Job Description:
CD PROJEKT RED is looking for a Cinematic Animation Lead to join our Boston office to the team working on Cyberpunk 2, the next mainline Cyberpunk 2077 game.
Daily Responsibilities:
- Maintain and evolve the cinematic animation vision and strategy together with the Creative Director and Cinematic Director, while collaborating with the Cinematic Design Lead and Gameplay Animation Lead to ensure coherence across storytelling, worldbuilding and performance.
- Elevate and uphold the cinematic animation quality bar, pushing the seamless connection between gameplay and narrative moments toward an ever more cohesive, emotionally engaging player experience.
- Evangelize both the creative and technical direction of cinematic animation, ensuring alignment with the project’s overall vision and storytelling goals.
- Collaborate with the Cinematic Director before and during motion and performance capture sessions to ensure authentic, believable performances aligned with the creative goals of Cyberpunk 2.
- Review animation in both cinematic and world content scenes regularly, providing clear, actionable feedback to maintain quality, consistency, and emotional impact.
- Lead, mentor, and inspire the Cinematic Animation team, empowering artists and fostering creative ownership, artistic excellence, and professional growth.
- Collaborate with production on planning, scheduling, and prioritization to keep the team focused and empowered to deliver their best work.
- Develop and refine the cinematic animation pipeline in close collaboration with Tech Art, Engineering, Shared Tech, and other key stakeholders to enhance workflows, tools, and cross-discipline efficiency.
- Foster open cross-team collaboration to ensure every cinematic moment feels grounded, expressive, and true to the world of Cyberpunk 2.
- Cultivate a collaborative culture where trust, empowerment, and shared creative purpose drive the team forward.
Qualifications:
- 8+ years of experience across animation and game development, including leadership on a shipped AAA narrative-driven title focused on cinematic storytelling.
- Deep understanding of performance, storytelling, and cinematography in an interactive medium, with a strong reel demonstrating leadership or hands-on contribution to emotionally powerful cinematic performances.
- Strong understanding of body mechanics, facial performance, and emotional expression through animation.
- Demonstrated ability to direct motion capture and performance capture sessions, ensuring authentic, believable performances aligned with creative and technical goals and limitations.
- Expertise in Unreal Engine and professional experience with Motion Builder or Maya.
- Experience mentoring and managing teams, with a focus on empowering individuals, fostering ownership, and building an environment of trust and collaboration.
- Excellent communication skills, with the ability to convey creative intent clearly across disciplines and collaborate effectively with directors, designers, and engineers.
- Ability to balance creative ambition with production realities and technical constraints, maintaining quality under pressure.
- Hands-on experience developing or refining cinematic animation workflows and pipelines, improving tools and processes in collaboration with Tech Art and Engineering.
- A passion for storytelling and for pushing the boundaries of character performance in games.
- Previous experience working with outsourced animation teams, co-development partners, or remote contributors.
