Epic Games is looking for a Character Animation Director to join our Special Projects team to help drive the vision and execution of character animation across experimental and gameplay-driven prototypes. You will combine strong animation fundamentals with technical fluency in Unreal Engine to build responsive, expressive, and scalable animation systems. You will act as a bridge between animation and engineering - helping to define workflows, shape systems, and solve complex problems at the intersection of gameplay and motion. This role requires both hands-on creation and leadership: setting quality bars, guiding others, and helping a small team move quickly without sacrificing clarity or craft. In this role, you will - Lead the creation and implementation of high-quality, gameplay-driven animation in Unreal Engine - Prototype and iterate on new approaches to character movement, responsiveness, and player-driven animation - Collaborate closely with engineers and technical designers to design scalable, flexible animation systems. Excite those around you with creative and clear thinking - Own animation quality and leadership across projects, ensuring a strong and consistent point of view - Translate gameplay needs into animation behaviors that feel intuitive and responsive - Debug and solve complex animation and integration issues in the engine - Contribute to and help evolve animation pipelines, tools, and workflows for rapid iteration - Mentor and support other animators, fostering a culture of curiosity, experimentation, and craft excellence What we're looking for - Expert-level understanding of character animation principles, with the ability to deliver both realistic and stylized motion; experience with motion matching, procedural animation, or emerging animation technologies is a plus - Deep experience working in Unreal Engine, including Animation Blueprints, state machines, blending, and runtime systems - Strong understanding of gameplay animation-how input, timing, and responsiveness shape player experience - Proven ability to collaborate effectively with engineers and technical designers on complex, system-driven features - Experience building or contributing to animation systems (not just assets), including debugging and iteration in-engine - Animating in-engine using Unreal Engine animation tools; familiarity with Control Rig and runtime rigging workflows in Unreal Engine - Comfort working in ambiguous, exploratory environments with rapid iteration cycles - Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to balance creative goals with technical constraints - Experienced AAA development or equivalent real-time production environments - Excellent communication and leadership skills EPIC JOB + EPIC BENEFITS = EPIC LIFE Our intent is to cover all things that are medically necessary and improve the quality of life. We pay 100% of the premiums for both you and your dependents. Our coverage includes Medical, Dental, a Vision HRA, Long Term Disability, Life Insurance & a 401k with competitive match. We also offer a robust mental well-being program through Modern Health, which provides free therapy and coaching for employees & dependents. Throughout the year we celebrate our employees with events and company-wide paid breaks. We offer unlimited PTO and sick time and recognize individuals for 7 years of employment with a paid sabbatical.