THE ROLE

Our team is searching for an enthusiastic and talented Animation Engineer to join us. You will play a pivotal role in bringing life and movement to our procedurally generated environments. The first project you’ll work on is our tactical military shooter, Six Days in Fallujah, which recently launched into Early Access as the world’s #1 selling PC game and is scheduled for full release on PC and consoles in late 2024. Your expertise in animation systems will contribute to the creation of captivating and immersive gaming experiences that engage players on a deep level.

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RESPONSIBILITIES

• Collaborate with the animation team to design, develop, and implement robust animation systems within Unreal Engine. This includes character animation, vehicle object animation, and procedural animation.
• Implement techniques to achieve smooth and responsive animations, considering factors such as frame rate, memory usage, and scalability while ensuring optimal performance across various platforms.  
• Collaborate with other engineering disciplines to integrate physics-based animations and simulations, such as cloth, hair, and physics-driven interactions, enhancing the overall realism and immersion of the game.
• Create and maintain animation systems, using animation blueprints, montages, blendspaces, and more.
• Identify and resolve animation-related issues, glitches, and bugs through testing and debugging.  ‍

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REQUIREMENTS

• 5 years of videogame industry experience.
• Proficiency in Unreal and strong programming skills in C++.
• In-depth understanding of animation principles.
• Experience with animation systems such as state machines and graphs.
• Familiarity with physics-based animation techniques and simulations.
• Ability to optimize animations for performance.
• Prior experience in Unreal animation and Gameplay Ability Systems is a significant plus.

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BENEFITS

• Highwire is built on mutual trust and respect. As a team, we value honesty, authenticity, and professionalism. We are committed to building an ethical, trustworthy company, and we expect the same high standards from everyone we work with.
• Hybrid Culture. Work remotely or in the studio. Our team is already working remotely across 11 different states. And, if Seattle is your home, the choice of where to work is yours. 
• 401k, Medical, Dental, and Vision coverage for you and your family.

• Sustainable Development. Even before the pandemic, we've prioritized flexibility and balance for our team, encouraging responsible self-regulation, working remotely part- or full-time, reasonable production demands, and disciplined, transparent leadership.
• Flexible PTO. We don't limit our team to a set number of days off. If your work is getting done, you'll get flexibility in determining your schedule and vacation days.
• Equitable Profit-sharing Program. When the game makes money, the team makes money, without drawn-out vesting schedules or steep seniority tiers. 
• Impact. Our mid-sized team, and highly visible products, means your work will make a big difference in games that millions of players all over the world will experience.

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COMPENSATION

We offer base salaries that are competitive with similar companies, plus an aggressive profit-sharing program. In the US, base salaries for this position within companies of our size typically range from $85,000 to $140,000. Your base salary with us will depend on your responsibilities, performance within our studio, previous experience before joining us, unique skills, education, and your location. In addition to our profit-sharing program, we also cover medical, dental, and vision insurance for you and your family, and we offer a 401k retirement savings plan. 

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ABOUT HIGHWIRE

Highwire is a midsized development team led by people who've co-invented some of the industry's most impactful and successful videogames. Our deeply funded studio is challenging the status quo in everything from how videogames are made to what videogames can be.

We believe the best innovations come from mid-sized teams of super-empowered people. By leveraging tools like the Unreal Engine, and focusing our efforts on a small number of high-impact innovations, we're able to create industry-defining experiences, and deliver outstanding quality with teams of 60-80 people.  

Our first game was the world's #1 best-selling PC game when it released into Early Access in June 2023, and tens of millions of people around the world are already following what we're doing. Six Days in Fallujah is a tactical first-person shooter that recreates true stories from one of the world's most important modern battles, with help from more than 100 Marines, Soldiers, and Iraqis who were there. By challenging players with real-world scenarios, and real people's experiences, Six Days in Fallujah gives players empathy for other people's experiences, along with insight into one of the most important events of our century. We hope it will raise expectations for what videogames can be.

As an organization that depends on attracting and retaining innovative and talented people, you can be assured that our team will welcome you here regardless of your ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, sexual identity, or religion.

If you have any questions or would like to apply, contact us with your resume at jobs@highwiregames.com.