Lead 3D Animator - Contract - job 1 of 2

Rooster Teeth Animation is looking for a skilled Lead Animator to become a part of our team. The position involves providing direction, critique and technical notes to other animators, under the supervision of the Animation Director and Supervisor. This position will also animate for a variety of 3D content, and assist with research and development of rigs and other animation tools. Candidates should supply a link to their reel, as well as a resume detailing any relevant experience.

Responsibilities:

• Utilize Maya to produce keyframe and motion capture animation under direction.
• Test and suggest improvements for character rigs
• Create character cycles and libraries
• Define and Communicate motion and performance styles for new characters
• Work with the Animation Director and Supervisor to understand the style of our shows, and be able to communicate those concepts to the team
• Motivate the animation team and act as a mentor for newer artists
• Understand the scope and schedule of assigned work and communicate progress
• Assist with onboarding for new hires
• Look ahead to foresee potential technical, process, or schedule issues and recommend solutions.
• Work to improve pipeline and workflow processes.
• Assist with department process documentation 
• Participate in team meetings and online chat channels
• Participate in Motion Capture shoots as a performer.

Requirements:

• 5+ years working in a production environment 
• In-depth proficiency with Autodesk Maya required, Experience with Adobe Creative Cloud and Shotgun Studio a plus.
• Strong sense of visual storytelling (emphasis on character performance, fight choreography, shot composition, and timing)
• Strong understanding of animation principles
• Strong leadership skills and self-motivation to help the team complete tasks within a deadline
• Work well within a team
• Experience with remote workflows and team members
• Past experience with motion capture is a plus

About Rooster Teeth

Rooster Teeth is a fan-driven, community built entertainment company. From humble origins in a spare bedroom, Rooster Teeth created the web series Red vs. Blue, an innovative form of entertainment for a changing media landscape that sparked the growth of a passionate global fandom. From that foundation, Rooster Teeth pioneered a direct-to-consumer lifestyle brand for its growing online following with subscriptions, advertising, e-commerce, and live events. Rooster Teeth produces several original content series including RWBY, the most popular western-style anime series today, The Rooster Teeth Podcast, and daily video series featuring an in-house cast of influential talent. With broadcast and live-action production capabilities and a world class animation studio, Rooster Teeth engages industry-leading networks, streaming entertainment services and creative talent to develop projects that reach global audiences through its Studios division. Rooster Teeth cultivates the gaming lifestyle it helped define with partnerships through its industry-leading video-first podcast network, The Roost. Rooster Teeth has a massive global footprint of more than 45 million subscribers to its YouTube Network, 5 million unique weekly viewers across its RoosterTeeth.com hub and more than 4 million registered community members. The company was founded in 2003, and is a subsidiary of Otter Media, a WarnerMedia company. Discover more at RoosterTeeth.com.