Lead Animator

As an accomplished Lead Animator, you know that great animation leadership means more than crafting exceptional work - it's about building efficient pipelines, mentoring your team, and delivering AAA-quality animations on schedule. You've shipped major titles and you thrive leading teams that push the project's quality bar.

We are unconventional creators of action games for PC and consoles - extremely fun to work with and definitely not for the faint-hearted. For over a decade, we pioneered the local game dev scene, driven by the ambition to become the regional game dev leader.

On that quest, we pave our way with exciting games developed in Unreal Engine. Our latest released title, Scars Above, is a challenging and immersive 3rd-person sci-fi shooter set in a mysterious alien world. Currently, we’re developing Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival - a first-person action horror survival game based on the beloved franchise. Alongside that, we’re working on an unannounced AAA title set in a famous and beloved IP that fans are sure to anticipate. While we can't reveal too much just yet, we can promise these titles will push the boundaries of regional game development and generate some serious hype.

We are on the lookout for someone like you to join us in our offices in Novi Sad, Belgrade, Sarajevo or remote. If everything said above ticks all your boxes so far, read on! We might be a match made in heaven!

What will you be doing as a Mad Head?

• Lead Combat and Locomotion animation team inside MHG
• Support team growth through recruitment, skill development, and process improvement initiatives
• Mentor individual animators from the team, set expectations from them
• Review animations produced by the team, ensure their work is aligned overall project animation directions
• Work hands-on on animation tasks when needed
• Use traditional animation principles, gameplay fundamentals and motion-capture to craft high quality animations and systems
• Work with the production team to create schedules/roadmaps for the Animation team
• Plan and delegate team tasks based on priorities, capacity, and deadlines while ensuring realistic workload and clear expectations.
• Track team progress and facilitate collaboration and smooth communication with other departments
• Define and improve pipelines and workflows to ensure efficient and high-quality delivery
• Keep the team informed on goals, priorities, and any relevant project or task changes
• Provide mentorship and support individual growth and career development through knowledge sharing and regular 1-on-1 meetings
• Provide constructive feedback to guide performance and participate in evaluation processes
• Plan team capacity and collaborate with the Recruitment team in hiring new team members

What do we expect from our ideal candidate?

• 5+ years of experience animating for video games
• A background in Gameplay Animation in AAA games, preferably within a leadership position
• Strong locomotion and combat animation production experience
• Strong keyframing skills
• Written and spoken communication skills in English

It would be a plus if you have:

• Experience of working with Unreal Engine animation systems

In return, here is what we can give*:

The base game:

• Competitive industry standard salary, because we all know that it matters
• We prefer to work in a hybrid mode, but we also offer options for regular office-goers and remote work
• Referral program - we want to support team strengthening and hire quality people you want to work with

For your health and stamina bars:

• Flexible working hours: sleep in or start early - we trust you with your time
• More time to rest: 25 days of vacation, plus: company-wide annual leave in January, short-term sick leaves, longer sick leave, additional remote days, additional days for significant life events like childbirths, wedding leaves, and bereavement
• A month of 4-hour workdays for all Mad Heads returning from maternity leave for a gentle return to the workflow

Leveling up your XP:

• Ongoing education and training: self-improvement is a priority, so conferences, classes, workshops, and courses (external and internal) are all a part of the package
• Work with top talents, senior professionals and teams from your field of work

Back story and environment:

• An extremely upbeat workplace like you have never seen before
• Join a team working from 3 offices - and over 16+ countries around the world
• Working shoulder to shoulder with Space Marine, Warhammer and WWZ developers from Sabre (our mother company)

On-site based benefits and perks:

• Premium private medical insurance
• Awesome team-building events and personalized team-bonding events tailored to your preferences
• Community events: we are heavily involved in developing startup, tech, and gaming ecosystems - and will include you in it
• Fitness support - allowances for gym/pool/sport activities
• Coffee, fruits, snacks in the office
• Merch and gifs

*Benefits may vary depending on location and contract type. Do not hesitate to ask us about more details on our benefits offer.