Are you an experienced gameplay engineer with a passion for animation and bringing characters to life through seamless systems and expressive movement?

A UK-based game studio is looking for a Senior Gameplay Engineer to take the lead on animation systems for a new open-world survival crafting title, currently in early access and being built in Unreal Engine 5. This role combines gameplay and animation programming to craft immersive, dynamic player experiences - blending movement, combat, spellcasting, emotes, and more into polished, responsive systems.

This is a remote-friendly role with a few team onsite days per year in Cambridge, UK.

What you'll be doing:

• Design, develop, and maintain animation systems across gameplay – including player movement, combat, spells, emotes, NPCs, AI, IK systems and more
• Build internal tools and animation pipelines to boost productivity and data quality for animation teams
• Collaborate with animators, technical artists, and gameplay engineers to integrate systems cleanly and iterate quickly
• Write high-performance, maintainable C++ code aligned with gameplay and engine standards
• Mentor junior engineers through reviews, architecture support, and ongoing knowledge sharing
• Contribute to architectural decisions and cross-discipline coordination
• Occasionally support gameplay feature development outside the animation scope
• Play an active role in recruitment, team leadership, and process improvement initiatives

What we're looking for:

• Strong background in animation programming, ideally as a subject matter expert
• Track record of delivering animation and gameplay systems in a multiplayer or real-time game environment
• Deep understanding of game design principles and a strong interest in game development
• Advanced C++ knowledge with the ability to adapt to other languages like C# or Python when needed
• Experience profiling, optimising, and debugging systems
• Familiarity with animation pipelines (e.g., Maya) and UE4/UE5 C++ development
• Comfortable mentoring others and working with independence on cross-functional strike teams
• Strong communication skills and the ability to collaborate effectively in a remote work environment
• Experience using source control systems like Perforce

This is a great opportunity to help define the animation experience in a large-scale, player-driven game world. If you enjoy working at the intersection of animation and gameplay, and want to help shape expressive, character-driven experiences – we’d love to hear from you.Apply now, or reach out to Alfie Brear - aab@skillsearch.com