Electronic Arts

EA SPORTS is one of the leading sports entertainment brands in the world, with top-selling videogame franchises, award-winning interactive technology, fan programs, and cross-platform digital experiences. EA SPORTS creates connected experiences that ignite the emotion of sport through industry-leading sports video games, including Madden NFL football, EA Sports FC soccer, NHL® hockey, and EA SPORTS UFC.

*Please note this is not a remote position - applicants must be available to work hybrid 3x per week from either our Orlando, FL or Vancouver, B.C studio.

Job Description:

As a Cinematic Animator II, you will craft high-quality character performances for story-driven and presentation moments. You will own animation work from pre-vis through final implementation, blending keyframe animation and motion capture to deliver emotionally engaging and visually polished sequences.

You will collaborate closely with the Cinematics Director, as well as designers, engineers, and technical artists, to ensure seamless integration between gameplay and cinematic experiences.

Your Responsibilities:

• Own cinematic animation features from mocap planning through final in-engine implementation

• Create high-quality keyframed character performances, including interaction with props and environments

• Work with motion capture data, including planning, directing sessions, and refining performances

• Ensure seamless transitions between gameplay and cinematic moments

• Animate and stage cameras to support cinematic storytelling, composition, and emotional tone

• Collaborate cross-functionally with design, engineering, and technical art to deliver features end-to-end

• Partner with the Cinematics Director to align animations with narrative vision and tone

• Identify and resolve animation bugs and technical issues

• Provide timely updates on progress, risks, and dependencies to production and stakeholders

• Provide feedback and guidance to junior animators

• Collaborate with technical artists to improve rigs, tools, and workflows

Your Qualifications:

• 3+ years of experience in game animation or related field

• Strong portfolio/reel demonstrating cinematic performance and storytelling

• Proficiency in Maya and/or MotionBuilder

• Experience with keyframe animation and motion capture workflows

• Understanding of cinematography, camera animation, and visual storytelling principles

• Experience taking work from pre-vis/blocking through final polish

• Strong problem solving, collaboration, and communication skills

• Experience working within game engines (e.g., Unreal Engine), including cinematic implementation (e.g., Sequencer)

Beneficial Qualifications

• Experience with facial animation and advanced facial rigs

• Experience planning or directing motion capture shoots

• Familiarity with production tools (Shotgrid, Jira, Slack, etc.)

• Experience contributing to a shipped game title

• Experience or familiarity with AI-assisted animation tools or workflows

• Passion for sports and sports storytelling