machines and other procedural animation techniques.
• Collaborate with designers and engineers to explore new ideas, solve tricky gameplay challenges, and push what’s possible through animation.
• Document tools and workflows.
• Mentor other animators, offering feedback, guidance, and support.
• Champion animation across the studio — always pushing for clarity, responsiveness, and that breath of life within every press of a button.

Requirements

• 7+ years of professional experience animating for games, with a focus on gameplay.
• A standout demo reel that shows clear body mechanics, timing, and personality.
• Expert in Maya or equivalent 3D animation software.
• Hands-on experience working in-engine, with focus on general state machine structures.
• Proactive and self-directed, with a good sense of when to explore and when to get things done.
• Able to effectively communicate technical needs and issues to Engineering/Tech Art/Design.
• Above all, deeply curious and passionate about creating responsive, character forward animation that makes gameplay feel amazing.
• **Big Pluses**
• Experience leading small animation teams or driving animation direction
• Reel should include game or engine captures of your animations in gameplay context.
• Familiarity with motion matching, procedural animation, or other modern runtime techniques.
• Generalist skills in modeling, rigging, or related areas.
• A passion for game design and how animation supports player feedback, pacing, and readability
• Experience with motion capture.
• Basic scripting or tool-building experience (Python, MEL, or similar) to streamline workflows or prototype ideas.

Benefits

• potential annual bonuses (though they are not guaranteed)
• health, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance
• retirement savings plan
• paid holidays
• flexible time-off benefits