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Character Technical Artist Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Absurd Ventures

Character Technical Artist

Santa Monica, CA · On-site

$130K - $165K/yr

As a Character Technical Artist at Absurd Ventures, you will collaborate closely with Character Artists, Riggers, Animators, and Engineers to develop and maintain character pipelines, solve complex ...

2K

Principal Character Technical Artist

San Mateo, CA · On-site +1

$133K - $198K/yr

Because of this, the Principal Character Technical Artist is one of the most vital roles in our studio. You will use your mastery of DCC applications, Unreal Engine 5, rigging, and complex character ...

2K

Principal Character Technical Artist

San Mateo, CA · On-site

$133K - $198K/yr

Because of this, the Principal Character Technical Artist is one of the most vital roles in our studio. You will use your mastery of DCC applications, Unreal Engine 5, rigging, and complex character ...

NxT Level

Technical Artist

Chicago, IL · On-site +1

$130K - $156K/yr

Work across several art disciplines including shading, environment art, character art, animation ... Portfolio demonstrating the technical artistic ability, with a focus on custom shaders and vfx

NxT Level

Technical Artist

Chicago, IL · On-site

$130K - $156K/yr

Work across several art disciplines including shading, environment art, character art, animation ... Portfolio demonstrating the technical artistic ability, with a focus on custom shaders and vfx

Scattermesh

Senior 3D Technical Character Artist

Herndon, VA · On-site

$130K - $156K/yr

Job Summary Scattermesh is expanding its team and we are looking to hire experienced Senior 3D Technical Facial Character Artists to work across client projects on a full time basis on-site in ...

Jobgether

$18.50 - $24/hr

Mentor and support riggers and Character Technical Artists, fostering professional growth and team excellence. * Establish best practices and technical workflows in collaboration with Animation, Art ...

Scattermesh

Senior 3D Technical Character Artist

Herndon, VA · On-site

$130K - $156K/yr

Job Summary Scattermesh is expanding its team and we are looking to hire experienced Senior 3D Technical Facial Character Artists to work across client projects on a full time basis on-site in ...

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All JobsCharacter Technical Artist Jobs

Character Technical Artist information

See salary details

$95.5K

$138.7K

$153.5K

How much do character technical artist jobs pay per year?

As of Jun 9, 2026, the average yearly pay for character technical artist in the United States is $138,713.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $127,000.00 and $152,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

How does a Character Technical Artist typically collaborate with animators and modelers during a game development project?

Character Technical Artists serve as the bridge between creative and technical teams, working closely with animators and modelers to ensure character assets are both visually appealing and technically functional. They assist modelers by defining rigging requirements and providing feedback on mesh topology, and they partner with animators to develop and maintain character rigs that support a wide range of expressive movements. Regular communication and problem-solving are essential, as Character Technical Artists often troubleshoot skinning issues, optimize deformation, and implement solutions to improve workflow efficiency across the team.

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

To thrive as a Character Technical Artist, you need a solid background in 3D modeling, rigging, scripting (often with Python or MEL), and a relevant degree in computer graphics or animation. Familiarity with industry-standard tools like Maya, Blender, Unreal Engine, and version control systems is typically required. Strong problem-solving, communication, and collaboration skills help you bridge the gap between artists and programmers. These competencies ensure visually appealing, technically robust character assets that perform well in interactive environments.

What are Character Technical Artists?

Character Technical Artists are specialized professionals in the video game and animation industries who bridge the gap between artists and programmers. They are responsible for developing, implementing, and maintaining character rigs, deformation systems, and animation tools to ensure that characters move and perform realistically and efficiently. Their work includes scripting tools, optimizing character assets, and troubleshooting technical issues related to character animation. Character Technical Artists collaborate closely with animators, modelers, and software engineers throughout the production pipeline.

What is the difference between Character Technical Artist vs Character Artist?

AspectCharacter Technical ArtistCharacter Artist
Primary FocusTechnical implementation, rigging, tools, and pipeline integrationCreative design, modeling, and texturing of characters
Required SkillsTechnical skills, scripting, knowledge of software pipelinesArtistic skills, sculpting, texturing, concept art
Work EnvironmentCollaborates with artists and programmers in game/animation studiosPrimarily works in art departments, focusing on character creation

The Character Technical Artist bridges the gap between art and technology, ensuring characters are both visually appealing and technically functional. In contrast, the Character Artist focuses on creating the visual aspects of characters. Both roles are essential in game and animation industries but serve different purposes within the character development process.

More about Character Technical Artist jobs
What cities are hiring for Character Technical Artist jobs? Cities with the most Character Technical Artist job openings:
What states have the most Character Technical Artist jobs? States with the most job openings for Character Technical Artist jobs include:
What job categories do people searching Character Technical Artist jobs look for? The top searched job categories for Character Technical Artist jobs are:
Character Technical Artist jobs near you

Character Technical Artist

Absurd Ventures

Santa Monica, CA

$130K - $165K/yr

Other

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement, PTO

Posted 17 days ago

Job description

Summary
We are seeking a skilled Character Technical Artist to join our team and support the development of high-quality, performant characters for an all-new IP. This role sits at the intersection of art, animation, and engineering, ensuring that character assets are built, optimized, and implemented to the highest technical standards.


As a Character Technical Artist at Absurd Ventures, you will collaborate closely with Character Artists, Riggers, Animators, and Engineers to develop and maintain character pipelines, solve complex technical challenges, and help push the visual fidelity and performance of our characters in Unreal Engine.

Core Responsibilities 

  • Partner with Character Artists to ensure character models meet technical, performance, and pipeline requirements.
  • Support and maintain character pipelines spanning modeling, rigging, skinning, deformation, and engine implementation.
  • Diagnose and resolve character-related technical issues, including geometry, skinning, deformation, LODs, and performance constraints.
  • Collaborate closely with rigging and animation to ensure characters are animation-ready and behave correctly in-game.
  • Implement and validate characters in Unreal Engine, ensuring correct setup for materials, LODs, cloth, and physics.
  • Develop tools, scripts, and workflows to improve efficiency and consistency in character production.
  • Create and maintain technical documentation for character pipelines, workflows, and best practices.
  • Proactively identify risks related to character production, performance, or pipeline bottlenecks and communicate them clearly to Production and leadership.
  • Provide technical guidance and mentorship to Character Artists and other content creators.

Core Qualifications

  • 5+ years of experience as a Character Technical Artist, Technical Artist, or similar role in the video game industry. Experience supporting character pipelines on at least one shipped AAA title.
  • Experience with character rigging, facial rigs, or motion systems.
  • Strong understanding of character modeling, topology, UVs, skinning, and deformation principles.
  • Significant experience working in Unreal Engine (preferably UE5), including character setup, LODs, physics, Control Rig and optimization.
  • Proficiency with industry-standard tools such as Maya and familiarity with Motion Builder, ZBrush and Substance Painter.
  • Solid scripting or tool development experience (Python, MEL, Blueprint, or similar).
  • Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to debug complex, cross-disciplinary issues.
  • Excellent communication skills and a collaborative mindset. 

Plus if...

  • Familiarity with cloth, hair, or physics simulation workflows in Unreal Engine.
  • Experience with performance profiling and optimization on console hardware.
  • Previous experience establishing or evolving character pipelines on a large production.
  • Familiarity with proprietary or custom engine pipelines.

Description

  • Full-time job with benefits.
  • Role is on-site in Santa Monica, CA.
  • Office is located near downtown Santa Monica - near metro and freeways.

The base pay range for this position is $130,000 to $165,000 per year. Actual compensation is based on market location and may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. We also offer a competitive package of benefits including paid time off, sick time, company holidays, parental leave, medical/dental/vision insurance, life insurance, disability insurance, and 401(k) to regular full-time employees. Certain roles may also be eligible for bonus and equity.


About Absurd Ventures
Absurd Ventures is a media company creating new IP across all platforms and for all formats. Absurd Ventures is building narrative worlds, creating characters, and writing stories for a variety of genres, without regard to medium, to be produced for live-action and animation; video games and other interactive content; books, graphic novels, and scripted podcasts.

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