Animation Programmer

Avalanche Studios Group and its division Expansive Worlds are now looking for a highly skilled and motivated Animation Programmer.
Expansive Worlds is a creative division of Avalanche Studios Group and a leading developer and publisher of outdoor games. Since 2009, Expansive Worlds has been devoted to delivering highly immersive outdoor gaming experiences for millions of players and best known for the long-standing and successful The Hunter franchise. 
The Position
As an Animation Programmer, you will develop and maintain both tools and runtime systems required to realize the vision for animation on the project. You should be able to understand the pros and cons of different approaches and be able to come up with new creative solutions to efficiently be able to achieve the desired quality. The position also includes architecting the interfaces between the animation system and e.g. AI. Use and extend existing systems when possible, and build new tools and features when needed. Assist animators in translating game design into technical animation design, help and educate game programmers working with animation-related features and aid technical animators in implementing animations into the game. You will join our engineers in developing and maintaining our proprietary Apex Engine.It is expected that you see your responsibility as delivering a successful end-user experience, together with your teammates, rather than just handing off technological solutions to content creators. Much of the success of well-executed game characters is down to how successfully they are integrated with all of the systems within the game engine, e.g. physics, animation, UI, SFX, VFX, dialogue, etc. Previous experience and proven ability to work with multiple systems and stakeholders is a definite advantage. Finally, as with any other programming role, you will have to be able to balance functional requirements with technical requirements in the areas of performance, stability, memory usage, and interoperability.
Required Qualifications

• Excellent communications skills
• Solid knowledge of game animation systems e.g. layering, masking, state machines, locomotion, facial animations, blending, and parameterization
• Experience working with IK, ragdolls and/or other procedural techniques
• Fluent in linear algebra
• Able to write readable, robust and performant code in C/C++
• Good knowledge of writing scripts in Python
• A keen eye for animation

Desired Qualifications

• Experience in networking animated characters
• Experience with motion synthesis/generation
• Experience with machine learning for animation
• Experience working with game physics
• Experience in profiling and optimization
• Knowledge of Autodesk FBX Pipeline / USD (Universal Scene Description) PipelineKnowledge of Maya

Employee promiseWe provide goals, instead of instructions, and the opportunity to do the best work of your career. 
Our ValuesAt Avalanche Studios Group, we believe in worlds beyond limits, and we are committed to developing a diverse and inclusive workplace. We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. Everyone at Avalanche Studios Group has a  shared responsibility to create an open and inclusive work environment where everyone is treated equally and with respect. Being part of our world is not contingent on where you’re from, your gender, or sexual orientation. It’s all about your passion and creativity.
How to Apply We will only consider applications that consist of both a cover letter and a CV. In your cover letter, you should include why you want to work at Avalanche Studios Group. For this role, you need to be able to work from within either our Stockholm or Malmö locations. We apply a hybrid work model that enables you to work some days from home and some days from the office.
To apply for this position please register below. Apply as soon as possible as we review applications continuously. All further information is provided under a non-disclosure agreement only.