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Animation Character Design Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Purple Drive Technologies

3D Artist

Auburn Hills, MI · On-site

... Animation • Knowledge in render engines V-ray and Arnold • Proven experience implementing best practices for 3D Design and re-use • Simple Character Design • Composition Roles ...

Kavaliro

Character Artist (Unreal Engine)

Jacksonville, FL · On-site

$112K - $117K/yr

Work with rigging and animation teams to ensure clothing deforms properly during gameplay and ... Strong understanding of anatomy, garment construction, fabric behavior, and silhouette design

Epic Games

Technical Designer in Animation

Cary, NC · On-site

As a TDiA, you will use your animation sense and technical understanding of character animation to design and create gameplay animation systems that facilitate entertaining, high-quality characters.

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Animation Character Design information

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$9

$31

$70

How much do animation character design jobs pay per hour?

As of Jun 17, 2026, the average hourly pay for animation character design in the United States is $31.23, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $19.71 and $38.46 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are some common challenges faced by animation character designers, and how are they usually addressed on the job?

Animation character designers often face the challenge of balancing creative vision with the specific requirements of a production, such as style consistency and technical limitations. Designers regularly collaborate and communicate with directors, animators, and other team members to refine characters based on feedback and evolving project needs. Tight deadlines and frequent revisions are typical in this role, making adaptability and problem-solving skills highly valuable. Many studios foster open feedback loops and provide resources for skill development to help designers address these challenges and succeed in their roles.

What is an Animation Character Design job?

An Animation Character Design job involves creating the visual look, personality, and style of characters for animated films, TV shows, games, or commercials. Character designers develop concept art, model sheets, and expressive poses to ensure consistency and appeal. They work closely with animators, directors, and writers to bring characters to life while maintaining the project's artistic vision. Strong drawing skills, creativity, and knowledge of anatomy and storytelling are essential in this role.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive in the Animation Character Design position, and why are they important?

To thrive in Animation Character Design, you need strong drawing abilities, a solid understanding of anatomy and movement, and a portfolio demonstrating creativity and storytelling through visuals. Proficiency with design software such as Adobe Creative Suite and Toon Boom Harmony, as well as knowledge of 3D modeling tools, is often essential. Strong communication, flexibility, and collaboration skills help artists respond effectively to feedback and work well in team-oriented environments. These skills ensure characters are visually compelling, fit project requirements, and resonate with audiences, contributing to a project's overall success.

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Animation Character Design jobs near you
Infographic showing various Animation Character Design job openings in the United States as of June 2026, with employment types broken down into 50% Internship, and 50% Part Time. Highlights an 100% In-person job distribution, with an average salary of $64,961 per year, or $31.2 per hour.
Senior Technical Artist, Animation - Unpublished R&D Product

Senior Technical Artist, Animation - Unpublished R&D Product

Riot Games

Los Angeles, CA • On-site

$136K - $163K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement, PTO

Posted 26 days ago

Job description

As a Senior Technical Artist (Technical Animation), you'll define and maintain the systems that bring our characters and creatures to life including complex animation state machines, layered interactions, and IK-driven behaviors in our upcoming MMO. Working at the intersection of animation, design, and engineering, you'll build scalable animation graphs, ensure believable motion, and optimize performance across a vast, dynamic world.
You'll collaborate with animators, designers, and engineers to develop robust Unreal Engine animation systems that balance scalability, fidelity, and efficiency. As a key bridge between creative intent and technical execution, you'll drive the evolution of our animation framework and ensure seamless, high-quality integration across the game.
Responsibilities:
  • Build and maintain complex animation state machines, layered animation systems, and override logic supporting split-body for player characters, NPCs, creatures, and props.
  • Collaborate with animators, character tech artists, and designers to develop efficient, believable, and tech-friendly animation flows.
  • Define best practices for animation setup while owning the debuggability, documentation, maintainability, and long-term health of animation blueprints and graphs within Unreal Engine.
  • Partner with engineers to build and evolve animation runtime systems and debugging workflows.
  • Drive optimization efforts across animation assets and graphs to meet performance and memory targets.
  • Collaborate with cross-discipline partners to ensure character systems scale effectively across massive multiplayer environments.
  • Develop scalable animation retargeting strategies to support characters and creatures of varying proportions while minimizing animation counts.

Required Qualifications:
  • 8+ years of professional experience as a technical animator or technical artist in games or related industries.
  • Deep expertise with Unreal Engine animation workflows, including complex Animation Blueprints, state machines, blend spaces, and layered animation systems.
  • Proven experience designing scalable, reusable animation systems for large-scope character setups, including players, NPCs, and creatures.
  • Strong art foundation with a deep understanding of animation principles, anatomy, and motion.
  • Excellent communication skills and the ability to collaborate across art, design, and engineering disciplines

Desired Qualifications:
  • Experience with Unreal Control Rig and Sequencer
  • Familiarity with C++ and/or Python within Unreal Engine.
  • Expertise in Autodesk Maya for rigging and animation support.
  • Experience working with software likeKawaii, Chaos, Havok.
  • Prior experience supporting MMO or large-scale games with complex character ecosystems.
  • Experience with runtime IK, or motion warping

For this role, you'll find success through craft expertise, a collaborative spirit, and decision-making that prioritizes the delight of players. We will be looking at your past studies, experience, and your personal relationship with games. If you embody player empathy and care about players' experiences, this could be your role!
Our Perks:
Riot focuses on work/life balance, shown by our open paid time off policy and other perks such as flexible work schedules. We offer medical, dental, and life insurance, parental leave for you, your spouse/domestic partner, and children, and a 401k with company match. Check out our benefits pages for more information.
At Riot Games, we put players first . That mission drives every decision in our quest to create games and experiences that make it better to be a player. Whether you're working directly on a new player-facing experience or you're supporting the company as a whole, everyone at Riot is part of our mission. And just like in our games, we're better when we work together. Our goal is to create collaborative teams where you are empowered to bring your unique perspective everyday. If that sounds like the kind of place you want to work, we're looking forward to your application.
It's our policy to provide equal employment opportunity for all applicants and members of Riot Games, Inc. Riot Games makes reasonable accommodations for handicapped and disabled Rioters and does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, handicap, veteran status, marital status, criminal history, or any other category protected by applicable federal and state law. We consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with applicable federal, state and local law, including the California Fair Chance Act, the City of Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, and the Washington Fair Chance Act.
Per the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance, the following core duties may create a basis for disqualifying candidates with relevant criminal histories:
  • Safeguarding confidential and sensitive Company data
  • Communication with others, including Rioters and third parties such as vendors, and/or players, including minors
  • Accessing Company assets, secure digital systems, and networks
  • Ensuring a safe interactive environment for players and other Rioters

These duties are directly related to essential operations, safety, trust, and compliance obligations within our organization. Please note that job duties may evolve based on business needs and additional responsibilities may be assigned as necessary to maintain operational efficiency and security.
  • (Los Angeles Only) Base salary range between $185,200.00 - $258,000.00 USD + incentive compensation + equity + 401K with company match + medical, dental, vision, and life insurance + short and long-term disability + open PTO.
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About Riot Games

Sourced by ZipRecruiter

Riot Games was founded in 2006 by Brandon Beck and Marc Merrill with the intent to change the way video games are made and supported for players. In 2009, Riot released its debut title League of Legends to worldwide acclaim. The game has since gone on to become the most played PC game in the world and a key driver of the explosive growth of esports. Players are the foundation of our community and it's for them we continue to evolve and improve the League of Legends experience.

Industry

Computer and electronic product manufacturing

Company size

1,001 - 5,000 Employees

Headquarters location

Los Angeles, CA, US

Year founded

2006

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