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 ...
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 ...
Combat Designer
Raleigh, NC · On-site
You're a system-savvy, feel-first designer who understands that great combat lives at the intersection of character, camera, and controls and you know how to bring those elements together in ways ...
Quick apply
Combat Designer
Raleigh, NC · On-site
You're a system-savvy, feel-first designer who understands that great combat lives at the intersection of character, camera, and controls and you know how to bring those elements together in ways ...
Combat Designer
Raleigh, NC · On-site
They are seeking a Combat Designer to design and implement engaging gameplay mechanics, focusing on ... character identity and story context - making sure the 'how' of fighting always serves the 'why ...
Combat Designer
Raleigh, NC · On-site
They are seeking a Combat Designer to design and implement engaging gameplay mechanics, focusing on ... character identity and story context - making sure the 'how' of fighting always serves the 'why ...
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 ...
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 ...
Graphic Designer
Buies Creek, NC · On-site
Graphic Designer Department: Communications & Marketing Status: Full Time Position Summary: The Graphic Designer is part of the University's Communications & Marketing team. This position provides ...
Graphic Designer
Buies Creek, NC · On-site
Graphic Designer Department: Communications & Marketing Status: Full Time Position Summary: The Graphic Designer is part of the University's Communications & Marketing team. This position provides ...
Role summary The designer is part of the Freshfields Design Studio, a multi-location team across UK, Asia and US, this role provides essential expertise to support the needs of our rapidly growing US ...
Role summary The designer is part of the Freshfields Design Studio, a multi-location team across UK, Asia and US, this role provides essential expertise to support the needs of our rapidly growing US ...
Senior Game Designer
Cary, NC · On-site
From character and level design to competitive gameplay and system design, help shape the future of ... As a Senior Game Designer, you'll own complex areas of the game, exercise strong creative judgment ...
Senior Game Designer
Cary, NC · On-site
From character and level design to competitive gameplay and system design, help shape the future of ... As a Senior Game Designer, you'll own complex areas of the game, exercise strong creative judgment ...
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 ...
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 ...
Combat Designer
Raleigh, NC · On-site
You're a system-savvy, feel-first designer who understands that great combat lives at the intersection of character, camera, and controls - and you know how to bring those elements together in ways ...
Combat Designer
Raleigh, NC · On-site
You're a system-savvy, feel-first designer who understands that great combat lives at the intersection of character, camera, and controls - and you know how to bring those elements together in ways ...
Combat Designer
Raleigh, NC · On-site
You're a system-savvy, feel-first designer who understands that great combat lives at the intersection of character, camera, and controls - and you know how to bring those elements together in ways ...
Combat Designer
Raleigh, NC · On-site
You're a system-savvy, feel-first designer who understands that great combat lives at the intersection of character, camera, and controls - and you know how to bring those elements together in ways ...
Interactive Experience Designer (Unity) ABOUT LUCID DREAM Lucid Dream is a custom game and ... UI animation (character animation is not required for this role) * Hands-on comfort working in ...
Interactive Experience Designer (Unity) ABOUT LUCID DREAM Lucid Dream is a custom game and ... UI animation (character animation is not required for this role) * Hands-on comfort working in ...
Senior Systems Designer, Progression
Cary, NC · On-site
$94K - $101K/yr
From character and level design to competitive gameplay and system design, help shape the future of ... Designers at Epic drive vision across cross-disciplinary development teams to engage players with ...
Senior Systems Designer, Progression
Cary, NC · On-site
$94K - $101K/yr
From character and level design to competitive gameplay and system design, help shape the future of ... Designers at Epic drive vision across cross-disciplinary development teams to engage players with ...
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 ...
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 ...
Designer I
Raleigh, NC · On-site
Meet Our Leadership Team The Designer I is a hybrid position that will support the project teams with varying degrees of direct project responsibilities while developing a baseline knowledge of the ...
Designer I
Raleigh, NC · On-site
Meet Our Leadership Team The Designer I is a hybrid position that will support the project teams with varying degrees of direct project responsibilities while developing a baseline knowledge of the ...
Sr UX Designer I
$95K - $158K/yr
This role also provides opportunities to mentor designers and contribute to innovation across customer-facing products and applications. Responsibilities * Lead design strategy for a business or ...
Sr UX Designer I
$95K - $158K/yr
This role also provides opportunities to mentor designers and contribute to innovation across customer-facing products and applications. Responsibilities * Lead design strategy for a business or ...
Senior Designer
Raleigh, NC · On-site
$16.78/hr
Floor & Decor Sr. Designer leads our design team and provide a seamless start to finish consultative design service that builds lasting relationships and brand loyalty with the customers we serve. At ...
Senior Designer
Raleigh, NC · On-site
$16.78/hr
Floor & Decor Sr. Designer leads our design team and provide a seamless start to finish consultative design service that builds lasting relationships and brand loyalty with the customers we serve. At ...
Sr UX Designer I
$95K - $158K/yr
This role also provides opportunities to mentor designers and contribute to innovation across customer-facing products and applications. Responsibilities * Lead design strategy for a business or ...
Sr UX Designer I
$95K - $158K/yr
This role also provides opportunities to mentor designers and contribute to innovation across customer-facing products and applications. Responsibilities * Lead design strategy for a business or ...
Digital Designer
Raleigh, NC · On-site
We're seeking a Digital Designer to create high-performing digital marketing creative across a wide range of channels and clients. As a performance marketing agency, we believe great design ...
Digital Designer
Raleigh, NC · On-site
We're seeking a Digital Designer to create high-performing digital marketing creative across a wide range of channels and clients. As a performance marketing agency, we believe great design ...
Digital Designer
Raleigh, NC · On-site
We're seeking a Digital Designer to create high-performing digital marketing creative across a wide range of channels and clients. As a performance marketing agency, we believe great design ...
Quick apply
Digital Designer
Raleigh, NC · On-site
We're seeking a Digital Designer to create high-performing digital marketing creative across a wide range of channels and clients. As a performance marketing agency, we believe great design ...
Character Designer information
See Raleigh, NC salary details
$19.19 is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$16.98 - $19.24
26% of jobs
$19.24 - $21.49
0% of jobs
$21.49 - $23.75
0% of jobs
$23.75 - $26.01
7% of jobs
The median wage is $27.30 / hr.
$26.01 - $28.27
30% of jobs
$29.79 is the 75th percentile. Wages above this are outliers.
$28.27 - $30.52
18% of jobs
$30.52 - $32.78
2% of jobs
$32.78 - $35.04
4% of jobs
$35.04 - $37.30
4% of jobs
$37.30 - $39.55
4% of jobs
$39.55 - $41.81
4% of jobs
$16
$27
$41
How much do character designer jobs pay per hour?
As of Aug 26, 2026, the average hourly pay for character designer in Raleigh, NC is $27.94, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $25.48 and $32.07 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.
What is a character designer?
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 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.
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 is the difference between Character Designer vs Character Artist?
| Aspect | Character Designer | Character Artist |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Focus | Creating original character concepts, designs, and visual styles | Rendering and illustrating detailed character artwork based on designs |
| Skills & Tools | Concept art, illustration, creativity, design software (Photoshop, Illustrator) | Digital painting, rendering, shading, software skills (Photoshop, Painter) |
| Work Environment | Game studios, animation, film, advertising | Game 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.
How to get a job as a character designer?
To become a character designer, build a strong portfolio showcasing your drawing and conceptual skills, often using digital tools like Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator. Gaining experience through internships, freelance work, or art courses can improve your chances, and understanding the specific style or genre of the industry you want to work in is beneficial.
What qualifications do I need to be a character designer?
To become a character designer, a strong portfolio demonstrating artistic skills and creativity is essential. A background in art, illustration, or animation, often supported by a degree in fine arts or related fields, is common. Proficiency in digital tools like Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator and understanding of character anatomy and storytelling are also important.
More about Character Designer jobs
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The top searched job categories for Character Designer jobs in Raleigh, NC are:
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Cities near Raleigh, NC with the most Character Designer job openings:
Full-time
Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement, PTO
Re-posted 5 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
Bonus Points
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 is a leading interactive entertainment company. For over 30 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.
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 behaviours 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
- Expert-level understanding of character animation principles, with the ability to deliver both realistic and stylized motion
- 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
- Comfort working in ambiguous, exploratory environments with rapid iteration cycles
- Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to balance creative goals with technical constraints
- Excellent communication and leadership skills
- Experienced AAA development or equivalent real-time production environments
Bonus Points
- Experience with motion matching, procedural animation, or emerging animation technologies
- Familiarity with Control Rig and runtime rigging workflows in Unreal Engine
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 is a leading interactive entertainment company. For over 30 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.
About Epic Games
Sourced by ZipRecruiter
Industry
Pc games
Company size
1,001 - 5,000 Employees
Headquarters location
Cary, NC, US
Year founded
1991