Senior Animator

Are you an experienced Gameplay Animator with strong creature animation skills, Maya expertise and a passion for bringing gameplay mechanics to life?

This is a full‑time contract opportunity to join a game development team working on a stylised mobile title. You’ll collaborate closely with designers to create expressive monster animations that directly impact gameplay feel, from core movement to unique abilities.

About the role

You will work closely with a dedicated gameplay designer to develop animation systems for monsters, ensuring their behaviour, personality and combat interactions feel distinct and engaging. This role sits at the intersection of animation and game design, requiring rapid iteration, close collaboration and a strong understanding of how animation influences gameplay.

What you’ll do

• Animate monsters from rig review through to final in‑game implementation
• Create core locomotion animations including idle, walk and run cycles
• Design and animate expressive gameplay abilities and skill‑based animations
• Collaborate daily with designers to iterate on mechanics and improve gameplay feel
• Review and provide feedback on outsourced animation assets
• Implement animations in‑engine and support integration and testing
• Maintain visual consistency with the established animation style

What we’re looking for

Experience

• 5+ years of professional gameplay animation experience
• Strong portfolio showcasing stylised character or creature animation
• Experience working closely with designers in gameplay‑driven environments

Skills

• Strong animation skills with a focus on readable and expressive gameplay actions
• Proficiency in Autodesk Maya and understanding of animation rigs
• Experience implementing animations into game engines and pipelines
• Understanding of mobile game constraints and optimisation
• Strong communication skills and ability to collaborate across disciplines
• Passion for gameplay feel and player experience

Nice to have

• Experience working with outsourced animation pipelines
• Interest in game design and gameplay systems, particularly creature mechanics
• Experience working on mobile or stylised titles

Working style / behaviours

• Highly collaborative with a low‑ego, feedback‑driven approach
• Comfortable iterating quickly in response to design changes
• Detail‑oriented with a strong focus on quality and consistency
• Proactive and engaged in cross‑disciplinary problem solving

Why join

• Work on a stylised, character‑driven game with strong design collaboration
• High‑impact role shaping the feel and personality of gameplay systems
• Opportunity to work closely with designers in a tight feedback loop
• Supportive, creative Environment with a focus on quality and iteration
• Long‑term contract with potential for continued opportunities

Location: Helsinki, Finland (on‑site, majority of time in office)
Employment type: Full‑time contract
Duration: 12 months
Start date: ASAP
Day rate: Up to €400 (EUR) per day

If you’re a gameplay‑focused animator who thrives in a collaborative, design‑driven environment, we’d love to hear from you. Apply now or email Joe McKernan - jm@skillsearch.com

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.