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Animation Rigger Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

AGBO

Expression of Interest - Animator

Los Angeles, CA · On-site +1

Experience structuring & maintaining animation processes such as rigging, or prototyping. * Character Performance experience. * Effectively tell the story in a meaningful way through vivid and ...

Evil Eye Pictures

Senior Unreal Animator

San Jose, CA · Remote

$40 - $65/hr

Create final animation for cinematic sequences using both motion capture data and hand-keyed ... Experience rigging * Helping develop cinematic pipelines and tools. * Python or similar coding ...

2K

Expert Animator

San Mateo, CA · On-site

$123K - $182K/yr

In this role, you'll partner closely with animation, design, and engineering teams to create and ... Work together with character artists and riggers to establish both core and secondary functionality ...

31st Union

Expert Animator

San Mateo, CA · On-site

$123K - $182K/yr

In this role, you'll partner closely with animation, design, and engineering teams to create and ... Work together with character artists and riggers to establish both core and secondary functionality ...

Evil Eye Pictures

Senior Unreal Animator

Hayward, CA · Remote

$40 - $65/hr

Create final animation for cinematic sequences using both motion capture data and hand-keyed ... Experience rigging * Helping develop cinematic pipelines and tools. * Python or similar coding ...

Evil Eye Pictures

Senior Unreal Animator

Fremont, CA · Remote

$40 - $65/hr

Create final animation for cinematic sequences using both motion capture data and hand-keyed ... Experience rigging * Helping develop cinematic pipelines and tools. * Python or similar coding ...

Evil Eye Pictures

Senior Unreal Animator

Santa Clara, CA · Remote

$40 - $65/hr

Create final animation for cinematic sequences using both motion capture data and hand-keyed ... Experience rigging * Helping develop cinematic pipelines and tools. * Python or similar coding ...

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All JobsAnimation Rigger JobsAnimation Rigger Jobs in California

Animation Rigger information

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$13

$25

$36

How much do animation rigger jobs pay per hour?

As of Jun 16, 2026, the average hourly pay for animation rigger in California is $25.68, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $22.79 and $29.42 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is the highest paying rigger job?

The highest paying rigger jobs are typically senior or lead rigging positions in large film, gaming, or animation studios, often requiring extensive experience, advanced skills in 3D software, and knowledge of complex character or mechanical rigging. These roles can offer salaries exceeding six figures, especially in regions with a high cost of living or in companies with substantial budgets for visual effects and animation projects.

What is the average salary of a rigging artist?

The average salary of an animation rigger typically ranges from $50,000 to $80,000 per year, depending on experience, location, and industry. Entry-level rigging artists may earn less, while experienced professionals with specialized skills can earn higher salaries, especially in larger studios or with advanced software knowledge.

What does a rigger do in animation?

An animation rigger creates the skeletal structures and control systems that allow characters and objects to move realistically. They build rigs using software like Maya or Blender, enabling animators to manipulate models efficiently and accurately. Rigging requires knowledge of anatomy, weight painting, and scripting to develop functional and flexible rigs.

What does an Animation Rigger do?

An Animation Rigger creates the skeletal structures that animators use to bring characters and objects to life in movies, games, and other media. They design and implement control systems for movement, ensuring realistic and flexible animation. Riggers work closely with animators, modelers, and technical artists to ensure characters move naturally and efficiently. They use software like Maya, Blender, or Houdini to build rigs that allow animators to manipulate models with ease.

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

To thrive as an Animation Rigger, you need strong knowledge of anatomy, movement, and 3D animation fundamentals, often backed by a degree in animation, computer graphics, or a related field. Expertise in industry-standard software such as Autodesk Maya or Blender, and familiarity with scripting languages like Python or MEL, are typically important; some studios may value certifications in these tools. Attention to detail, problem-solving, and effective communication enable collaboration with animators and modelers to deliver high-quality rigs. These competencies help ensure that digital characters move realistically and that production pipelines run efficiently.

What are some typical day-to-day responsibilities of an Animation Rigger?

As an Animation Rigger, your daily tasks include designing, building, and testing control rigs for characters and props to ensure they perform well during animation. You'll work closely with modelers and animators to address rigging needs and respond to feedback to revise or troubleshoot rigs as needed. Setting up skinning, deformation systems, and automation scripts is also common, which helps streamline repetitive tasks and improve workflow. The role requires both technical and creative collaboration, making flexibility and communication essential for meeting production goals and maintaining high-quality animation standards.

How hard is rigging animation?

Rigging animation as an animation rigger involves learning 3D modeling, understanding anatomy and movement, and mastering rigging tools like Maya or Blender. It requires attention to detail, technical skills, and often a strong foundation in character design, making it a challenging but learnable process for those with relevant training. Consistent practice and familiarity with industry standards are essential for proficiency.
What are popular job titles related to Animation Rigger jobs in California? For Animation Rigger jobs in California, the most frequently searched job titles are:
What job categories do people searching Animation Rigger jobs in California look for? The top searched job categories for Animation Rigger jobs in California are:
Animation Rigger jobs near you
Infographic showing various Animation Rigger job openings in California as of June 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% As Needed, 45% Full Time, 49% Part Time, and 5% Temporary. Highlights an 97% Physical, and 3% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $53,405 per year, or $25.7 per hour.
Senior Machine Learning Engineer, Animation Integration

Senior Machine Learning Engineer, Animation Integration

Genies, Inc.

San Francisco, CA • On-site

$180K - $270K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, PTO

Posted 23 days ago

Job description

Genies is an AI avatar technology company powering the visual and embodiment layer for AI. Through the Genies SDK, their proprietary avatar framework brings AI to life as fully realized AI personas that look, think, behave, and play like living identities. Genies powers AI companion, NPC, and agent use cases across enterprise, consumer, creator, entertainment, and gaming. Genies has raised $200M from Silver Lake, BOND, and Bob Iger. Genies is built on the belief that every website, app, game, brand, and human will have an AI persona.
Genies is looking for a Senior Machine Learning Engineer to join our Avatar Technology team, focused on building the next generation of AI-driven animation systems. This role is focused on integrating machine learning systems into production animation pipelines and realtime environments, while also owning the applied ML work required to make these systems effective in practice. You will work across data, modeling, and runtime systems to ensure ML-driven animation performs reliably and at high quality in production.
What You'll Be Doing:
  • Integrate machine learning models into realtime animation systems across mobile and web environments.
  • Develop systems that translate inputs such as audio, text, and intent into responsive avatar motion in production.
  • Work with generative models (e.g., diffusion, transformer-based systems) and adapt them for specific use cases such as facial animation, gesture generation, and character behavior.
  • Collect, process, and manage animation datasets (mocap, facial capture, simulation data) for training, fine-tuning, and evaluation.
  • Build data pipelines for extraction, preprocessing, and validation of motion data.
  • Fine-tune and adapt existing models to improve quality, stability, and performance in production environments.
  • Collaborate with Behavior and LLM teams to integrate predictive motion systems into state machines and character logic.
  • Design and build tools and workflows that enable Technical Artists to work effectively with ML-driven animation systems.
  • Develop pipelines that connect DCC tools (Maya, Blender) with ML systems and runtime engines.
  • Debug, profile, and optimize runtime performance across CPU, GPU, and memory constraints.
  • Develop automation and validation systems to support asset quality and iteration speed.

What You Should Have:
  • 7+ years of experience in machine learning, animation systems, or related technical roles in games, VFX, or interactive media.
  • Experience developing and shipping ML systems in production environments.
  • Strong programming skills in Python, along with C++ and/or C#.
  • Experience working with animation systems, including skeletal animation, rigging, or simulation pipelines.
  • Familiarity with ML frameworks such as PyTorch or TensorFlow.
  • Experience working with datasets and building data processing pipelines.
  • Experience integrating systems into realtime engines such as Unity, Unreal, or web-based runtimes.
  • Strong understanding of performance constraints, including latency, memory, and scalability.
  • Experience building tools or workflows for Technical Artists or content teams.

Who You Are:
  • You are comfortable working across machine learning, animation systems, and realtime applications.
  • You can take models from prototype to production and understand the tradeoffs involved.
  • You care about animation quality and user experience, not just model outputs.
  • You work well with cross-functional teams across ML, engineering, and content.
  • You are proactive, detail-oriented, and comfortable owning systems end-to-end.
  • You communicate clearly and can translate technical concepts across disciplines.

How Genies will support you
  • Competitive salary and equity packages
  • Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance
  • Unlimited PTO
  • Parental leave
  • Hybrid work structure (minimum 4 days in office weekly)
  • Monthly wellness reimbursement

Genies is a well-funded, fast-growing start-up that values innovation, creativity, and ownership. Our roles and their responsibilities are created with a breadth of scope that introduces each employee to exciting new challenges and opportunities that a growing start-up encounters. The actual base pay is dependent upon a number of factors, including: professional background, training, transferable skills, work experience, education, location, business and product needs, and market demand. The base pay range is subject to change and may be modified in the future.
These are for our full time, benefits eligible positions

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