Lead Animator II

Summary

Join Axon's VR team and be a force for good, creating engaging and effective training simulations using cutting-edge virtual reality technology. As a Lead Animator, you will lead the animation team, create realistic character animations, direct motion capture shoots, and collaborate with various teams to build immersive and educational VR training experiences. You will also help define and advance the animation pipeline, work with subject matter experts, and conduct user research to improve simulations. The role involves working from home with occasional in-person collaboration at US R&D hubs. Axon fosters a welcoming team culture with daily check-ins and weekly VR happy hours. The company is committed to understanding customer needs and creating impactful training that enhances officer empathy, coping, and de-escalation skills.

Requirements

• Experience with leading teams of animators and artists
• Keen eye for motion and AAA bar for animation quality
• Storytelling skills with experience developing engaging characters and narratives that support believable, immersive interactions
• Proficient in industry-standard game engines, including Unity and Unreal Engine
• Ability to communicate ideas quickly through storyboard, sketches and rapid prototypes
• Strong foundation in character design and a deep understanding of human anatomy
• Technical expertise in building and optimizing real-time, dynamic animation pipelines in production environments
• Experience designing and integrating AI-driven systems to enhance gameplay and character behavior
• 8+ years of experience as an Animator, Bachelor's degree in Art, Computer Science, or a related field (or equivalent experience)
• Proven leadership skills, including experience mentoring junior artists, presenting to stakeholders, and leading cross-functional projects
• Proven experience animating for highly engaging VR, games, and or interactive training simulators
• Technical expertise in implementing animations into game engines for validation and review
• Proficiency in using game development tools and software such as Unity or Unreal Engine
• Ability to animate and build prototypes in 3D and VR to test out ideas and concepts with the team
• Deep knowledge of animation technologies, including hardware and AI software solutions
• Great problem-solving skills and the ability to think critically and creatively
• Solid communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to work with and across multi-discipline team environments
• Passion for creating impactful and compelling training experiences in VR

Responsibilities

• Cross-functional leader, leading the development of Animation for Axon VR simulator
• Lead our Animation Team to build natural, believable character animation
• Work with Tech Artists and Tech Animators to define and advance the Animation Pipeline
• Create 2D storyboards and pre-visualizations of scenarios to support preproduction development
• Direct motion capture shoots at motion capture stages and at home
• Collaborate with multiple disciplines across the VR Team (Art, Design, Content, Product, Engineering)
• Work with the Art Director to elevate the overall quality and believability of our characters
• Create realistic-natural character animations in Maya / MotionBuilder and ensure proper tech integration into Unity
• Lead the Animation team and help drive the roadmap for improving our animations and animation systems
• Direct and act in project motion capture shoots (in studio on-set and at home)
• Work with Game Designers and Developers
• Help grow the animation discipline and educate the VR team on the complexities of delivering high quality animation for real time
• Work with our subject matter experts to identify new animations that need to be created and added to our library
• Conduct user research, play-tests, and gather feedback to iterate and improve training simulations
• Create detailed documents of our real-time animation workflow, for junior artists and vendors to reference
• Stay up-to-date with the latest VR technologies, trends, and best practices to continuously enhance the quality and efficiency of our training solutions

Benefits

• Competitive salary and 401k with employer match
• Discretionary paid time off
• Paid parental leave for all
• Medical, Dental, Vision plans
• Fitness Programs
• Emotional & Mental Wellness support
• Learning & Development programs