Technical Artist

About Iconic: We’re building digital actors: AI-driven characters that don’t just talk, but act; shaping the world, responding to the player, and driving stories that evolve through both words and actions. The Mission: We believe games and interactive media are on the verge of a fundamental shift. Today’s experiences are largely scripted, characters follow predefined paths, and player choice is limited. We’re building systems that change that: digital actors that can think, communicate, and take action in real time. Our goal is to create worlds that are truly alive—where stories emerge from interaction, and every player experience is unique. Recent advances in AI make this possible for the first time. The challenge now is turning that potential into real, scalable systems that people can play. The Role: We’re looking for a Technical Artist with a strong focus on rigging and animation systems to help bridge the gap between art and engineering. You’ll play a key role in building performant, scalable character and animation pipelines, while also contributing hands-on to asset creation when needed. This is a hybrid role: equal parts problem-solver, pipeline builder, and creative collaborator. You’ll be central to how characters and animation come to life in our projects, ensuring they not only look great but behave reliably in a real-time environment. Your work will directly impact both creative expression and technical performance. What You’ll Do: Rigging & Animation Systems Create high-quality rigs for characters, creatures, and props (biped, quadruped, stylized, etc.)Build and maintain animation systems (state machines, blend trees, procedural layers)Collaborate with animators to ensure rigs are intuitive, flexible, and production-readyImplement animation assets into engine (Unity/Unreal), ensuring fidelity and performanceTroubleshoot deformation, skinning, and runtime animation issues Pipeline & Tools Develop and improve rigging/animation pipelines and workflowsCreate tools/scripts (Python, C#, or similar) to streamline productionWork closely with engineering to integrate animation tech (IK systems, physics, runtime solvers)Optimize assets and systems for performance across target platforms Art Collaboration Partner with artists, designers, and engineers to ensure assets meet technical constraintsSupport asset integration and validation in engineProvide guidance on best practices for animation, rigging, and asset setup What We’re Looking For: Core Skills Strong experience in rigging and skinning (Maya, Blender, or equivalent)Solid understanding of animation principles and workflowsExperience implementing animation systems in Unity or Unreal EngineGood understanding of real-time constraints and performance considerations Technical Ability Scripting experience (Python, MEL, C#, or similar)Experience building or maintaining art pipelines/toolsComfortable debugging technical issues across DCC tools and game engines Art Fundamentals Understanding of anatomy, deformation, and motionWillingness to jump into modelling/texturing tasks when needed Mindset Problem-solver who enjoys bridging art and codeCollaborative and communicative across disciplinesPragmatic: balances quality, performance, and production realities Nice to Have: Experience with procedural animation systems or runtime riggingKnowledge of physics-based animation or simulationFamiliarity with version control (Git, Perforce)Experience with VFX Graph / Niagara / shader workflowsInterest in emerging tech (AI-assisted animation, runtime generation) Why Join Us: Build at the frontier of AI and interactive entertainmentHigh ownership and direct impact in a small teamWork on technically challenging, meaningful problemsHelp shape how shape how characters and animation behave in a new kind of interactive systemLondon-based team with in-person collaboration Locations: London, United Kingdom