Location
Chancery Lane, London, United Kingdom (Hybrid role with days in our London studio and potential international travel)

Hours
Contract role, hours to be agreed

Salary
Negotiable

About the Role
Framestore’s Immersive Studio is a world-leading innovator in crafting immersive experiences that transcend the screen, combining unrivalled creative craftsmanship with technical prowess. We create extraordinary realms of adventure through creative technology, location-based entertainment, and theme park rides. Driven by creativity and inspired by the future, we set out every day to reframe the possible.

We are seeking a Technical Animator to join our Immersive team, working at the intersection of animation, technology, and real-time storytelling. This role suits an experienced Animator with strong Unreal Engine knowledge or a Technical Artist with an animation background who enjoys building systems as much as crafting motion.

You will collaborate closely with Technical Artists, Developers, and Animation and Rigging teams to bring the polish of our Film and TV work into real-time experiences. Your focus will be on building, implementing, and refining animation systems in game engines, supporting tools and workflows that enable artists to excel.

Key responsibilities include implementing and maintaining animation systems within Unreal Engine, collaborating with Pipeline and Rigging teams to extend VFX workflows into engine, troubleshooting animation-related technical issues, optimizing animation performance while preserving creative quality, creating and maintaining clear documentation, and supporting gameplay and interaction experiences alongside the Development team.

Please note this is a speculative contract role. We cannot provide visas or UK relocation support.

Experience
- Extensive experience working in engine (Unreal Engine 5 preferred) in games or real-time environments
- Deep knowledge of Unreal animation systems including Control Rig, Motion Matching, Contextual Animation, procedural layering, blending, transitions, physics assets, and dynamics
- Experience with animation blueprints and engine state machines
- Strong understanding of animation and rigging pipelines in Unreal and/or VFX
- Confidence working with Python
- Solid knowledge of anatomy, motion, weight, balance, and form
- Understanding of constraints, deformers, and their limitations

About You
- Strong communication skills, good organisation, and a proactive, collaborative mindset
- Ability to troubleshoot complex problems and balance performance with artistic intent

Desirable Skills
- Working knowledge of C++
- Experience with performance capture, retargeting, and rig hookups
- Familiarity with FACS-based animation
- Experience creating content for XR or interactive projects
- Experience working with stylised characters
- Working knowledge of Maya

Qualifications
No formal qualifications specified; emphasis on relevant experience and skills