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Principal Animator Jobs (NOW HIRING)

... DreamWorks Animation, and Focus Features, and the four global television studios under the ... We are seeking a Principal Engineer to join our Content Delivery Engineering team, reporting to the ...

... DreamWorks Animation, and Focus Features, and the four global television studios under the ... We are seeking a Principal Engineer to join our Content Delivery Engineering team, reporting to the ...

... DreamWorks Animation, and Focus Features, and the four global television studios under the ... We are seeking a Principal Engineer to join our Content Delivery Engineering team, reporting to the ...

About the Role We're seeking a Creative Principal to join Abnormal AI's Creative Services team. It ... Motion design skills or experience collaborating with animation teams. * Familiarity with product ...

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Principal Animator information

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$10

$39

$70

How much do principal animator jobs pay per hour?

As of Aug 6, 2026, the average hourly pay for principal animator in the United States is $39.41, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $21.88 and $63.94 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is the difference between Principal Animator vs Lead Animator?

AspectPrincipal AnimatorLead Animator
CredentialsTypically requires a strong portfolio, experience in animation, and sometimes a degree in animation or related fieldSimilar credentials, often with additional leadership or team management experience
Work EnvironmentWorks on high-level animation projects, overseeing quality and styleLeads a team of animators, coordinating daily tasks and project deadlines
Industry UsageCommonly found in film, gaming, and animation studiosUsed in similar settings, often as a step below a department head or supervisor

The Principal Animator focuses on creating and maintaining high-quality animation work and setting artistic standards. The Lead Animator, on the other hand, manages a team of animators, ensuring project deadlines and team coordination. While both roles require strong animation skills, the Principal Animator emphasizes technical expertise and artistic direction, whereas the Lead Animator combines technical skills with leadership responsibilities.

How does a principal animator typically collaborate with other departments during game development?

A Principal Animator works closely with departments such as art, design, programming, and audio to ensure cohesive character movement and animations that align with the project's vision. They often participate in cross-disciplinary meetings to provide animation expertise, review feedback, and help solve technical or creative challenges. Collaboration might involve integrating animations with game engines, ensuring proper rigging, and refining motion to enhance gameplay and narrative. This role often acts as a bridge between creative and technical teams, mentoring junior animators and ensuring animation standards are maintained throughout production.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a principal animator?

To thrive as a Principal Animator, you need expert proficiency in animation principles, character rigging, and a strong portfolio demonstrating advanced artistic and technical skills, often supported by a degree in animation or related field. Mastery of industry-standard software such as Maya, Blender, and Adobe Creative Suite, along with familiarity with game engines like Unity or Unreal, is typically required. Outstanding collaboration, leadership, and creative problem-solving abilities set top candidates apart in leading animation teams and projects. These skills ensure the creation of compelling animations, efficient team workflows, and the successful delivery of high-quality visual content.

What is a principal animator?

Principal Animators are senior-level professionals responsible for overseeing and guiding animation teams in the creation of high-quality animated sequences for films, games, or other media. They set the artistic and technical standards, mentor junior animators, and collaborate closely with directors and other departments to ensure the project’s vision is realized. Principal Animators often handle complex or critical animation shots themselves and play a key role in troubleshooting and problem-solving throughout the production process. Their experience and leadership are essential for maintaining consistency and quality in the final product.
More about Principal Animator jobs
What cities are hiring for Principal Animator jobs? Cities with the most Principal Animator job openings:
What states have the most Principal Animator jobs? States with the most job openings for Principal Animator jobs include:
Infographic showing various Principal Animator job openings in the United States as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 89% Full Time, 9% Part Time, 1% Temporary, and 1% Contract. Highlights an 93% Physical, 2% Hybrid, and 5% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $81,974 per year, or $39.4 per hour.

Principal Product Manager - Firefly Foundry Studio

Adobe

Los Angeles, CA

Full-time

Re-posted 23 days ago


Adobe rating

8.9

Company rating: 8.9 out of 10

Based on 10 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

40th of 242 rated software companies


Job description

Role Summary
Adobe is building Firefly Foundry Studio-a managed enterprise platform that unifies Adobe's professional creative tools and customized Firefly Foundry models to deliver advanced Generative AI workflows for Media & Entertainment production.
As a Principal Product Manager, you will work at the intersection of frontier generative models, VFX/animation pipelines, and enterprise software to define and ship the capabilities that let studios, post houses, and streaming platforms harness GenAI at production scale.
This is a high-visibility, high-autonomy role!
What You'll Do
Product Strategy & Vision
  • Own the end-to-end product roadmap aligning Firefly Foundry model capabilities and Studio creative interfaces into a coherent product strategy.
  • Define and prioritize capabilities, balancing near-term Enterprise needs with long-term platform vision
Execution & Delivery
  • Drive quarterly planning and execution with Engineering, Applied Science, and Product Design; manage trade-offs between model capability, creative control, and enterprise governance.
  • Define success metrics and evals (adoption, generation quality, workflow efficiency, customer expansion).
Cross-Functional Leadership
  • Partner with Adobe's Creative Technologist field team to compose and deploy tailored workflows for enterprise M&E customers.
  • Represent the Foundry Studio team at executive reviews, industry events, and partner forums!
What You'll Bring
Required
  • 10+ years of product management experience, with at least 5 years shipping software products serving creative professionals or media production workflows.
  • 2+ years of hands-on experience with Generative AI products or platforms-ranging from model fine-tuning, inference pipelines, or GenAI-powered creative tools.
  • Deep domain knowledge of VFX, animation, or post-production pipelines including compositing, look development, pre-visualization, and editorial workflows.
  • Strong technical competence across GenAI concepts: diffusion models, LoRA/fine-tuning, conditioning controls, prompt engineering, model evaluation, and cost/quality trade-offs.
  • Exceptional written and verbal communication; ability to craft compelling product narratives, PRDs, and executive-level strategy documents.
  • Track record of leading complex, multi-team initiatives in a matrixed organization without direct authority.
Nice to Have
  • Experience with studio pipeline platforms (ShotGrid/Flow, AYON, ftrack).
  • Familiarity with content authenticity standards (C2PA/CAI) and studio security/compliance requirements (TPN, MPAA).
  • MBA or advanced technical degree.

About Adobe

Adobe empowers everyone to create through innovative platforms and tools that unleash creativity, productivity and personalized customer experiences. Adobe's industry-leading offerings including Adobe Acrobat Studio, Adobe Express, Adobe Firefly, Creative Cloud, Adobe Experience Platform, Adobe Experience Manager, and GenStudio enable people and businesses to turn ideas into impact, powered by AI and driven by human ingenuity.

Our 30,000+ employees worldwide are creating the future and raising the bar as we drive the next decade of growth. We're on a mission to hire the very best and believe in creating a company culture where all employees are empowered to make an impact. At Adobe, we believe that great ideas can come from anywhere in the organization. The next big idea could be yours.


Let's Adobe together

At Adobe, we believe in creating a company culture where all employees are empowered to make an impact. Learn more about Adobe life, including our values and culture, focus on people, purpose and community, Adobe for All, comprehensive benefits programs, the stories we tell, the customers we serve, and how you can help us advance our mission of empowering everyone to create.

Adobe is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based on gender, race or color, ethnicity or national origin, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic. Learn more.

Adobe aims to make our Careers website and recruiting process accessible to any and all users. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation to navigate our website or complete the application process, email accommodations@adobe.com or call +1 408-536-3015.

AI Use Guidelines for Interviews:
Our interviews are designed to reflect your own skills and thinking. The use of AI or recording tools during live interviews is not permitted unless explicitly invited by the interviewer or approved in advance as part of a reasonable accommodation. If these tools are used inappropriately or in a way that misrepresents your work, your application may not move forward in the process.

At Adobe, we empower employees to innovate with AI - and we look for candidates eager to do the same. As part of the hiring experience, we provide clear guidance on where AI is encouraged during the process and where it's restricted during live interviews. See how we think about AI in the hiring experience.

Expected Pay Range:

Our compensation reflects the cost of labor across several U.S. geographic markets, and we pay differently based on those defined markets. The U.S. pay range for this positionis $148,100 -- $282,100 annually. Paywithin this range varies by work locationand may also depend on job-related knowledge, skills,and experience. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for the job location during the hiring process. In California, the pay range for this position is $194,800 - $282,100 In Washington, the pay range for this position is $178,600 - $258,700

At Adobe, for sales roles starting salaries are expressed as total target compensation (TTC = base + commission), and short-term incentives are in the form of sales commission plans. Non-sales roles starting salaries are expressed as base salary and short-term incentives are in the form of the Annual Incentive Plan (AIP).

In addition, certain roles may be eligible for long-term incentives in the form of a new hire equity award.

State-Specific Notices:

California:

Fair Chance Ordinances

Adobe will consider qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records for employment in accordance with state and local laws and "fair chance" ordinances.

Colorado:

Application Window Notice

If this role is open to hiring in Colorado (as listed on the job posting), the application window will remain open until at least the date and time stated above in Pacific Time, in compliance with Colorado pay transparency regulations. If this role does not have Colorado listed as a hiring location, no specific application window applies, and the posting may close at any time based on hiring needs.

Massachusetts:

Massachusetts Legal Notice

It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.


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About Adobe

Sourced by ZipRecruiter

Adobe for All is our vision to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) across our company and in our communities. We’re focused on creating a more diverse and inclusive workforce; unleashing the full potential of every employee; and driving meaningful impact for Adobe, our industry, and society at large. Creativity has the power to unite us and inspire us to change the world. Through a vision we call Creativity for All, we’re empowering millions of people of all ages and backgrounds to express themselves, reach their full potential, and share their diverse perspectives with the world. We’re committed to advancing the responsible use of technology and driving a positive environmental impact through sustainability and climate action. Our innovations are making a significant impact across AI ethics, security, privacy, trust and safety, accessibility, and sustainability.

Industry

Computer and computer peripheral equipment and software wholesalers

Company size

10,000+ Employees

Headquarters location

San Jose, CA, US

Year founded

1982