Manager, Animation Art - League of Legends (Skins)

Riot Games was founded on the principle that putting players first leads to the exceptional. In 2009, we released League of Legends—today, millions log in each month. As we expand our global content, we seek an Animation Lead based in Singapore to elevate our skins’ motion quality and maintain alignment across Riot and partner studios.

We’re looking for someone humble yet confident in their craft—passionate about performance, clarity, and animation that brings champions to life. You’ll bridge Riot’s creative vision with partner studio execution, ensuring skin animations meet a world-class standard through clear feedback, craft guidance, and collaboration.

That's where you come in.

Responsibilities:

• Define and uphold the animation vision and standards for League of Legends skins produced in collaboration with partner studios.
• Lead, mentor, and grow the animation craft in Singapore, ensuring it serves as a center of excellence for delivering feedback, aligning with partner studios, and upholding Riot’s quality bar.
• Own the full lifecycle management of animation team members—from selection and onboarding through performance development, feedback, and exits where necessary—ensuring the right people and skills are in place to deliver at Riot’s quality bar.
• Set clear performance expectations for animation staff and vendors, providing regular feedback and managing performance effectively and empathetically.
• Provide clear, actionable feedback to partner teams to ensure all animation work meets League’s bar for clarity, fluidity, and champion fantasy.
• Partner closely with studios throughout the production process—from kickoff through delivery—to ensure alignment on creative direction, technical quality, and schedule.
• Build strong relationships with partner studios, creating an environment of trust, transparency, and shared pursuit of craft excellence.
• Review and evaluate animation deliveries, providing guidance on timing, weight, appeal, performance, and readability.
• Collaborate with the Associate Art Director, Rigging, Technical Art, VFX, and Production teams in Singapore and LA to maintain consistency in style, workflow, and quality expectations.
• Identify and communicate risks or blockers early, partnering with production and partner studios to maintain sustainable delivery.
• Contribute to documentation, visual guides, and training materials that clarify animation standards and expectations for partner teams.
• Occasionally provide hands-on support or drawovers to demonstrate desired performance, timing, or pose refinement.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, openness, and continuous learning with partner studios, ensuring alignment with Riot’s values and player-first mindset.

Required Qualifications:

• 7+ years of professional experience in animation for games, film, or character-driven content.
• 3+ years in a lead or supervisory role providing feedback, mentorship, and direction to animators.
• Deep mastery of animation fundamentals—timing, weight, anticipation, follow-through, and appeal.
• Experience with game engines (Unreal, Unity, or proprietary) and animation toolchains.
• Proven experience collaborating with and managing partner studios or external animation teams.
• Strong communication skills—able to articulate feedback and creative intent clearly across cultures and disciplines.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills; able to work effectively with art, tech, and production partners.
• Passion for League of Legends and its champions, with player empathy to evaluate animation for clarity, impact, and emotional resonance.
• Fluent in English (spoken and written).

Desired Qualifications:

• AAA experience on stylized, character-focused games.
• Experience blending technical and creative animation (e.g., procedural systems, constraints).
• Familiarity with animation tools such as Maya, MotionBuilder, and custom internal pipelines.
• Experience improving workflows or optimizing animation performance.
• Multilingual ability (Mandarin or other regional languages) to interface with vendors effectively.