ASSOCIATE ART DIRECTOR (ANIMATION) - F/M/NB

Role Summary • Responsibilities: Guide the animation department in the realization of AAA quality standards • Team composition: 1 lead animator, 6 senior keyframe animators, 1 senior mocap animator, 1 mid-level animator, 2 junior animators [11 members total] • Team work: Art Department We are looking for an Associate Art Director for Animation to steward animation production, and to facilitate a cohesive vision for the style of our game. The AAD is the advocate for the animation department, and is the steady hand that guides the exploration of fresh ideas, proposes actionable solutions to animation production issues, and has an eye on retaining consistency across a multitude of assets. This role requires clear communication of plans and ideas to team members at high and low levels. Scheduling and initiating conversations to proactively address potential bottlenecks/pain points within the animation department, and with other departments and relevant stakeholders, is expected. Core Mandate (4 main missions) • Partner with Creative Direction to define and own the animation vision across characters, gameplay, combat, cinematics, and narrative performance. • Proactively identify creative, technical, and production issues affecting animation and drive them toward resolution. • Collaborate closely with Game Design, Character Art, Rigging, Technical Animation, VFX, Narrative, and Production. Success Criteria (What are we expecting from this person in the next months) • a thorough audit of existing and pending assets • a comprehensive plan to increase animation production velocity and quality • clear communication of actionable suggestions to improve efficiency, quality, and scalability Key information • Type of contract: Permanent (Contractor/Freelance possible!) • Availability: ASAP (if available later, do not hesitate to apply!) • Location: Full remote possible • Compensation and Benefits: We partner with Deel to facilitate hiring globally, ensuring compliance with local labor laws and providing tailored benefits for each country. This collaboration allows us to offer competitive packages and seamless onboarding for our international team members, enhancing their employment experience no matter where they are located. • Few links about us • Our website: https://taragaming.com/ • We released the first trailer: https://tinyurl.com/yd9k7fa8 • Life as a Programmer at Tara Gaming • Life as an Artist at Tara Gaming • A short article about us: https://gamesbeat.com/the-age-of-bhaarat-aims-to-be-the-black-myth-wukong-moment-for-triple-a-fans-in-india-exclusive-interviews/ • Good summary of our game: https://tinyurl.com/bdzxd9cc Hard skills • Mandatory • Significant professional experience in AAA or high-quality game animation , ideally including experience as an Animation Lead, Associate Animation Director, Animation Director, or equivalent. • Demonstrated ability to originate animation direction , not only execute or supervise an existing vision. • Strong gameplay animation experience, particularly combat, locomotion, animation systems, and character-driven gameplay . • Ability to communicate creative intent through references, briefs, visual examples, reviews, and direct feedback. • Comfortable working across disciplines and resolving ambiguous or conflicting requirements. • Proactive and solution-oriented, with the ability to take ownership without waiting for problems to be escalated. • Experience working with modern real-time animation pipelines and engines such as Unreal Engine or equivalent. • Excellent communication skills and confidence presenting and defending creative decisions. • Nice to have • Motion capture direction and performance capture. • Cinematic and narrative animation. • Building or evolving animation pipelines and review processes. • Experience working with distributed teams and external partners. • Knowledge of Indian movement traditions, martial arts, performance, or cultural references—or a strong ability and willingness to research them authentically.