Qureos Mentor

A5 Labs

<div><div><div><div>Position Summary 
 
A5 Labs is hiring a Lead 3D Animator to build and own the pipeline for rigging and animating low&#8209;poly 3D characters, rendering clean frame sequences, and authoring production&#8209;ready Spine animations for use in Unity 3D. You&rsquo;ll be hands&#8209;on across the entire flow&mdash;from low&#8209;poly character rigging and motion, to render standards, Spine skeleton setup (IK/constraints/weights/skins), and final integration. Real&#8209;time Unity animation systems are nice to have; your core focus is a robust 3D 2D (Spine) animation pipeline that ships performant, beautiful motion in game. 
 
Key Responsibilities 
 
Pipeline Ownership (3D Spine Unity)</div><ul><li>Define the 3D&#8209;to&#8209;2D render pipeline: camera standards (orthographic/perspective), frame rate, resolution, lighting passes, naming, and export templates; ensure consistent pivots, anchors, and safe&#8209;areas for Spine attachments.</li><li>Build Spine skeletons (bones, IK, constraints), mesh weights, skins, and deform keys; author animation clips (idle, locomotion, attacks, emotes, win/lose, hit&#8209;reactions) with clean curves, timing, and spacing.</li><li>Prepare sprite sheets/atlases and Spine exports (JSON/Binary) with mixing durations, events, and track setup ready for the Spine&#8209;Unity runtime (prefabs, animation state, event callbacks).</li><li>Establish and maintain animation workflows and documentation across stages (blocking polish integration).</li><li>Define naming conventions, folder structures, and reusability standards for animation assets to ensure scale, maintainability, and fast iteration.</li></ul> 

Rigging &amp; Low&#8209;Poly Character Animation 
 
<ul><li>Create deformation&#8209;aware character rigs (controls, constraints, correctives) for low&#8209;poly stylized characters; manage skinning/weighting for expressive silhouettes.</li><li>Animate game&#8209;ready cycles and cinematic moments with clear posing, weight, overlap/drag, and appealing exaggeration suitable for stylized iGaming content.</li><li>Drive render consistency (lighting/material look, shadows, AO, outline/ink passes as needed) to maximize readability once compressed into atlases.</li></ul> 

Integration &amp; Collaboration 
<ul><li>Integrate Spine content into Unity (Spine&#8209;Unity runtime): set up animation state/track entries, transitions, mixing, and event hooks; partner with engineers on gameplay triggers and sequencing.</li><li>Collaborate with designers and VFX to ensure animations serve gameplay clarity and performance budgets (skeleton complexity, draw calls, atlas sizes).</li><li>Evaluate and adopt tools and automation (render batchers, export scripts, rig validators) to improve team productivity.</li></ul> 

Requirements 
 
Must&#8209;Have 
<ul><li>5+ years in character animation for games or interactive content, with shipped titles or live products.</li><li>Expert rigging &amp; keyframe skills in Blender or Maya (controllers/constraints, deformation, skinning) focused on low&#8209;poly stylized characters.</li><li>Production experience creating Spine rigs and animations: bones/IK/constraints, meshes/weights, skins, dopesheet/graph editing, track mixing, events, and exports for runtime.</li><li>Proven 3D 2D render pipeline experience (frame sequences/sprite sheets) optimized for mobile (atlas packing, memory/perf constraints).</li><li>Strong animation fundamentals (timing, spacing, arcs, weight, anticipation, follow&#8209;through) and motion readability at small screen sizes.</li><li>Clear documentation and spec writing for engineers (states, events, naming, asset maps).</li></ul> 

Nice&#8209;to&#8209;Have 
 
<ul><li>Unity real&#8209;time animation systems: Animator Controller, blend trees, Timeline, and runtime adjustments (polish/retarget).</li><li>Experience with Spine&#8209;Unity runtime customization, shaders for 2D/Spine (glow/dissolve), or lightweight FX pairing.</li><li>Familiarity with addressables/asset bundles and live&#8209;ops content delivery.</li><li>Python/MEL for rigging automation; simple C# familiarity for Unity hooks.</li></ul> 

Tools &amp; Tech 
 
<ul><li>DCC: Blender or Maya (rigging/animation), Substance/Photoshop for paint&#8209;overs when needed.</li><li>2D Animation: Spine (Esoteric Software).</li><li>Engine: Unity 3D (Spine&#8209;Unity runtime, prefabs, event hooks).</li><li>Pipeline: TexturePacker (or equivalent), version control (Git), project trackers (Jira/Linear), documentation (Notion/Confluence).</li></ul> 

Portfolio Requirements<ul><li>At least 2&ndash;3 shipped (or near&#8209;shipped) examples showing the full pipeline:</li></ul> 
1. low&#8209;poly rig breakdown (controllers/weights), 
2. 3D animation clips + render settings, 
3. Spine skeleton/meshes with IK/constraints, clips and transitions, 
4. in&#8209;Unity capture using Spine&#8209;Unity (states, mixing, events). 
 
<ul><li>Before/after samples of raw renders Spine Unity demonstrating readability and performance.</li></ul> 

What You'll Gain 
 
<ul><li>Creative authority over animation style and execution in a live, fast-paced production setting.</li><li>A leadership role on a multidisciplinary team pushing the boundaries of stylized real-time content.</li><li>Opportunities to build and evolve a high-performing animation pipeline from the ground up.</li><li>A collaborative space to mentor others and refine your animation vision across projects.</li><li>Hardware Allowance: $2,000 upfront to set up your ideal workspace, plus \$1,000 annually thereafter.</li><li>Paid Time Off: Our unlimited leave policy supports flexibility and well-being. Team members typically take 22&ndash;30 days off per year.</li><li>Learning &amp; Development: $2,000/year to support your professional growth - we cover 50% of eligible learning expenses.</li><li>Remote Work &amp; Flexible Hours. Relocation to Japan as an option / Business trips to Japan might be required.</li></ul></div></div></div>

Lead 3D Animator (Spine / Unity Integration) (Remote)

Join A5 Labs and explore 1   exciting career opportunities. They're hiring for various roles with options for remote or on-site work. Apply today and become part of their innovative team.

A5 Labs

ABOUT_COMPANY

Lead 3D Animator (Spine / Unity Integration) (Remote)