Unreal XR Interaction & Animation Developer (remote)

What are you working on?

• The name of the project(s): VR ECMO, VR Scrub Nursing, VR CPR
• At what stage of the project(s)? Alpha
• Genres: Simulation
• Platforms: VR

LAIXR is a multidisciplinary XR and AI simulation initiative based at Leiden University Medical Center. We build immersive medical training simulations for healthcare professionals, with a focus on cardiothoracic surgery, ECMO, scrub nursing, patient education, relaxation, and clinical decision-making.

Our team brings together VR developers, a Technical 3D Artist, AI engineers, data scientists, sound engineers, industrial product designers, technical physicians, healthcare technicians, and surgeons. This means candidates work directly with the people who understand the clinical problem, rather than building abstract training games without real-world feedback.

Our main projects include VR ECMO, VR Scrub Nursing, LUVRE VR Relaxation and Distraction, and other medical XR simulation modules for standalone VR devices such as Meta Quest 3. These projects are already in active development and are being designed around real clinical workflows and educational needs.

What makes LAIXR different is the combination of medical domain expertise, immersive technology, AI-driven simulation, and direct access to clinical environments. The work is not just entertainment or visualisation. It is intended to improve how healthcare professionals learn, practise, and prepare for high-risk clinical situations.

Team size and structure?

15-person multidisciplinary team including VR developers, Technical Artist, AI engineers, data scientists, technical physicians, and surgeons.

For which tasks (responsibilities)?

Category
Game Development / Technical Art / Animation

Profession
XR Interaction Developer / Technical Animator / Animation Systems Developer

Responsibilities
Target
Create natural, reliable, and clinically meaningful VR interactions and animation systems for medical simulation applications in Unreal Engine 5. The role focuses on Meta Quest hand tracking, object manipulation, procedural hand animation, NPC animation, character behaviour, and interactive medical training sequences.

Tasks
Develop and improve VR interaction systems in Unreal Engine 5 for standalone VR devices, especially Meta Quest 3.

Implement hand tracking and controller-based interactions using MetaXR SDK, Meta Interaction SDK, OpenXR, or equivalent XR frameworks.

Create robust interaction systems for grabbing, pinching, poking, pressing, pulling, rotating, connecting, disconnecting, and manipulating medical objects.

Develop tool-specific grip poses and hand poses for medical instruments, ECMO components, scrub nursing tools, monitors, switches, tubes, clamps, syringes, and other clinical equipment.

Build procedural hand animation workflows using Animation Blueprints, IK, Control Rig, pose assets, montages, state machines, and retargeting.

Develop and maintain animation systems for NPCs, patients, clinicians, scrub nurses, assistants, and other simulation characters.

Implement character animation logic for clinical scenarios, including idle behaviour, gaze direction, pointing, reaching, walking, sitting, lying, reacting, assisting, and task-based movements.

Create or integrate NPC behaviour systems for guided medical simulation scenarios, including simple state-driven behaviours and scripted clinical sequences.

Work with existing animation assets, mocap data, Mixamo-style libraries, marketplace assets, or custom animations, and adapt them to LAIXR characters and rigs.

Retarget, clean up, blend, and integrate character animations into Unreal Engine.

Use Animation Blueprints, State Machines, Montages, Sequencer, Control Rig, IK, and Blueprint logic to connect animations with interactive simulation events.

Create procedural or semi-procedural animation for medical interactions, such as handing over instruments, manipulating tubing, operating devices, checking monitors, or assisting during procedures.

Work with the Technical 3D Artist to define correct pivots, sockets, collision, grip points, affordances, interaction zones, and animation attachment points.

Integrate animations with scenario progression, assessment logic, voice prompts, AI-supported characters, and interactive training events.

Prototype, test, and refine interactions and animations so they feel intuitive, precise, clinically plausible, and stable in VR.

Optimise animation and interaction systems for standalone VR performance and stable frame rates.

Collaborate with surgeons, technical physicians, healthcare technicians, developers, and artists to ensure that interactions and character behaviours are clinically meaningful.

Document interaction and animation systems clearly so they can be reused across multiple LAIXR simulation modules.

Key KPIs
Stable and reliable hand interactions in standalone VR.

Clinically plausible hand poses, tool handling, and character movements.

Reusable NPC and animation systems that can be applied across multiple medical simulations.

Smooth integration of animations with scenario logic and interactive objects.

Reduced interaction and animation bugs.

Performance-compatible systems for Meta Quest 3.

Clear documentation and maintainable Blueprint/C++ structure.

What kind of professional are we looking for?

Required experience

• Experience developing VR or XR interactions in Unreal Engine.

  Strong practical knowledge of Unreal Engine 5 Blueprints.

  Experience with animation systems in Unreal Engine, including Animation Blueprints, State Machines, Montages, IK, Control Rig, Sequencer, retargeting, and animation blending.

  Experience implementing character or NPC animations in interactive applications, games, simulations, or VR experiences.

  Experience with hand tracking, controller interactions, grab systems, sockets, constraints, collision, gestures, and object manipulation.

  Experience with Meta Quest, MetaXR SDK, Meta Interaction SDK, OpenXR, or similar XR frameworks.

  Ability to create, adjust, retarget, clean up, or implement hand poses, character animations, and object-specific grip animations.

  Understanding of character rigs, skeletal meshes, animation retargeting, root motion, additive animation, and pose correction.

  Ability to connect animation logic with gameplay or simulation events.

  Ability to debug complex real-time interaction and animation problems in Unreal Engine.

  Understanding of standalone VR performance constraints.

  Experience working with artists to prepare assets and characters for interaction and animation, including pivots, sockets, collision meshes, scale, skeletons, and hierarchy.

Tools and technologies

• Unreal Engine 5
  Blueprints
  C++ desirable
  MetaXR SDK
  Meta Interaction SDK desirable
  OpenXR
  Meta Quest 2 / Quest 3
  Animation Blueprints
  State Machines
  Montages
  Control Rig
  IK systems
  Sequencer
  Retargeting workflows

English level
Professional working English is required. The candidate should be able to discuss technical problems, document systems, and collaborate with an international multidisciplinary team.

Nice to have
Experience in medical simulation, healthcare training, serious games, or surgical simulation.

Experience with two-handed manipulation, physics-based interaction, cables, tubes, clamps, surgical tools, or instrument handling.

What is important for us in a person?

• Strong problem-solving mindset.

• Able to work independently in a remote team.

• Clear communication with both technical and non-technical team members.

• Comfortable receiving feedback from clinicians and translating it into practical interaction improvements.

• Organised approach to Blueprints, code, assets, documentation, and version control.

• Attention to detail, especially for medical tools and procedural sequences.

• Interest in healthcare, education, serious games, and technology with real-world impact.

Why do we enjoy working here?

• The opportunity to work on meaningful XR simulations that support healthcare training and may directly contribute to better patient care.

• Close collaboration with surgeons, healthcare professionals, engineers, artists, and researchers.

• Real influence on the interaction design and technical architecture of medical VR simulations.

• Work on challenging, non-trivial VR problems: hand tracking, object manipulation, procedural animation, clinical workflow simulation, and standalone Quest optimisation.

• A multidisciplinary team environment with strong professional development opportunities.

• Remote work.

• Clear feedback from clinical and technical leads.

• Opportunity to build reusable systems across multiple XR healthcare projects.

What are the conditions and bonuses?

• Full-time 6-month contract, with potential extension depending on project needs and performance.

• Monthly compensation: 2000-2,500 USD.

• Flexible working structure within agreed project timelines.

• Professional development through collaboration with experienced engineers, healthcare professionals, and researchers.

• Opportunity to contribute to products used in medical education and clinical training.

The selection process

Selection process
Stage 1: Initial interview with the clinical project lead and technical project lead. This interview focuses on motivation, relevant experience, communication style, and understanding of medical XR simulation.

A practical test task: Candidates may be asked to complete a small interaction task in Unreal Engine. For example: pick up and manipulate a medical instrument using hand tracking with correct grip pose, collision, socket logic, visual feedback, and a short explanation of the implementation.

Stage 2: Technical interview with Unreal/XR developers. This interview focuses on the technical task, Unreal Engine, Meta Quest workflows, hand tracking, interaction architecture, animation systems, and debugging approach.

Decision timeline
We aim to make a decision within 1 to 2 weeks after the technical interview and test task.

Cover letter emphasis
Please describe one VR/XR interaction system you personally implemented. Explain what the interaction did, what SDK or framework you used, what technical challenges you faced, and how you solved them. If you have experience with Meta Quest hand tracking, Meta Interaction SDK, procedural hand animation, IK, or medical simulation, please mention this clearly.