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Character Designer Jobs in Raleigh, NC (NOW HIRING)

Epic Games

Character Animation Lead

Cary, NC · On-site

Collaborate closely with engineers and technical designers to design scalable, flexible animation ... Expert-level understanding of character animation principles, with the ability to deliver both ...

Epic Games

Character Outsource Lead

Cary, NC · On-site

... Designer, and related software * Excellent communication and organizational skills, with the ... Passion for games, character art, and creating memorable player experiences EPIC JOB + EPIC ...

Epic Games

Narrative Systems Designer

Cary, NC · On-site

From character and level design to competitive gameplay and system design, help shape the future of ... What You'll Do Epic Games is looking for a character-focused Narrative Systems Designer to join our ...

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 ... Collaborate with Technical Designers in Animation (TDiA) across Epic Games to share solutions ...

Epic Games

Senior AI Designer

Cary, NC · On-site

$94K - $101K/yr

From character and level design to competitive gameplay and system design, help shape the future of ... What You'll Do Epic Games is looking for an experienced Senior AI Designer to join our cross ...

Epic Games

Lead Level Designer

Cary, NC · On-site

From character and level design to competitive gameplay and system design, help shape the future of interactive entertainment at Epic. What You'll Do Epic is looking for a Lead Level Designer to join ...

Epic Games

Senior Gameplay Designer

Cary, NC · On-site

From character and level design to competitive gameplay and system design, help shape the future of interactive entertainment at Epic. What You'll Do Epic Games is seeking a Senior Game Designer ...

Epic Games

Game Designer, Activities

Cary, NC · On-site

$143K/yr

From character and level design to competitive gameplay and system design, help shape the future of interactive entertainment at Epic. What You'll Do Epic Games is looking for a Gameplay Designer to ...

Quanta Services

Designer

Cary, NC · On-site +1

HBK Engineering is seeking a Designer for our Cary, NC office to deliver comprehensive design and engineering services for diverse electrical utility projects. The ideal candidate is a graduate of ...

Larson Design Group

Designer - Energy

Raleigh, NC · On-site

$59K - $89K/yr

From designing innovative solutions to building stronger communities, we approach every project with vision, collaboration, and a commitment to excellence. As a 100% employee-owned company, every ...

Larson Design Group

Designer - Energy

Raleigh, NC · On-site

$59K - $89K/yr

From designing innovative solutions to building stronger communities, we approach every project with vision, collaboration, and a commitment to excellence. As a 100% employee-owned company, every ...

Perkins & Will

Designer III

Durham, NC · On-site

Perkins&Will North Carolina studio is seeking a talented and enthusiastic Designer III to join a highly collaborative and dynamic team with opportunities for growth. Typical Years of Requisite ...

KCI Technologies Inc.

Designer II - Energy

Raleigh, NC · On-site

We make our mark designing and delivering our world-class solutions, so we invest deeply in supporting and developing our team. We reward integrity and commitment, and when we do well, you do well.

Larson Design Group

Designer - Bridge Design

Raleigh, NC · On-site

$59K - $89K/yr

From designing innovative solutions to building stronger communities, we approach every project with vision, collaboration, and a commitment to excellence. As a 100% employee-owned company, every ...

Larson Design Group

Designer - Bridge Design

Raleigh, NC · On-site

$59K - $89K/yr

From designing innovative solutions to building stronger communities, we approach every project with vision, collaboration, and a commitment to excellence. As a 100% employee-owned company, every ...

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Character Designer information

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How much do character designer jobs pay per hour?

As of Jun 9, 2026, the average hourly pay for character designer in Raleigh, NC is $30.76, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $28.03 and $35.29 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are some common challenges Character Designers face when collaborating with other departments during production?

Character Designers often collaborate closely with animators, modelers, and directors, which can present challenges such as aligning on the visual style, ensuring designs are animation-friendly, and accommodating technical limitations. Balancing creative vision with practical constraints—like simplifying details for animation or adapting designs based on feedback—requires strong communication and flexibility. Successful Character Designers are proactive in seeking input, open to revision, and skilled at translating character concepts into workable assets that serve the story and production pipeline.

What are character designers?

Character designers are artists who create the visual appearance, style, and personality of characters for animation, video games, comics, films, and other media. Their work involves conceptualizing and illustrating characters based on story requirements, often working closely with writers, directors, and animators. Character designers develop everything from facial expressions and costumes to body shapes and color schemes, ensuring each character is visually appealing and communicates the intended traits or emotions.

What is the difference between Character Designer vs Character Artist?

AspectCharacter DesignerCharacter Artist
Primary FocusCreating original character concepts, designs, and visual stylesRendering and illustrating detailed character artwork based on designs
Skills & ToolsConcept art, illustration, creativity, design software (Photoshop, Illustrator)Digital painting, rendering, shading, software skills (Photoshop, Painter)
Work EnvironmentGame studios, animation, film, advertisingGame studios, animation, film, freelance projects

While both roles involve working with characters, a Character Designer focuses on creating original character concepts and visual styles, whereas a Character Artist specializes in bringing those designs to life through detailed illustrations and rendering. Understanding these distinctions helps clarify career paths and job expectations in the industry.

What Does a Character Designer Do?

As a character designer, you create the look and animation of a cartoon character in a film, TV show, or video game. Your responsibilities are to develop physical features, design costumes and clothes, pose characters, and collaborate with team members from concept to production. Your duties include working with mouth charts, expression sheets, shadow and color indications, and marketing artwork. You sketch, draw, illustrate, and animate by hand and through computer software. You also work with different drafts and copies and maintain artwork storage. To be successful in this field, you must be able to balance creativity with the needs and requirements of the project.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Character Designer, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Character Designer, you need strong drawing and illustration skills, a deep understanding of anatomy, color theory, and character development, often supported by a degree in art or design. Proficiency with digital design tools such as Adobe Creative Suite, Procreate, and 3D modeling software like ZBrush is typically required. Creativity, strong communication, and the ability to accept feedback help designers collaborate effectively and bring unique characters to life. These skills are essential to create compelling, visually distinctive characters that resonate with audiences and fit seamlessly within projects.
More about Character Designer jobs
What are the most commonly searched types of Character Designer jobs in Raleigh, NC? The most popular types of Character Designer jobs in Raleigh, NC are:
What are popular job titles related to Character Designer jobs in Raleigh, NC? For Character Designer jobs in Raleigh, NC, the most frequently searched job titles are:
What job categories do people searching Character Designer jobs in Raleigh, NC look for? The top searched job categories for Character Designer jobs in Raleigh, NC are:
What cities near Raleigh, NC are hiring for Character Designer jobs? Cities near Raleigh, NC with the most Character Designer job openings:
Character Designer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Character Designer job openings in Raleigh, NC as of June 2026, with employment types broken down into 90% Full Time, and 10% Part Time. Highlights an 83% In-person, 10% Hybrid, and 7% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $63,979 per year, or $30.8 per hour.
Character Animation Lead

Character Animation Lead

Epic Games

Cary, NC • On-site

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement, PTO

Posted 17 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.
ART
What We Do
Push your artistic talent to the limit on a team of world-class environment, character, and concept artists who strive to innovate and inspire.
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 gameplay-driven prototypes. You will combine strong animation fundamentals with technical fluency in Unreal Engine to build responsive, expressive, and scalable animation systems. 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 hands-on creation and leadership: setting quality bars, guiding others, and helping a small team move quickly without sacrificing clarity or craft.
In this role, you will
  • Lead the creation and implementation of high-quality, gameplay-driven animation in Unreal Engine
  • Prototype and iterate on new approaches to character movement, responsiveness, and player-driven animation
  • Collaborate closely with engineers and technical designers to design scalable, flexible animation systems. Excite those around you with creative and clear thinking
  • Own animation quality and leadership across projects, ensuring a strong and consistent point of view
  • Translate gameplay needs into animation behaviors that feel intuitive and responsive
  • Debug and solve complex animation and integration issues in the engine
  • Contribute to and help evolve animation pipelines, tools, and workflows for rapid iteration
  • Mentor and support other animators, fostering a culture of curiosity, experimentation, and craft excellence
What we're looking for
  • Expert-level understanding of character animation principles, with the ability to deliver both realistic and stylized motion; experience with motion matching, procedural animation, or emerging animation technologies is a plus
  • Deep experience working in Unreal Engine, including Animation Blueprints, state machines, blending, and runtime systems
  • Strong understanding of gameplay animation-how input, timing, and responsiveness shape player experience
  • Proven ability to collaborate effectively with engineers and technical designers on complex, system-driven features
  • Experience building or contributing to animation systems (not just assets), including debugging and iteration in-engine
  • Animating in-engine using Unreal Engine animation tools; familiarity with Control Rig and runtime rigging workflows in Unreal Engine
  • Comfort working in ambiguous, exploratory environments with rapid iteration cycles
  • Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to balance creative goals with technical constraints
  • Experienced AAA development or equivalent real-time production environments
  • Excellent communication and leadership skills
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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