At a Glance
- Tasks: Create stunning VFX and animations for exciting mobile games using Unity.
- Company: Join Zynga, a global leader in interactive entertainment with a fun and innovative culture.
- Benefits: Enjoy competitive salary, private medical care, and delicious onsite meals.
- Other info: Collaborative environment with opportunities for personal and professional growth.
- Why this job: Make an impact by enhancing player experiences through your creative VFX skills.
- Qualifications: Proven experience in VFX and animation for mobile games, especially casual puzzle titles.
The predicted salary is between 51750 - 63250 £ per year.
- Senior VFX Artist & Animation Generalist
- London, UK
Level Up Your Career with Zynga!
At Zynga, we bring people together through the power of play.
As a global leader in interactive entertainment and a proud label of Take-Two Interactive, our games have been downloaded over 6 billion times—connecting players in 175+ countries through fun, strategy, and a little friendly competition.
Founded in 2007 and headquartered in California, our teams span North America, Europe, and Asia, working together to craft unforgettable gaming experiences.
Whether you're spinning, strategizing, matching, or competing, Zynga is where fun meets innovation—and where you can take your career to the next level.
Join us and be part of the play!
The New Games team is looking for a highly skilled Senior VFX & Animation Generalist to join us.
This is a hands-on and creative role for someone who can take visual effects and motion design from ideation to final in-game implementation.
You will help design, build, and polish the VFX and motion language of the game, working closely with art, design, tech art, engineering, and production.
Crucially, we need someone who can take full ownership of the pipeline that drives the dynamic, deeply satisfying VFX and interactions seen in top-tier, highly polished casual puzzle games.
We are looking for a generalist who combines strong artistic judgment with deep hands-on Unity experience.
Responsibilities
- Own, build, and optimize the VFX and animation pipeline, establishing efficient workflows tailored to producing the highly dynamic and rewarding interactions expected in top-tier casual puzzle games.
- Create high-quality VFX and animations from ideation, concept, and visual exploration through to final implementation in Unity.
- Design and implement "juicy" interactions and celebratory effects that make every player interaction feel incredibly tactile and satisfying.
- Bring your own creative ideas to the table to make the puzzle pieces, UI, environments, and effects feel alive and responsive.
- Work hands-on with modern Unity workflows, including the Animation timeline, Particle System, Shader Graph, URP, custom materials, and animation-driven effects.
- Translate concepts, prototypes, gameplay needs, and rough ideas into clear, polished in-engine effects and motion.
- Optimize VFX and animations for mobile, balancing visual ambition with performance, memory, readability, and production constraints.
- Identify visual, technical, and workflow bottlenecks in the pipeline, and propose practical solutions.
- Collaborate with tech art and engineering on shaders, tools, profiling, and runtime performance.
Requirements
- Significant experience (at a Senior, Lead, or Principal level) creating real-time VFX and animations for games, specifically casual puzzle games or highly polished free-to-play titles.
- Proven experience owning, building, or significantly contributing to a VFX and animation pipeline for mobile.
- A strong grasp of fundamental animation principles applied to gameplay elements, UI, and effects.
- Strong hands-on experience making VFX and animations directly in Unity.
- A strong portfolio showing high-quality in-game VFX and motion design from idea to final implementation, highlighting "juicy" and satisfying visual feedback.
- The ability to create assets from early ideation, concept, mood boards, mockups, prototypes, or rough direction and turn them into polished in-engine results.
- A strong understanding of mobile performance constraints and optimization techniques.
- The ability to troubleshoot visual bugs, sorting issues, and performance problems. Strong collaboration skills across art, design, technical art, engineering, and production.
- A proactive, organized, and self-driven approach to your work.
- What Makes You Successful In This Role
- You are not waiting for tasks to be assigned. You look at the game, understand what it needs, and help raise the bar.
- You are comfortable owning a feature’s VFX and motion from start to finish: shaping the idea, exploring the visual direction, implementing it in Unity, polishing it, and keeping stakeholders informed and aligned.
- You can explain your creative and technical choices clearly, take feedback well, and help the team make better visual decisions.
- Most importantly, you make the game feel better and the player feel profoundly rewarded.
What We Offer You
- Highly competitive salary
- Private medical care
- Company bonus scheme
- Awesome onsite chef serving breakfast, lunch, and lots of treats (naughty and nice)
- Life insurance and a favorable pension scheme
- Healthcare cash plan including dental and optical coverage
- Amazing tech to work with and consoles to play and relax with everywhere you look!
We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer, which means we are committed to creating and celebrating diverse thoughts, cultures, and backgrounds throughout our organization.
Employment with us is based on substantive ability, objective qualifications, and work ethic – not an individual’s race, creed, color, religion, sex or gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin or ancestry, alienage or citizenship status, physical or mental disability, pregnancy, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, status as a victim of domestic violence or sex offenses, reproductive health decision, or any other characteristics protected by applicable law.
As an equal opportunity employer, we are committed to providing the necessary support and accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities, health conditions, or impairments (subject to any local qualifying requirements) to ensure their full participation in the job application or interview process.
Please contact us at accommodationrequest@zynga. com to request any accommodations or for support related to your application for an open position.
Please be aware that Zynga does not conduct job interviews or make job offers over third-party messaging apps such as Telegram, Whats App, or others.
Zynga also does not engage in any financial exchanges during the recruitment or onboarding process, and will never ask a candidate for their personal or financial information over an app or other unofficial chat channel.
Any attempt to do so may be the result of a scamp or phishing attack, and you should not engage.
Zynga’s in-house recruitment team will only contact individuals through their official Company email addresses (i. e., via a zynga. com, take2games. com, naturalmotion. com, smallgiantgames. com, themavens. com, gram. gs email domain).
#J-18808-Ljbffr
Senior VFX Artist & Animation Generalist New London, UK employer: ZYNGA INC
Zynga is an exceptional employer, offering a vibrant work culture that fosters creativity and innovation in the heart of London. With a commitment to employee growth, we provide extensive benefits including competitive salaries, generous parental leave, and wellness programmes, all while embracing a hybrid work environment that supports work-life balance. Join us at NaturalMotion, where your passion for gaming can thrive alongside a diverse team dedicated to crafting unforgettable experiences.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Senior VFX Artist & Animation Generalist New London, UK
✨Show Off Your Skills with a Killer Portfolio
As a graphic designer, your portfolio is your secret weapon! Make sure it's not just a collection of your work but showcases your creative process too. Use platforms like Behance or Dribbble to share your designs and gain visibility within the design community.
✨Get Involved in Design Meetups
Networking is key in the design world! Check out local design meetups or workshops where you can connect with other creatives and potential employers. This is a goldmine for finding unadvertised job openings at companies like ZYNGA INC.
✨Tailor Your Applications
When you’re applying for a full-time role at a creative company like ZYNGA INC, don’t go for a one-size-fits-all approach. Ensure your application highlights specific projects or styles that align with their brand image, showing that you’re a perfect fit for their team.
✨Leverage Social Media
Don't underestimate the power of social media in landing your dream design job! Share your work on platforms like Instagram or Pinterest, and engage with accounts from your desired companies—this could put you on their radar before they start hiring.
We think you need these skills to ace Senior VFX Artist & Animation Generalist New London, UK
Some tips for your application 🫡
Showcase Your Portfolio:Your portfolio is your visual CV! Make sure to include a link to your best design projects that showcase your creativity and versatility. Tailor it to include works that relate to the kind of design work ZYNGA INC does, so they can see you in action.
Tailor Your CV for Design:When crafting your CV, highlight your design skills and software proficiencies, like Adobe Creative Suite or Sketch. Mention any relevant experience you have with branding, UI/UX design, or typography, as we want to see how you fit in with the creative team at ZYNGA INC.
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter:In your cover letter, share your design philosophy and what excites you about working at ZYNGA INC. Let us know how you approach your design projects and any specific campaigns or themes that resonate with you, showing we’re not just a good fit but a perfect match!
Highlight Collaboration Skills:As a graphic designer, you often work with various teams and stakeholders. In your application, mention experiences where you've collaborated with others to bring a project to life, whether it's with clients, writers, or developers. This shows you can thrive in a team environment, which is key at ZYNGA INC.
How to prepare for a job interview at ZYNGA INC
✨Get Your Portfolio Ready
Your portfolio is your secret weapon in graphic design interviews! Make sure it's showing off your best work, with a variety of styles and projects that highlight different skills — from branding to digital illustration. Be prepared to talk through each piece, focusing on your creative process and the tools you used.
✨Know Your Design Tools Inside Out
Familiarity with software like Adobe Creative Suite is a must! Brush up on your skills with Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign, as interviewers might dive into specific technical questions or ask for your workflow. If you’ve worked with any innovative tools or techniques, don't hesitate to showcase that expertise!
✨Prepare for Design Challenges
Some companies may throw a design challenge your way during the interview! This might involve sketching out ideas or solving a branding issue on the spot. Practising these quick thinking exercises beforehand can help us show off our creativity and adaptability.
✨Passion Counts
For a full-time position, showing genuine enthusiasm for design is key! Talk about your inspirations, the projects you're excited about, and why you're drawn to ZYNGA INC. They want to see not just a skilled designer, but someone who'll bring passion and fresh ideas to the team.