Senior Game Animator

Light & Wonder is the global leader in cross-platform games and entertainment. The company brings together 5,000 employees from six continents to connect content between land-based and digital channels with unmatched technology and distribution. Guided by a culture that values daring teamwork and creativity, Light & Wonder builds new worlds of play, developing game experiences loved by players around the globe. We create our own award-winning games and also partner with premium licensees such as Netflix, Warner Bros and others to bring franchises like Squid Game, Willy Wonka and The Wizard of Oz to life in online gaming products. The company’s Infinity platform powers the largest digital-gaming network in the industry. Light & Wonder is committed to the highest standards of integrity, from promoting player responsibility to implementing sustainable practices.     

   
We are looking for a Senior Animator to join our new Sofia Office. Working closely and collaboratively with artists and developers, the Senior 2D Animator is responsible for creating and animating outstanding, high-quality motion graphics, effects, animated content and game imagery based on specific game mechanics/story boards and briefs, while mentoring and guiding junior animators. Their work is directly linked to the signature look of our creations which guarantees their success. Our animators play a key role as the bridge between the Creative Team and the Development Engineers. The Senior Animator plays a crucial role in ensuring the smooth flow of animation production between teams on their projects, anticipating and resolving pipeline or technical challenges before they impact production. Applying their expertise, the Senior Animator contributes to all animated aspects of projects and games, such as the following:  

•    Spine-based animations for characters, objects, and effects  

•    Characters and objects. animation 
•    Background idle and fx animation. 
•    Symbols and logos animation. 

•    Assets output and optimization (*Texture packer) 
•    Promotional videos (*if required) 

The Senio Animator must be versatile to create animations in a range of styles, quickly identifying and pre-selecting the direction that best suit the game theme. Their Artistic sensibilities and understanding of the target market will be leveraged constantly to fine tune work for the project at hand and to guide junior team members. 
  
The Senior Animator will ensure intellectual property and copyright guidelines are followed and production deadlines are met.  

The Senior Animator must have advanced creative skills to produce animatics, user flows and effect. They will produce work quickly and efficiently and are fully conversant with the current tools of the trade. The successful candidate will be able to design rich and spectacular animations, with near-expert knowledge of rigging, particle effects, complex character animation and other key aspects of animation, and the ability to unlock complex situations and bring new ideas to the table. A drive to grow and learn, curiosity, passion for the trade, and the desire to mentor others and meet challenges. 

The Senior Animator needs to have an advanced working knowledge of assets optimization for HTML 5/Online game purposes and acts as a reference point for the team on the best approach. They will also need strong knowledge of Webp, Texture Packer and other similar optimization tools or algorithms. Advanced working knowledge of Spine, including both foundational rigging and advanced 2.5D/fake-3D animation techniques, is required, along with the ability to mentor others in this discipline. 

Responsibilities and job Description: 

• 6+ years of hands-on experience in game animation development and production across 4+ projects, with a portfolio to support this 

• Advanced/near-expert knowledge of animation principles, including rigging, particle effects, transitions and complex character animation 

• Advanced/mastery-level knowledge of animation tools: Adobe After Effects (including plug-ins such as Trapcode), Maxon/Red Giant, Spine (basic rigging and advanced 2.5D/fake-3D animation) 

• Strong knowledge of Adobe Photoshop 

• Strong knowledge of Adobe Firefly or Adobe Photoshop AI assistant. 

• Ability to visually express concepts and ideas through animatics, drawings and sketches, and to pre-identify the options that best suit a game theme 

• Skilled at bringing characters to life, with the ability to unlock complex animation challenges 

• Strong technical aptitude and rigor 

• Capable of quickly learning how to use new software and of maintaining current knowledge. 

• Strong knowledge of production steps and understanding of creative processes 

• Experience mentoring and sharing knowledge with junior and mid-level animators 

Assets: 

• Familiarity with 3D tools would be an asset 

• Professional experience in the Casino Gaming industry 

• Working knowledge of use of AI (*Firefly, Layer.ai, Copilot) 

• Good working knowledge of Jira, including creating and assigning tasks for team members