Job Description As a Principal Animator, you will bring characters to life across either gameplay systems or narrative-driven experiences.

This role spans two different areas of focus: Gameplay Animation Systems (locomotion, interaction, traversal, core gameplay) and Conversations & Scripted Events (facial animation, character acting, and performance-driven animation).

Candidates are not expected to have deep expertise in both areas.

We are hiring specialists in either focus and were looking for strong Principal-level talent in one of these domains.

Across the area of focus, you will help set the quality bar, drive best practices, mentor other animators, and partner closely with design, engineering, and animation teams.

Responsibilities Own and drive animation systems or features from concept through final implementation Create high-quality gameplay, body, and/or facial animations at AAA standards Collaborate closely with animators, designers, and gameplay programmers Advance animation quality and recommend improvements to workflows and pipelines Contribute to planning, dependencies, and structuring animation work across systems Mentor team members and help elevate overall animation craft Participate in animation reviews to ensure consistency and quality Solve complex artistic and technical animation challenges Gameplay focus (specialization): Develop and refine animation systems for locomotion, traversal, interaction, and gameplay mechanics Improve responsiveness, blending, and overall game feel Partner closely with gameplay programming and design teams Conversations & Scripted Events focus (specialization): Create and drive facial animation, character performance, and body acting Own animation quality for conversation systems and scripted sequences Ensure strong storytelling, emotional clarity, and performance quality across characters En tant quanimateur principal ou danimatrice principale, vous donnerez vie aux personnages travers des systmes de gameplay ainsi que des expriences narratives.

Ce rle couvre deux domaines de spcialisation : les systmes danimation gameplay (locomotion, interaction, dplacement, gameplay principal) ou Conversations & Scripted Events (animation faciale, jeu dacteur des personnages et animation axe sur la performance).

Les candidat(e)s ne sont pas tenus de possder une expertise approfondie dans les deux domaines.

Nous recherchons des spcialistes dans lune ou lautre de ces disciplines, avec un niveau principal solide dans au moins une.

Dans votre domaine dexpertise, vous contribuerez tablir les standards de qualit, dfinir les meilleures pratiques, encadrer dautres animateurs et collaborer troitement avec les quipes de design, dingnierie et danimation.

Responsabilits Prendre en charge et piloter le dveloppement de systmes ou de fonctionnalits danimation, de la conception jusqu limplmentation finale Crer des animations gameplay, corporelles et/ou faciales de haute qualit, conformes aux standards AAA Collaborer troitement avec les animateurs,



designers et programmeurs gameplay Perfectionner la qualit de lanimation et proposer des amliorations aux processus et pipelines Contribuer la planification, lorganisation et la structuration du travail danimation sur diffrents systmes Encadrer et soutenir les membres de lquipe afin de faire progresser lexpertise en animation Participer aux revues danimation afin dassurer la cohrence et la qualit Rsoudre des dfis artistiques et techniques complexes lis lanimation Spcialisation Gameplay: Dvelopper et amliorer des systmes danimation pour la locomotion, le dplacement, les interactions et les mcaniques de gameplay Amliorer la ractivit, les transitions et la qualit globale du gamefeel Collaborer troitement avec les quipes de programmation gameplay et de design Spcialisation Conversations & Scripted Events: Crer et diriger lanimation faciale, le jeu dacteur et la performance des personnages Assurer la qualit de lanimation pour les systmes de conversation et les squences scriptes Garantir une narration claire, une expressivit motionnelle et une forte qualit de performance Qualifications 10+ years of experience in 3D character animation for games, with multiple shipped AAA titles Strong demo reel showcasing either gameplay animation systems OR conversations & scripted events / facial and performance animation Expert understanding of animation fundamentals (body mechanics, acting, timing, weight, posing, arcs, anticipation, follow-through) Experience with motion capture, and keyframe animation Strong proficiency in Maya, Motion

Builder, or equivalent tools Solid understanding of gameplay systems, animation pipelines, and cross-disciplinary workflows Strong communication skills and ability to collaborate across teams Preferred Experience (one or more areas) Gameplay: Experience building first-person and/or third-person gameplay animation systems Strong understanding of 3C concepts (Character, Controls, Camera) Experience with locomotion, traversal, interaction, multiplayer, and animation blending systems Familiarity with animation graphs, root motion, and motion matching Conversations & Scripted Events: Robust experience in facial animation, character acting, and performance-driven animation Experience with conversation systems, scripted events, and cinematic sequences Understanding of storytelling, emotion, and expressive animation systems Experience with facial rigs, lip sync, gesture systems and facial capture Additional: Experience with game engines such as Unreal Experience working across a range of animation styles and character types (human, creature, animal, combat) Exposure to rigging or facial rigging workflows Eligibility Requirements Interested candidates must apply to be considered.

Must be willing to work in our Montreal office a minimum of 4 days a week.

Must be legally authorized to work in Canada.





Must be willing to travel for work related business, if necessary Exigences de base 10 ans ou plus ans dexprience en animation 3D de personnages pour les jeux vido, incluant la livraison de plusieurs titres AAA Portfolio (dmo) solide dmontrant soit des systmes danimation gameplay OU des animations lies aux Conversations & Scripted Events / animation faciale et de performance Excellente matrise des principes fondamentaux de lanimation (mcanique corporelle, jeu dacteur, timing, poids, poses, arcs, anticipation, suivi) Exprience avec la capture de mouvement et lanimation keyframe Matrise des outils standards de lindustrie tels que Maya, Motion

Builder ou quivalent Bonne comprhension des systmes de gameplay, des pipelines danimation et des environnements multidisciplinaires Excellentes comptences en communication et collaboration Expriences souhaites (un ou plusieurs domaines) Gameplay: Exprience dans la cration de systmes danimation pour gameplay la premire et/ou troisime personne Bonne comprhension des concepts 3C (personnage, contrles, camra) Exprience avec la locomotion, le dplacement, linteraction, le multijoueur et les systmes de blending Connaissance des graphes danimation, du root motion et du motion matching Conversations & Scripted Events: Forte exprience en animation faciale, jeu dacteur et animation axe sur la performance Exprience avec les systmes de conversation, vnements scripts et squences cinmatiques Bonne comprhension de la narration, des motions et des systmes danimation expressive Exprience avec les rigs faciaux, la synchronisation labiale, les systmes de gestes et la capture de mouvement faciaux.

Autres atouts: Exprience avec des moteurs de jeu tels qu

Unreal Exprience sur diffrents styles danimation et types de personnages (humain, crature, animal, combat) Connaissance des workflows de rigging ou de rigging facial Exigences dadmissibilit Les personnes intresses doivent soumettre leur candidature afin dtre considres.

Doit tre dispose travailler dans nos bureaux de Montral au minimum quatre (4) jours par semaine.

Doit tre lgalement autorise travailler au Canada.

Doit tre dispose se dplacer pour des raisons professionnelles, au besoin.

Additional Information As part of our selection process, external candidates may be required to attend an in-person interview with an NBCUniversal employee at one of our locations prior to a hiring decision. NBCUniversal''s policy is to provide equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, gender identity or expression, age, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, veteran status, membership in the uniformed services, genetic information, or any other basis protected by applicable law.

If you are a qualified individual with a disability or a disabled veteran and require support throughout the application and/or recruitment process as a result of your disability, you have the right to request a reasonable accommodation.

You can submit your request to AccessibilityS.

📌 Principal Animator (Gameplay, Conversations & Scripted Events) / Animateur principal ou Animatrice principale – Gameplay et Conversations / Scripted Events (Montreal)
🏢 NBCUniversal
📍 Montreal