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Maya Character Rigger Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Absurd Ventures

Lead Character Artist

Santa Monica, CA · On-site

$170K - $200K/yr

Work closely with rigging, animation, and technical art teams to ensure characters are ready for ... Strong proficiency in Maya, ZBrush, and Substance Painter. * Significant experience in Unreal ...

Absurd Ventures

Lead Character Artist

Santa Monica, CA · On-site

$170K - $200K/yr

Work closely with rigging, animation, and technical art teams to ensure characters are ready for ... Strong proficiency in Maya, ZBrush, and Substance Painter. * Significant experience in Unreal ...

Carlost Inc.

Customer Success Manager

New York, NY

Strong knowledge of Maya character rigging. * 3+ years' experience working as a technical animator on shipped titles. * Solid understanding of object oriented code design in languages such as python ...

Carlost Inc.

Account Manager

Burlingame, CA

Strong knowledge of Maya character rigging. 3+ years' experience working as a technical animator on shipped titles Solid understanding of object oriented code design in languages such as python and ...

Carlost Inc.

Account Manager

Burlingame, CA

Strong knowledge of Maya character rigging. 3+ years' experience working as a technical animator on shipped titles Solid understanding of object oriented code design in languages such as python and ...

Absurd Ventures

Character Technical Artist

Santa Monica, CA · On-site

$130K - $165K/yr

Support and maintain character pipelines spanning modeling, rigging, skinning, deformation, and ... Proficiency with industry-standard tools such as Maya and familiarity with Motion Builder, ZBrush ...

Absurd Ventures

Character Technical Artist

Santa Monica, CA · On-site

$130K - $165K/yr

Support and maintain character pipelines spanning modeling, rigging, skinning, deformation, and ... Proficiency with industry-standard tools such as Maya and familiarity with Motion Builder, ZBrush ...

Thatgamecompany

3D Character Artist (Mid-Senior)

$81K - $114K/yr

3D Character Artist (Mid-Senior) thatgamecompany is looking for a Mid-Senior 3D Character Artist to ... Familiarity with Maya rigging/skinning Nice to Haves: * A passionate Gamer * A Sky Player * Human ...

2K

Principal Character Technical Artist

San Mateo, CA · On-site +1

$133K - $198K/yr

You will use your mastery of DCC applications, Unreal Engine 5, rigging, and complex character and ... Expert proficiency in standard DCCs (Maya, Blender, Houdini) and strong scripting skills (Python, C ...

2K

Principal Character Technical Artist

San Mateo, CA · On-site

$133K - $198K/yr

You will use your mastery of DCC applications, Unreal Engine 5, rigging, and complex character and ... Expert proficiency in standard DCCs (Maya, Blender, Houdini) and strong scripting skills (Python, C ...

31st Union

Principal Character Technical Artist

San Mateo, CA · On-site +1

$133K - $198K/yr

You will use your mastery of DCC applications, Unreal Engine 5, rigging, and complex character and ... Expert proficiency in standard DCCs (Maya, Blender, Houdini) and strong scripting skills (Python, C ...

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Maya Character Rigger information

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How much do maya character rigger jobs pay per hour?

As of Jun 17, 2026, the average hourly pay for maya character rigger in the United States is $26.02, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $23.08 and $29.81 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are some common challenges faced by Maya Character Riggers, and how can I prepare for them?

Maya Character Riggers often encounter challenges such as creating complex rigs that allow for natural movement while maintaining ease of use for animators and meeting tight production deadlines. Working with diverse character models and troubleshooting deformation issues can also require both technical expertise and creative problem-solving. To prepare, it's helpful to build a strong foundation in anatomy and rigging techniques, stay current with the latest Maya tools and scripting, and develop good communication skills for collaborating with animators, modelers, and technical directors. Actively seeking feedback and practicing on personal or open-source projects can also help you adapt to the varied needs of professional production pipelines.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive in the Maya Character Rigger position, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Maya Character Rigger, you need a strong background in 3D rigging, anatomy, and deformation techniques, typically supported by experience with Autodesk Maya and a related degree or training in animation or computer graphics. Expertise in Maya’s rigging tools, scripting languages like MEL or Python, and familiarity with pipeline integration are highly valued. Problem-solving, creativity, and strong communication skills help you collaborate effectively with animators and modelers. These abilities enable the creation of reliable, flexible rigs that ensure high-quality character animation in fast-paced production environments.

What is a Maya Character Rigger job?

A Maya Character Rigger is responsible for creating the skeletal structures, control rigs, and deformations that allow 3D characters to move naturally in animations, films, and games. They work closely with modelers and animators to ensure characters are both functional and expressive. This involves setting up joints, skinning, and developing custom rigging tools using MEL or Python. A rigger must have a strong understanding of anatomy, mechanics, and technical problem-solving. Their work ensures that characters can perform complex movements while maintaining believable deformations.

More about Maya Character Rigger jobs
What are the most commonly searched types of Maya Character Rigger jobs? The most popular types of Maya Character Rigger jobs are:
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Maya Character Rigger jobs near you
Infographic showing various Maya Character Rigger job openings in the United States as of June 2026, with employment types broken down into 49% Full Time, 38% Temporary, and 13% Contract. Highlights an 62% In-person, and 38% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $54,114 per year, or $26 per hour.

Lead Rigger | North America | Canada | Europe | Fully Remote

Escape Velocity Entertainment Inc

Remote

$24.50 - $31.75/hr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, PTO

Posted 15 days ago

Job description

What we are looking for:
We are looking for a Lead Rigger to own our character rigging pipeline and lead our rigging team. You will work closely with Animation, Art Direction, and Production to define quality standards and technical workflows that enable high-fidelity character deformation and performance across all platforms. Your expertise in Maya rigging and Unreal animation and procedural systems - combined with strong tools development abilities - will establish best practices, mentor junior riggers, and drive the evolution of our characters as the game scales.
Requirements
What we will do together:
  • Oversee technical quality of character production: rigging, tools, deformations & simulations in our characters, weapons, and creatures.
  • Lead and mentor our Riggers and Character Technical Artists, fostering growth and accountability within the team.
  • Establish and drive adoption of best practices across the rigging pipeline in collaboration with Art, Animation, and Production teams.
  • Design & develop workflows and tooling that improve iteration speed, quality, and efficiency for riggers and animators.
  • Enhance characters in Unreal through procedural and secondary motion systems, including Control Rig, Physics, and other animation systems.
  • Find creative solutions to achieve secondary motion and optimization while maintaining high performance across all platforms.
  • Support Animation and Art teams with technical rigging expertise, problem-solving, and technical direction.
  • Work with outsourcing partners to establish successful workflows for external character rigging and development.

What you will bring:
  • Minimum five years of experience in the game industry with 2+ released game projects.
  • At least one released Unreal Engine game as a Rigger, Technical Animator, or Technical Artist.
  • Proven experience leading and mentoring a rigging or character technical team.
  • Expert-level rigging skills in Maya, mGear experience a plus.
  • Strong pipeline and tools development experience - designing, architecting, and maintaining rigging toolsets that improve team efficiency.
  • Highly proficient with Python or similar scripting languages for tools development in Maya and Unreal.
  • Highly experienced with Unreal's secondary motion systems, including Rigid Bodies, Cloth, Control Rig, and Anim Dynamics.
  • Excitement for dynamic, optimized characters and continuous process improvement.

Benefits
Interested... a bit about Escape Velocity:
Escape Velocity is a team of passionate, talented developers working at a studio that offers excellent benefits, on what we believe is a once-in-a-career project with a committed publisher. But that doesn't necessarily make us unique. What does make us special? We value the time, energy, and talent of our players and our colleagues. We want every hour spent developing and playing our games to be an incredibly rewarding and worthwhile use of your time. To that end, we are 'Fully Remote' and support team members nearly anywhere in the world. We prioritize honesty, even when that means sharing bad news. We strive to give everyone autonomy so they can determine how best to work and play, and we care more about what you bring to the game and studio than how many hours you're clocking. We're dedicated to building a culture of play, which not only makes us better game makers, but also strengthens the bonds between us all. We believe in constant improvement across all areas - from the game itself to our production design - and are constantly re-evaluating how we spend our time to ensure that we're not wasting yours and we're all always working on the most important things.
A few benefits you can expect from us:
  • A generous PTO allowance
  • Summer and Winter holidays studio closure (separate to PTO allowance)
  • Private Medical & Dental Healthcare
  • Private Mental Health scheme
  • A generous annual Health & Wellbeing allowance
  • Discretionary Studio Bonus
  • Top range tech for your home set up
  • Other benefits based on your region

How to apply:
Click apply and complete an application along with a Resume / CV. If we would like to move forward with your application, a member of the Recruiting Team will reach out to you and guide you through our process.
Escape Velocity is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to hiring, promoting, and compensating employees based on their qualifications and demonstrated ability to perform job responsibilities.
Applications will be considered regardless of age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, belief, race, or any other protected category.

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