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Animation Engineer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

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$120K - $145K/yr

Be proactive with troubleshooting any animation workflow, rigging and pipeline issues * Communicate effectively with animators, engineers, realization team, and design, to give and accept feedback ...

Gameplay Animator (Senior/Principal)

Irvine, CA · On-site +1

$113.80K - $129.90K/yr

Partnering with animation, engineering, and tech art to help shape rigs, tools, and animation systems that improve workflows and elevate quality. * Owning animation features end-to-end, from early ...

$117.50K - $140.70K/yr

Partner with the Lead Character Artist, Animation Lead, Art Director, and engineers to define concrete constraints (rig features, deformation limits, performance budgets) that push stylization while ...

You will act as a bridge between animation and engineering - helping to define workflows, shape systems, and solve complex problems at the intersection of gameplay and motion. This role requires both ...

Senior DevOps Engineer

Santa Monica, CA · On-site

$145.90K - $187.40K/yr

Skydance Animation offers a dynamic and inclusive culture focused on innovative storytelling. The Senior DevOps Engineer will be responsible for applying modern DevOps practices to a large production ...

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Animation Engineer information

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$81K

$145.4K

$205K

How much do animation engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Jun 1, 2026, the average yearly pay for animation engineer in the United States is $145,359.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $116,000.00 and $173,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is an Animation Engineer job?

An Animation Engineer is a technical specialist who develops and optimizes animation systems for video games, films, and interactive media. They work closely with animators and software developers to create smooth, efficient, and realistic animations using programming languages, game engines, and animation tools. Their responsibilities often include developing animation rigs, physics-based movement, and real-time character interactions. Strong coding skills, knowledge of animation principles, and experience with tools like Maya, Blender, or Unreal Engine are essential for this role.

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

To thrive as an Animation Engineer, you need strong programming skills—often in C++, Python, and graphics APIs—paired with a solid understanding of computer graphics, mathematics, and animation principles. Proficiency with tools like Maya, Unity, Unreal Engine, and experience working with animation pipelines or real-time rendering systems are typically required. Exceptional problem-solving, teamwork, and clear communication are valuable soft skills in this role. These abilities ensure seamless integration of technical and artistic requirements, efficient collaboration with multidisciplinary teams, and the creation of high-quality animated experiences.

What are the typical daily responsibilities of an Animation Engineer?

As an Animation Engineer, your day-to-day tasks often include developing and optimizing animation systems, collaborating with animators and designers to implement new features, and troubleshooting technical issues related to character or object animation. You may also write scripts and tools to streamline animation workflows or assist in integrating animations into game engines or production software. Regular communication with both artistic and technical team members is essential to ensure that animations look and perform as intended. This collaborative environment supports innovation and continuous improvement, making each project engaging and dynamic.

What does an Animation Engineer do?

An Animation Engineer develops and implements animated content for video games, films, or virtual environments by creating algorithms and tools to produce realistic or stylized animations. They often work with programming languages, animation software, and physics simulations to ensure smooth, efficient motion and visual effects. Strong coding skills and knowledge of animation principles are essential in this role.
What cities are hiring for Animation Engineer jobs? Cities with the most Animation Engineer job openings:
What are the most commonly searched types of Animation Engineer jobs? The most popular types of Animation Engineer jobs are:
What states have the most Animation Engineer jobs? States with the most job openings for Animation Engineer jobs include:
What job categories do people searching Animation Engineer jobs look for? The top searched job categories for Animation Engineer jobs are:
Infographic showing various Animation Engineer job openings in the United States as of May 2026, with employment types broken down into 95% Full Time, and 5% Contract. Highlights an 100% Physical job distribution, with an average salary of $145,359 per year, or $69.9 per hour.
Senior Simulation Machine Learning Engineer - Special Projects

Senior Simulation Machine Learning Engineer - Special Projects

Apple

Cupertino, CA

$147.40K - $272.10K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Retirement

Posted 16 days ago


Apple rating

8.1

Company rating: 8.1 out of 10

Based on 661 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

6th of 30 rated technology retailers


Job description

Play a role in bringing Apple technology to the world. We are looking for a hardworking, dedicated, and results-oriented Animation Engineer. You would join a team building simulation art assets. Apple is where individual imaginations gather together, committing to the values that lead to great work. Every new product we build, service we create, or Apple Store experience we deliver is the result of us making each other’s ideas stronger. That happens because every one of us shares a belief that we can make something wonderful and share it with the world, changing lives for the better. It’s the diversity of our people and their thinking that inspires the innovation that runs through everything we do. When we bring everybody in, we can do the best work of our lives. Here, you’ll do more than join something - you’ll add something.
Description
As a Senior Simulation Machine Learning Engineer, you will join an innovation-driven team advancing Apple’s simulation and synthetic data technology to support a wide range of AI/ML initiatives. You will design, prototype, and productionize systems that generate high-quality 3D scenarios and multi-modal synthetic datasets used throughout Apple’s ML ecosystem.
We’re looking for an engineer with deep experience, strong ML intuition, and the ability to turn ambitions into robust tools. You should be comfortable exploring new ideas, iterating quickly, and driving solutions from prototype to polished implementation. Collaboration is essential - you will partner closely with engineers, animators, technical artists, and ML researchers across the organization. You will play a key role in shaping Apple’s next generation of AI/ML capabilities by defining how simulation data is generated, validated, and delivered at scale.","responsibilities":"Design and implement systems for generating, varying, and validating 3D simulation scenarios, leveraging generative models, procedural techniques, and diverse data sources to create environments, human animation and behavior, rendering and lighting.
Develop prototypes and production systems that expand our capabilities and scale across teams
Partner with engineers, ML researchers, and content creators to deliver efficient, reliable pipelines.
Develop tools and APIs that enable internal users to easily author, manage, and execute simulations.
Debug and resolve issues across scenario generation, simulation, and data quality.
Identify architectural improvements and drive long-term strategy for scenario generation and simulation-based data pipelines.
Stay current with advances in world models, generative video/3D models, neural rendering, procedural content generation, and simulation technologies. Introduce promising methods into production workflows.
Preferred Qualifications
Familiarity with USD format and tools
Experience with neural rendering, 3D generative models, learned simulation techniques.
Experience guiding technical direction, influencing architecture in a software engineering team
Understanding of real-time and offline rendering pipelines.
Experience with animation
Experience with complex industrial or commercial simulation systems or large-scale data generation workflows.
Minimum Qualifications
5+ years of professional experience in ML, simulation, graphics, or related fields.
Strong proficiency in Python and modern machine learning techniques.
Working knowledge of C++ and robust software engineering fundamentals.
Experience with LLMs, VLMs, diffusion models, world models, or similar generative/modeling frameworks.
Experience with 3D data, scene representations, and rendering fundamentals.
Strong communication and cross-functional collaboration skills are key.
Pay & Benefits
At Apple, base pay is one part of our total compensation package and is determined within a range. This provides the opportunity to progress as you grow and develop within a role. The base pay range for this role is between $147,400 and $272,100, and your base pay will depend on your skills, qualifications, experience, and location.
Apple employees also have the opportunity to become an Apple shareholder through participation in Apple's discretionary employee stock programs. Apple employees are eligible for discretionary restricted stock unit awards, and can purchase Apple stock at a discount if voluntarily participating in Apple's Employee Stock Purchase Plan. You'll also receive benefits including: Comprehensive medical and dental coverage, retirement benefits, a range of discounted products and free services, and for formal education related to advancing your career at Apple, reimbursement for certain educational expenses - including tuition. Additionally, this role might be eligible for discretionary bonuses or commission payments as well as relocation. Learn more about Apple Benefits
Note: Apple benefit, compensation and employee stock programs are subject to eligibility requirements and other terms of the applicable plan or program.

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About Apple

Sourced by ZipRecruiter

Imagine what you could do here! At Apple, new ideas have a way of becoming extraordinary products, services, and customer experiences very quickly. Bring passion and dedication to your job and there's no telling what you could accomplish. Dynamic, intelligent people and inspiring, innovative technologies are the norm here. The people who work here have reinvented entire industries with all Apple Hardware products. The same real passion for innovation that goes into our products also applies to our practices strengthening our dedication to leave the world better than we found it.

Industry

Computer and electronic product manufacturing

Company size

10,000+ Employees

Headquarters location

Cupertino, CA, US

Year founded

1976