Cinematic Lead

Are you an experienced Cinematic Lead with a passion for creating world-class gaming experiences? Skillsearch is working with a renowned first-party Xbox Game Studio to recruit a Cinematic Lead to join their talented team. This Leamington Spa-based studio is currently rebooting a much-loved franchise and developing a new classic in the action RPG genre.

This permanent position offers an exciting opportunity to lead a dynamic cinematics team and contribute to the development of a high-quality AAA title.

In your first few weeks in this role, you can expect to:

Team Leadership:

• Lead and manage the cinematics team, ensuring the delivery of top-tier cinematics that align with the project’s vision.
• Mentor team members, supporting their professional growth and fostering a collaborative team culture.
• Oversee resource allocation, schedules, and workload distribution, providing regular updates to senior management.
• Contribute to hiring decisions and assist with team expansion as needed.

Collaboration & Alignment:

• Work closely with directorship, production, design, gameplay, audio, narrative, and leadership teams to align cinematics with the game’s creative and technical direction.
• Oversee the cinematics pipeline from concept to final delivery, ensuring efficient workflows and industry-leading quality.
• Maintain communication across teams to streamline processes and resolve challenges effectively.

Cinematics Pipeline Management:

• Take responsibility for the entire cinematics pipeline, including previz, motion capture, animation, and final production.
• Ensure the implementation of best practices across tools and processes to maintain efficiency and consistency.
• Stay informed about advancements in cinematics technologies and integrate relevant innovations into the workflow.

Background, Skills & Qualifications

Education & Experience:

• Extensive experience in game cinematics, animation, or a related field, ideally in AAA game development.
• Proven leadership and team management expertise in a creative production environment.
• Deep understanding of animation principles, acted performance, and cinematic techniques.
• Proficiency in industry-standard tools, including Maya, MotionBuilder, Unreal Engine, JIRA, and Excel.

Skills & Attributes:

• Exceptional communication and interpersonal abilities.
• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to work effectively under pressure.
• Passion for crafting world-class gaming experiences and inspiring high-performing teams.

Additional Information

Our client offers a hybrid work model, requiring a minimum of three days in their state-of-the-art Leamington Spa studio. Relocation support is available for successful candidates.

If this job motivates and inspires you, please contact Jay from Skillsearch at jrm@skillsearch.com today.

Here at Skillsearch, we specialise in connecting skilled professionals with opportunities in the Games, Interactive, and Enterprise Systems industries globally. For over 30 years, we’ve helped people find rewarding roles in niche areas such as Workday, Oracle, VR, and eCommerce. Follow us to discover exciting jobs, stay updated on industry news, and connect with our dedicated team of consultants. Welcome to Skillsearch!

Years of experience and salary levels are shown purely as a guide. We will only consider applications from candidates that can demonstrate the skills or experience required for the role.

Please be aware that while we would love to respond to every application we receive, due to high numbers we cannot guarantee this. We do however appreciate any time you invest into the application and will make sure to get in touch should anything in future more closely fit your skillset.