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Animation Director Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Epic Games

Cinematics Animation Director

Cary, NC · On-site

What You'll Do Epic Games is searching for a Cinematic Animation Director to join our cinematic team working on projects, including Fortnite and other IP. You'll create original animation with a ...

ESPN Careers

Manager, Animation

Bristol, CT · On-site

$126.80K - $170K/yr

The Manager, Animation helps lead the ESPN Creative Studio Animation/Animation FX team and their ... Direct management, mentoring and coaching of supervisor- and staff-level personnel * Develop and ...

Crafty Apes

Animator - Los Angeles

El Segundo, CA · On-site +1

$112.90K - $128.90K/yr

Collaborate closely with the Animation Director, Designers, and Technical Artists to ensure animations integrate seamlessly into the final product. Contribute to the development of animation ...

Epic Games

Character Animation Lead

Cary, NC · On-site

What You'll Do Epic Games is looking for a Character Animation Director to join our Special Projects team to help drive the vision and execution of character animation across experimental and ...

craftyapes

Animator - Los Angeles

El Segundo, CA · On-site +1

$112.90K - $128.90K/yr

Collaborate closely with the Animation Director, Designers, and Technical Artists to ensure animations integrate seamlessly into the final product. * Contribute to the development of animation ...

New Venture

Technology Director

Santa Monica, CA

Work closely with Game Director, Animation Director, Art Director and other members of the development team to plan tech requirements and implementation and assist with problem solving technical ...

New Venture

Technology Director

Santa Monica, CA · On-site

Work closely with Game Director, Animation Director, Art Director and other members of the development team to plan tech requirements and implementation and assist with problem solving technical ...

The Walt Disney Company

Manager, Animation

Bristol, CT

$126.80K - $170K/yr

Manager, Animation Req ID: 10150084 The Manager, Animation helps lead the ESPN Creative Studio ... Direct management, mentoring and coaching of supervisor- and staff-level personnel * Develop and ...

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Animation Director information

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$11K

$172.5K

How much do animation director jobs pay per year?

As of May 28, 2026, the average yearly pay for animation director in the United States is $171,000.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $171,000.00 and $171,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What Do Animation Directors Do?

An animation director is responsible for performing and overseeing a number of creative duties during the design, production, and post-processing of an animation. You may work at a film studio or video game company, collaborating with writers, illustrators, and visual designers to develop stories and graphics, and to define guiding aesthetic principles. You work closely with voice actors, animators, and sound design artists to create the final product, such as an animated movie, web short, TV show, or animation for a website.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as an Animation Director, and why are they important?

To thrive as an Animation Director, you need a strong background in animation principles, storytelling, visual design, and often a degree in animation or related fields. Proficiency with animation software such as Adobe After Effects, Maya, Toon Boom, or Blender, along with experience in project management tools, is typically required. Leadership, creative vision, and excellent communication are essential soft skills for guiding teams and collaborating with clients or stakeholders. These skills ensure cohesive, high-quality animations delivered on time, aligned with the project's creative goals.

What are some common challenges Animation Directors face when leading a team on a large project?

Animation Directors often encounter challenges such as aligning the creative vision across a diverse team, managing tight production schedules, and ensuring consistent animation quality throughout the project. Balancing creative input from animators, storyboard artists, and producers while adhering to budget and time constraints can be demanding. Effective communication, regular feedback sessions, and strong organizational skills are essential for overcoming these challenges and delivering a cohesive final product.

What are Animation Directors?

Animation Directors are creative professionals who oversee the visual development and production of animated projects such as films, TV shows, or video games. They manage teams of animators, guide the artistic direction, and ensure that the animation aligns with the project's vision and story. Animation Directors collaborate closely with producers, writers, and other departments to maintain consistency and quality throughout the animation process. Their role is crucial in bringing characters and worlds to life in a cohesive and engaging manner.

Is Disney hiring 2D animators?

Disney regularly hires 2D animators for various projects, especially for legacy animation and special productions. Candidates typically need strong traditional animation skills, proficiency in software like Toon Boom or Adobe Animate, and a portfolio demonstrating their work. Job openings can vary based on current production needs and company priorities.

What is the difference between Animation Director vs Animation Supervisor?

AspectAnimation DirectorAnimation Supervisor
ResponsibilitiesOversees the overall animation style, guides creative vision, and manages animation teams to ensure consistency and quality.Manages day-to-day animation production, assigns tasks, and ensures deadlines are met within the animation team.
Required SkillsStrong artistic vision, leadership, and experience in animation production.Technical expertise, team management, and workflow coordination.
Work EnvironmentCreative leadership in studios, overseeing multiple animation projects.Supervisory role within animation teams, often reporting to the Animation Director.

The Animation Director focuses on the creative and artistic vision of the animation, guiding the overall style and quality. The Animation Supervisor handles the operational aspects, managing the team to meet production goals. Both roles are essential in animation production, with the Director setting the creative tone and the Supervisor ensuring smooth execution.

More about Animation Director jobs
What cities are hiring for Animation Director jobs? Cities with the most Animation Director job openings:
What are the most commonly searched types of Animation jobs? The most popular types of Animation jobs are:
Who are the top companies hiring for Animation Director jobs? The top employers for Animation Director jobs are:
What states have the most Animation Director jobs? States with the most job openings for Animation Director jobs include:
What job categories do people searching Animation Director jobs look for? The top searched job categories for Animation Director jobs are:
Animation Director jobs near you
Infographic showing various Animation Director job openings in the United States as of May 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% Internship, 7% As Needed, 4% Full Time, 81% Part Time, 6% Temporary, and 1% Nights. Highlights an 100% Physical job distribution, with an average salary of $171,000 per year, or $82.2 per hour.
Cinematics Animation Director

Cinematics Animation Director

Epic Games

Cary, NC • On-site

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement, PTO

Posted 14 days ago

Job description

WHAT MAKES US EPIC?
At the core of Epic's success are talented, passionate people. Epic prides itself on creating a collaborative, welcoming, and creative environment. Whether it's building award-winning games or crafting engine technology that enables others to make visually stunning interactive experiences, we're always innovating.
Being Epic means being a part of a team that continually strives to do right by our community and users. We're constantly innovating to raise the bar of engine and game development.
CINEMATICS
What We Do
In the Cinematics Team, we are pushing the boundaries of what is possible in realtime. We are in the early stages of this growth in realtime quality work and we are growing quickly and implementing various techniques and ideas to improve what can be done in Unreal Engine. Our team is one of the few at the forefront of delivering innovation, through cinematic quality visuals.
What You'll Do
Epic Games is searching for a Cinematic Animation Director to join our cinematic team working on projects, including Fortnite and other IP. You'll create original animation with a strong emphasis on style and appeal, grounded in realistic world physics - and you'll help shape how we make that animation, not just what it looks like. This role requires a deep understanding of animation fundamentals and how they translate to game animation, combined with genuine curiosity about emerging tools and workflows. You'll take animation from initial concept through implementation using our animation system in Unreal Engine 5, while actively exploring new approaches - from AI-assisted motion generation and video-to-animation pipelines (Meshcapade, video2fbx, etc.) to whatever comes next.
In this role, you will
  • Lead and mentor a small team of experienced internal cinematic animators.
  • Own the animation direction and quality control for all cinematic animation outsourcing efforts.
  • Create character-specific animations based on narrative collaborations with cinematic directors, using Unreal Engine's Sequencer and Control Rig toolset.
  • Drive collaboration across disciplines - including Production, Technical Animation, and Design - to help define the style and feel of Epic's cinematic animation.
  • Collaborate with other discipline leads (environment, lighting, fx, game dev, etc) in a dailies-style critique environment, find optimal solutions, and address issues as they arise.
  • Direct and work with motion capture data as a core part of the layout process.
  • Refine animations as needed to achieve the highest quality within project timelines. Research, evaluate, and prototype emerging animation workflows and tools, helping the team stay ahead of the curve on production innovation.
What we're looking for
  • A strong animation reel demonstrating expertise in keyframed character and creature animation.
  • Experience in a lead or senior role, managing animators and owning animation quality for both internal and outsourced teams.
  • Relevant experience in cinematic animation.
  • Strong instincts for both realistic and stylized motion.
  • Strong story and problem solving skills when adjustments are needed.
  • Ability and affinity for brainstorming and collaborating with a small team to design short stories that align with the creative brief.
  • Familiarity with Unreal Engine and the Control Rig workflow.
  • Experience directing and working with motion capture.
  • A technical mindset - someone who enjoys digging into pipelines, scripting tools, and figuring out how to make workflows faster and better, not just animating within them.
  • Demonstrated interest in emerging animation technology: AI-driven motion synthesis, video-to-animation capture, procedural animation, or similar tools and techniques. Strong communication skills and the ability to thrive in a collaborative team environment. Ability to work independently and own a project from start to completion.

Nice to have
  • Experience animating hard-surface or vehicle animation.
  • Understanding of modeling, skinning, and rigging.
  • Hands-on experience with tools like Meshcapade, DeepMotion, Rokoko, or similar emerging motion capture and generation platforms.
  • Background in scripting or technical art (Python, MEL, Blueprints).

EPIC JOB + EPIC BENEFITS = EPIC LIFE
Our intent is to cover all things that are medically necessary and improve the quality of life. We pay 100% of the premiums for both you and your dependents. Our coverage includes Medical, Dental, a Vision HRA, Long Term Disability, Life Insurance & a 401k with competitive match. We also offer a robust mental well-being program through Modern Health, which provides free therapy and coaching for employees & dependents. Throughout the year we celebrate our employees with events and company-wide paid breaks. We offer unlimited PTO and sick time and recognize individuals for 7 years of employment with a paid sabbatical.
ABOUT US
Epic Games spans across 25 countries with 46 studios and 4,500+ employees globally. For over 25 years, we've been making award-winning games and engine technology that empowers others to make visually stunning games and 3D content that bring environments to life like never before. Epic's award-winning Unreal Engine technology not only provides game developers the ability to build high-fidelity, interactive experiences for PC, console, mobile, and VR, it is also a tool being embraced by content creators across a variety of industries such as media and entertainment, automotive, and architectural design. As we continue to build our Engine technology and develop remarkable games, we strive to build teams of world-class talent.
Like what you hear? Come be a part of something Epic!
Epic Games deeply values diverse teams and an inclusive work culture, and we are proud to be an Equal Opportunity employer. Learn more about our Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy here.
Note to Recruitment Agencies: Epic does not accept any unsolicited resumes or approaches from any unauthorized third party (including recruitment or placement agencies) (i.e., a third party with whom we do not have a negotiated and validly executed agreement). We will not pay any fees to any unauthorized third party. Further details on these matters can be found here.

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