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Character Technical Director Jobs (NOW HIRING)

City Of Gary

Video Technician

Gary, IN · On-site

$42K/yr

Technical Director * Camera Operator * Character Generator (C.G.) Operator * Qualifications * Degree in Communications, Media, or related field required. * Minimum of 2 years of professional ...

City of Gary, Indiana

Video Technician

Gary, IN

$42K/yr

Technical Director * Camera Operator * Character Generator (C.G.) Operator * Qualifications * Degree in Communications, Media, or related field required. * Minimum of 2 years of professional ...

The E.W. Scripps Company

Director - KPAX

Missoula, MT · On-site

Are you a technical wizard who thrives in the fast-paced world of live television? KPAX in Missoula ... Must be familiar with all aspects of television production, lighting, character generators, and ...

The E.W. Scripps Company

Director - KTVQ

Billings, MT · On-site

Are you a technical wizard who thrives in the fast-paced world of live television? KTVQ in Billings ... Must be familiar with all aspects of television production, lighting, character generators, and ...

Gray Television

NEWSCAST DIRECTOR - WANF

Atlanta, GA · On-site

... character generator, robotics, and automated rundown software. Experience as a news or technical director strongly preferred. Experience operating and maintaining automation tools and software is ...

GRAY TELEVISION

NEWSCAST DIRECTOR - WANF

Atlanta, GA

... character generator, robotics, and automated rundown software. Experience as a news or technical director strongly preferred. Experience operating and maintaining automation tools and software is ...

Epic Games

Character Animation Lead

Cary, NC · On-site

What You'll Do Epic Games is looking for a Character Animation Director to join our Special ... You will combine strong animation fundamentals with technical fluency in Unreal Engine to build ...

Character Biosciences

Patient Engagement Coordinator

$26 - $30/hr

About Character Biosciences Character Biosciences is a precision medicine company pioneering ... Associate Director, Study Operations Department: Clinical Research Team: Observational Science ...

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Character Technical Director information

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$26K

$115.5K

$232K

How much do character technical director jobs pay per year?

As of May 31, 2026, the average yearly pay for character technical director in the United States is $115,510.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $68,000.00 and $154,500.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

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.

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 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.

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.

More about Character Technical Director jobs
What cities are hiring for Character Technical Director jobs? Cities with the most Character Technical Director job openings:
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Character Technical Director jobs near you
Infographic showing various Character Technical Director job openings in the United States as of May 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% Internship, 1% As Needed, 77% Full Time, 19% Part Time, 1% Temporary, and 1% Nights. Highlights an 97% Physical, and 3% Hybrid job distribution, with an average salary of $115,510 per year, or $55.5 per hour.
Lighting Artist / Technical Director - Expression of Interest - ILM San Francisco

Lighting Artist / Technical Director - Expression of Interest - ILM San Francisco

The Walt Disney Company

San Francisco, CA • On-site, Remote

$103.81K - $132.93K/yr

Full-time

Posted 4 days ago

Walt Disney Company rating

7.6

Company rating: 7.6 out of 10

Based on 124 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

6th of 47 rated entertainment

Job description

Job Posting Title:

Lighting Artist / Technical Director - Expression of Interest - ILM San Francisco

Req ID:

10152348

Job Description:

This posting is an opportunity to submit your resume for future consideration; this is not a role that is open at this time. We anticipate this role may be open in the future, but we are not actively hiring for the position. If you would like to be considered for this potential role, please submit your resume. If the role becomes available, you may receive an email or call from a recruiter.

Position Summary

ILM's Interactive team advances the studio's legacy of innovation by developing original immersive experiences across virtual reality, augmented reality and location-based platforms. Known for blending best-in-class visuals, sound and narrative, the team has delivered award-winning projects such as What If...? - An Immersive Story, Vader Immortal: A Star Wars VR Series and the Oscar-winning CARNE y ARENA. Our work continues to push the boundaries of immersive entertainment and redefine how audiences engage with story.

We are seeking a Lighting Artist who reflects the innovative spirit, creative talent, production excellence, and passion for great storytelling that defines ILM.

The Lighting Artist is responsible for bringing the best out of our environments and to combine artistic talent and technical ability. You would be working closely with the Department Supervisor of Lighting and development/production teams on the design and implementation of lighting setups and lighting pipelines.

What You'll Do

  • Work with Art Directors, Lighting Leads and Concept Artwork to design lighting setups for environments, characters and interactive game assets.

  • Have a deep understanding of lightmap baking, dynamic lighting tools, image based specular lighting, indirect light probes, post-process volumes and real-time rendering

  • Work with environment, character and VFX artists in the lighting design to achieve the desired targets for aesthetics and performance through material shader and geometry work

  • Partner with level designers to animate via level blueprint or sequencer dynamic lighting or transitions

  • Actively participate in improving workflows, optimizations and best practices

  • Identify, triage, and fix bugs as required working with engineering and relevant departments

  • Take final project to a high degree of polish and optimization

What We're Looking For

  • 5+ years experience as a Lighting TD/Artist in AAA game development or animation/vfx/film

  • Strong aesthetic sense for lighting and color theory

  • Strong technical knowledge of current real time lighting tool sets including atmospheric effects, post processing, color grading and HDR IBL workflows

  • Able to effectively take direction and know what looks good and why

  • Experience with Unreal/Unity or equivalent game engine including dynamic and baked lighting workflows, physically-based rendering, and basic level blueprint scripting

  • Shaders: in-depth knowledge of real-time shader implementations, limitations of shaders in VR, strong knowledge of PBR pipelines, and subsurface shaders

  • Materials: experienced in the development, authoring & organization of efficient materials via the UE4 material editor

  • Fluency in working in Windows, JIRA, Perforce or equivalent OS, workload and data management tools

  • Excellent communication, organization and problem-solving skills and self-motivated

  • Bonus points for:

    • Strong traditional art, photography or film studies background

    • Proficient with profiling tools to examine & diagnosis performance issues related to lighting

    • Experience with one or more of the following: Maya, Unity, Substance Designer / Painter, Zbrush or Mudbox, Houdini, Mari, 3D StudioMax, Photoshop, Nuke

    • Interest and capacity to work with proprietary toolsets

* A portfolio / reel submission - including a detailed breakdown of your work in each section - is required with all applications.

JoinILM

The hiring range for this position in San Francisco is $103,812 to $132,930 per year. The base pay actually offered will take into account internal equity and also may vary depending on the candidate's geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors. A bonus and/or long-term incentive units may be provided as part of the compensation package, in addition to the full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the level and position offered.

Job Posting Segment:

ILM San Francisco

Job Posting Primary Business:

ILM San Francisco

Primary Job Posting Category:

Lighting Entertainment - Studios

Employment Type:

Full time

Primary City, State, Region, Postal Code:

San Francisco, CA, USA

Alternate City, State, Region, Postal Code:

Date Posted:

2026-05-26

What Walt Disney Company employees say

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About Walt Disney

Sourced by ZipRecruiter

At Disney, we're storytellers. We make the impossible, possible. We do this through utilizing and developing cutting-edge technology and pushing the envelope to bring stories to life through our movies, products, interactive games, parks and resorts, and media networks. Now is your chance to join our talented team that delivers unparalleled creative content to audiences around the world. "We create happiness." That's our motto at Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. And it permeates everything we do. At Disney, you'll help inspire that magic by enabling our teams to push the limits of entertainment and create the never-before-seen!

Industry

Amusement, gambling, and recreation

Company size

10,000+ Employees

Headquarters location

Burbank, CA, US

Social media

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