Unity Animator / Technical Animator (part-time, project-based work)

We are looking for an experienced animator / technical animator to work with Unity, who can create and integrate production-quality animations for characters and creatures. A specialist with 5+ years in gamedev is needed, confidently working with Animator Controller, Blend Trees, Layers, Animation Events, and State Machine. Experience in Autodesk Maya is required (Blender is a plus), understanding of root motion vs in-place, gameplay vs cinematic animations, as well as experience in rigging, retargeting, and integration with code (parameters, transitions) is essential. It is important to not only animate but also to build a scalable animation system and make technical decisions.

In practice, the candidate should be able to assemble a complete gameplay animation set, integrate it into Unity, set up a clear Animator Controller, implement combo attacks, hit windows through animation events, synchronization with VFX/SFX, and combat logic. Experience with Final IK, Animation Rigging, Cinemachine, Timeline, as well as understanding combat systems, UX animation, and limitations of different platforms will be a plus. It is important to be able to work without constant supervision, read technical specifications, and propose solutions, as well as balance quality, deadlines, and technical constraints.

Before starting work, it is necessary to familiarize yourself with the test assignment (link below) and provide a cost estimate for the work over a period of 2 months (in monetary terms).

Test assignment: a project in Unity (version 6000.3.11f1) with two characters — the player (weapon: scythe) and the minotaur (weapon: axe). It is necessary to create a chain of 4 consecutive hits (combo) for the player, and for the minotaur — animations for taking damage from these attacks (separate from the basic animation set). Not only the visual aspect but also integration, logic, and game feel will be evaluated. All assets and details for the test are in Google Drive: [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1imCl0WS3aDfh6DmyNJJ0zqrcnddU8XHn4gVqLilG8p0/edit?tab=t.0].