Sr. Technical Artist, Character and Animation Pipeline - Games

At Netflix, our mission is to entertain the world. Together, we are writing the next episode - pushing the boundaries of storytelling, global fandom and making the unimaginable a reality. We are a dream team obsessed with the uncomfortable excitement of discovering what happens when you merge creativity, intuition and cutting-edge technology. Come be a part of what’s next. We are looking for a versatile and highly skilled Sr. Technical Artist , specializing in Characters and Character Animation Pipeline , to join a build-focused team creating a high-impact, character-driven experience for a global IP audience. In this role, you will be the centralized tech art bridge between the Animation, Art, and Tech teams, turning visual targets into practical and repeatable processes and tools. From prototype to live operations, you will work closely with internal and external departments to own the end-to-end Character and Animation Pipeline in Unreal Engine 5. Your work will define, service, and maintain our pipeline, including rigging, tooling, runtime setups, body and facial mocap, and animation handoff. You will advocate for clear communication, lightweight workflows, game performance, and solutions that balance proven approaches while remaining outcome driven. You will help shape how the team operates, developing trust-based relationships within our remote, cross-discipline group and with external collaborators. You value clear communication, rapid learning, and action-led planning, and you’re motivated by the opportunity to help build and scale something great from the ground up. THE TEAM We’re a small, scrappy team with big ambitions and an obsession to deliver memorable, innovative gameplay combined with beloved IPs, served seamlessly within the Netflix streaming ecosystem. We’re looking for new teammates who care deeply about the experiences they create and the people they make them with, who are biased towards action, and are energized by the learning that comes with bold experimentation at an agile pace. As part of Netflix, we strive to hire the best and value integrity, excellence, respect, inclusion, and collaboration. RESPONSIBILITIES Character & Animation Pipeline Own and improve the character and animation pipeline from DCC (Maya) into Unreal Engine 5, ensuring rigs and assets are ready for animation and runtime use. Create and maintain body and facial rigs for characters, costumes, and hair in Maya, with clean deformation and predictable behavior in UE5. Understand, maintain, and evolve the animation pipeline as project needs, tools, and content types change. Define and uphold naming, structure, and performance standards (bones, polycounts, LODs, materials) for character content. Tools, Workflow & Optimization Build and support tools and scripts (e.g., Python, MEL, Unreal tooling) that speed up rigging, export, validation, and integration. Author or source animation-focused tools and plug-ins as needed, and stay up-to-date on new Maya and UE5 animation and rigging features and trends. Diagnose and address pipeline and performance issues related to characters and animation, balancing visual quality, stability, and efficiency. Collaboration & Support Partner with the Lead Character Artist, Animation Lead, Art Director, and engineers to define concrete constraints (rig features, deformation limits, performance budgets) that push stylization while keeping rigs stable, performant, and compatible with the pipeline. Assist with animation tests and in-engine validation, iterating on rigs, tools, and workflows based on real production use. Provide clear guidance and feedback to internal teams and external vendors on how to prepare and deliver pipeline-ready character and animation assets. Research, implement and/or improve the state of art, graphics techniques and tools for use in current and upcoming projects THE IDEAL CANDIDATE 7+ years of experience as a Technical Artist, with a strong focus on c ... (truncated, view full listing at source)