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Character Technical Director Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

2K

Lead Character Artist

Novato, CA · Remote

$150K - $180K/yr

As a Lead Character Artist at Cloud Chamber, under the supervision of the Art Director, you will ... technical requirements, and gameplay needs, ultimately bringing the richly imagined world of ...

Cloud Chamber

Lead Character Artist

Novato, CA · On-site

$150K - $180K/yr

As a Lead Character Artist at Cloud Chamber, under the supervision of the Art Director, you will ... technical requirements, and gameplay needs, ultimately bringing the richly imagined world of ...

Cloud Chamber

Lead Character Artist

Novato, CA · Remote

$150K - $180K/yr

As a Lead Character Artist at Cloud Chamber, under the supervision of the Art Director, you will ... technical requirements, and gameplay needs, ultimately bringing the richly imagined world of ...

2K

Lead Character Artist

Novato, CA · On-site

$150K - $180K/yr

As a Lead Character Artist at Cloud Chamber, under the supervision of the Art Director, you will ... technical requirements, and gameplay needs, ultimately bringing the richly imagined world of ...

TechArts

Account Engineer

Los Alamitos, CA · On-site

This person must have a solid commitment to integrity, character, emotional intelligence, humility ... a Technical Director or Systems Technician for a large-scale production company, auditorium or ...

New

Flying Bark Productions

Animation Director

Burbank, CA · On-site

$3.2K - $3.4K/wk

Maintain consistency in character performance, movement, and animation style across sequences and ... staging, or technical challenges before they reach animation. * Help communicate animation ...

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All JobsCharacter Technical JobsCharacter Technical Director JobsCharacter Technical Director Jobs in California

Character Technical Director information

See California salary details

$25.7K

$114K

$229K

How much do character technical director jobs pay per year?

As of Sep 1, 2026, the average yearly pay for character technical director in California is $113,998.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $67,100.00 and $152,500.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a character technical director?

A Character Technical Director (Character TD) is a specialist in animation and visual effects who is responsible for designing, building, and maintaining the technical aspects of character rigs and animation systems. They create the digital skeletons and control interfaces that animators use to bring characters to life in movies, games, or television. Character TDs work closely with modelers and animators to ensure characters move realistically and efficiently. This role requires a blend of artistic understanding and technical expertise, often involving programming and scripting to automate and streamline animation workflows.

How does a character technical director typically collaborate with animators and modelers during production?

A Character Technical Director (TD) works closely with animators and modelers to ensure that character rigs are both artist-friendly and technically robust. During production, a Character TD frequently communicates with modelers to make sure character geometry supports the required deformations for animation. They also partner with animators to gather feedback on rig usability, making adjustments to enhance control and efficiency. This collaborative workflow is essential for addressing technical challenges and delivering high-quality character performances.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a character technical director, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Character Technical Director, you need a strong understanding of character rigging, anatomy, scripting (such as Python or MEL), and a degree in computer graphics, animation, or a related field. Expertise with industry-standard 3D software like Maya, Houdini, and proprietary rigging tools is typically required, along with familiarity with game engines or VFX pipelines. Creative problem-solving, strong communication, and the ability to collaborate with animators and modelers make someone stand out in this position. These skills ensure the creation of flexible, efficient rigs and seamless character animation workflows essential for high-quality visual productions.

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

AspectCharacter Technical DirectorCharacter Artist
Primary FocusTechnical pipeline, rigging, tools developmentConcept art, modeling, texturing
Required SkillsProgramming, rigging, technical problem-solvingArtistic skills, modeling, texturing
Work EnvironmentCollaborates with technical and art teams in game/film studiosPrimarily in art departments, creating visual assets

The Character Technical Director focuses on the technical aspects of character creation, including rigging and pipeline development, while the Character Artist emphasizes creating the visual and artistic elements of characters. Both roles often work closely but serve different functions within the character development process.

What are popular job titles related to Character Technical Director jobs in California?

For Character Technical Director jobs in California, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What job categories do people searching Character Technical Director jobs in California look for?

The top searched job categories for Character Technical Director jobs in California are:

What cities in California are hiring for Character Technical Director jobs?

Cities in California with the most Character Technical Director job openings:

Character Technical Director jobs near you
Infographic showing various Character Technical Director job openings in California as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 87% Full Time, and 13% Part Time. Highlights an 83% In-person, and 17% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $113,998 per year, or $54.8 per hour.

Senior Character Artist (Contingent)

Naughty Dog

Santa Monica, CA • On-site

$69.09 - $86.35/hr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision

Posted 28 days ago

Job description

This position is for temporary engagement through our staffing partner, Yoh Enterprise Solutions. Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States for this position.
This is a hybrid / onsite position.
For nearly 40 years, Naughty Dog has been crafting best-selling, critically acclaimed games that constantly push the boundaries of narrative, gameplay, and technology. Naughty Dog recently released The Last of Us Part II Remastered as well as a current generation remake of The Last of Us Part I for the PS5. We're also proud to say that The Last of Us Part I and Part II are now available for the first time on PC. Currently, we're busy at the kennel working on Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, and we'd love to find talented individuals to join us!
Naughty Dog games have long been lauded for their evocative, character-driven stories and attention to detail. We are committed to innovation within our games and as such have curated some of the top creative and technically innovative minds in the industry. We welcome diverse candidates and believe that a broad range of cultural and life experiences contribute to the overall well-being and success of the studio and the titles we craft together.
The Character Art team is looking for a highly technical and artistic Senior Character Artist to join our team in creating the next generation of award-winning story telling! We are looking for an artist who can help create characters, creatures AND develop pipelines that help streamline and push boundaries to create compelling characters that fit seamlessly within the narrative-driven worlds we build. By working alongside other departments and disciplines to inform, inspire, collaborate and develop artistic solutions to technical obstacles, you'll help ensure our character pipeline is at the forefront of AAA development.
What you will do:
  • Work with artists, technical artists, and engineers to design, implement and maintain new workflows that will help streamline and enhance our tools, shaders, and processes
  • Use provided concept art and references to create highly detailed character and creature models
  • Create high poly models, UVs, in game topology and textures to ensure high quality in game characters that work within our technical constraints, while also looking for areas to develop and push past our current boundaries
  • Monitor the needs of rigging, animation, and design to ensure clear characters in game • Maintain a clear and consistent workflow under an established schedule • Work closely to FX and Lighting artists to create characters that meet artistic and technical requirements
  • Provide direction to character artists for aesthetic and technical considerations
  • Work closely with the Tool and Engine Team to develop new or improve upon old techniques to improve character model quality
  • Work closely with Leads, Principals and Directors to keep quality and style consistent across all characters
  • Help document new and existing pipelines to streamline processes for internal and external artists
  • Act as a power user to evaluate and demo new software and tools from 3rd party developers for the character pipeline

What skills will you use:
  • Highly skilled at working with and defining standards for PBR materials, topology, and in game character pipelines
  • Experience developing shaders with technical artists and programmers
  • Intermediate knowledge of python scripting, not required, but a plus
  • Highly skilled at sculpting, modeling, texturing, shading characters and assets for games
  • High level knowledge of hair curve and card creation for next gen games
  • Keen eye to form, lighting, colors and composition
  • Very strong portfolio showing high quality characters
  • At least 5 years of experience as a character artist, working on at least one AAA title

#LI-AB1
At SIE, working with our partners, we consider several factors when setting each role's base pay range, including the competitive benchmarking data for the market and geographic location.
Please note that the individual base pay range may vary based on job-related factors which may include knowledge, skills, experience, and location.
In addition, this role is eligible for benefit offerings that include medical, dental, and vision. Click here to learn more.
The estimated base pay range for this role is listed below, this is an hourly rate.
$69.09-$86.35 USD
Please note, Sony Interactive Entertainment conducts background checks at the offer stage for all new employees (which may include criminal background checks for some roles) and will need to process personal information to support these checks.
Please refer to our Candidate Privacy Notice for more information about what personal information we collect, how we use it, who we share it with, and your data protection rights.

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