Position: Unreal Engine 3D Keyframe Animator

Location: Hybrid / Remote / On-site UK + EU

Employment Type: Fixed-Term Contract / Freelance

About the Role

We are looking for an experienced and creative Unreal Engine 3D Keyframe Animator to create high-quality real-time character, creature and cinematic animations for games, virtual production, immersive experiences, automotive visualisation, and interactive media.

Working within a multidisciplinary team, you will bring characters, creatures and environments to life using Unreal Engine, collaborating closely with Animation Directors, Technical Animators, Gameplay Programmers, Artists and Designers. You'll combine traditional animation principles with real-time production techniques to deliver compelling performances that enhance storytelling and player experience.

Whether producing gameplay animation, cinematics, virtual production content or interactive experiences, you'll help push the quality and efficiency of our real-time animation pipeline.

Key Responsibilities

• Create high-quality keyframe animation for characters, creatures and cinematic sequences.
• Develop gameplay animations that are responsive, believable and visually engaging.
• Animate characters using Unreal Engine's Animation Blueprint system.
• Build and maintain animation state machines and blend spaces.
• Integrate animation assets into Unreal Engine while maintaining performance and quality.
• Collaborate with Rigging and Technical Animation teams to optimise character workflows.
• Work closely with Designers and Gameplay Programmers to ensure animations support gameplay mechanics.
• Create cinematic animation sequences using Unreal Engine Sequencer.
• Produce facial animation using blend shapes, morph targets or performance capture data.
• Refine motion capture performances where required.
• Troubleshoot animation, rigging and integration issues.
• Maintain organised project files and follow established naming conventions and production standards.
• Participate in animation reviews, critiques and iterative improvements.
• Contribute to improving animation pipelines and real-time production workflows.

Essential Skills & Experience

• Professional experience as a 3D Keyframe Animator within Games, Virtual Production, Animation or Visual Effects.
• Excellent understanding of animation fundamentals including:
• Timing, Weight, Spacing, Acting, Body mechanics and Facial performance
• Proven experience using Unreal Engine.
• Experience creating animations using:
• Animation Blueprints
• Blend Spaces
• State Machines
• Control Rig
• Sequencer
• Experience integrating animation assets into Unreal Engine.
• Strong understanding of skeletal animation systems.
• Experience working with motion capture data.
• Ability to create polished keyframe animation.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills.
• Strong problem-solving abilities and attention to detail.

Desirable Experience

Experience with one or more of the following:

• Maya
• MotionBuilder
• Blender
• Virtual Production
• Camera animation
• Creature animation
• Facial animation pipelines
• Python or Blueprint scripting
• Performance optimisation for console and PC platforms

Software Knowledge

Essential

• Unreal Engine
• Maya or Blender
• Perforce or Git
• Sequencer
• Animation Blueprint

Personal Attributes

• Excellent artistic eye with strong attention to detail.
• Collaborative team player with excellent interpersonal skills.
• Adaptable to changing production priorities.
• Strong organisational and time management skills.
• Committed to delivering high-quality work within production deadlines.
• Enthusiastic about learning new real-time animation technologies and workflows.

What You'll Help Deliver

As an Unreal Engine 3D Keyframe Animator, you'll create immersive, believable performances that enhance gameplay, storytelling and real-time experiences. Your work will contribute to cutting-edge projects spanning AAA games, cinematic trailers, virtual production, simulation, immersive media, automotive visualisation and interactive entertainment.

Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate combines exceptional artistic animation skills with a strong technical understanding of Unreal Engine's real-time animation systems. They are comfortable working across gameplay, cinematics, and virtual production, and thrive in collaborative, fast-paced development environments where creativity and technical excellence go hand in hand.