Intermediate Character Technical Artist (Unreal Engine)

“This expedition, at least, promises success.” –The Ancestor Red Hook are the creators of the Darkest Dungeon series, which has grown from crowdfunded beginnings to become gaming’s most iconic strategy gothic horror franchise. Darkest Dungeon and Darkest Dungeon II have combined to sell many millions of copies. Red Hook continues to function as an independent studio under its parent company, Behaviour Interactive, with a mandate to continue creating bold titles featuring significant innovation. We strive to maintain a workplace founded upon creativity, respect, transparency, and accountability. Why Join Us? Clear Vision & Leadership - Work with experienced leaders who know where the project is going and how to get there. Red Hook is led by the original Darkest Dungeon creators. Collaborative Culture - Join a team that respects and elevates each other’s craft, knowing that only through our collective efforts can we achieve success. Agency - With the game’s vision clearly defined, our team is trusted with real creative ownership—working without micromanagement and empowered to shape a game the entire team will be proud of. Stability - Red Hook is careful about hiring and firing, seeking to avoid boom and bust cycles. We’re in this for the long game. Beautiful Vancouver - Live and work in one of the most desirable cities in the world. Relocation assistance available. Reporting to the Technical Art Director, you will work closely with the Animation Director and play a crucial role in the development of our character pipeline for a new and ambitious project. Responsibilities Establish best practices and workflows for all secondary motion on characters, from hand animation to physics solutions. Build and optimize Unreal control rigs, constraints, and other runtime rigging solutions for all in-game characters. Develop efficient workflows for managing dynamic relationships between in-game entities, such as prop-to-actor attachments and actor-to-actor grapple/interaction systems. Maintain Unreal animation systems, including blueprints, state machines, pose layering, additives, animation notifies and custom nodes. Build and maintain tools to support animation authoring in both Maya and Unreal. Qualifications 5+ years as a Technical Artist, with at least one significant title shipped in that role (Unreal preferred) 3+ years character rigging in production 3+ years using Maya (or equivalent) in production 3+ years using Python in production, bonus if direct experience includes Unreal Python API 1+ years using runtime rigs, physics, cloth simulation, blueprints in Unreal (or equivalent in another engine) Strong understanding of state machines, blend spaces, IK solvers, and procedural animation. Be well-organized, self-sufficient and self-motivated. Should be able to perform duties with little oversight, and take high level direction to produce tangible results. Collaborative and friendly; your ability to get along with other team members while still pushing for a high quality end product is crucial to success Red Hook Studios is an inclusive, respectful, and supportive workplace. We encourage candidates of all identities and backgrounds to apply.