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Senior 2D Character Animator Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Naughty Dog

Senior Technical Gameplay Animator

Santa Monica, CA · On-site

$126K - $227K/yr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Retirement

  • PTO

Naughty Dog games have long been lauded for their evocative, character-driven stories and attention ... We are looking for an animator that is capable of being the bridge between art and technical teams ...

Mattel

Sr Manager, TV Animation

El Segundo, CA

$112K - $128K/yr

Mattel Studios is seeking a Sr. Manager, Adult & Four-Quad TV Animation to help drive the ... Strong understanding of storytelling fundamentals, including character development, structure ...

Mattel

Sr Manager, TV Animation

El Segundo, CA · On-site

$112K - $128K/yr

Mattel Studios is seeking a Sr. Manager, Adult & Four-Quad TV Animation to help drive the ... Strong understanding of storytelling fundamentals, including character development, structure ...

Mattel

Sr Manager, TV Animation

El Segundo, CA

$112K - $128K/yr

Mattel Studios is seeking a Sr. Manager, Adult & Four-Quad TV Animation to help drive the ... Strong understanding of storytelling fundamentals, including character development, structure ...

Mattel

Sr Manager, TV Animation

El Segundo, CA · On-site

$150 - $210/hr

Mattel Studios is seeking a Sr. Manager, Adult & Four-Quad TV Animation to help drive the ... Strong understanding of storytelling fundamentals, including character development, structure ...

Skydance

Character Designer

Santa Monica, CA · On-site

$2.9K - $4.0K/wk

Skydance Animation is seeking an experienced Character Designer to join our team on an upcoming ... Create clear and expressive character turnarounds, pose sheets, and supplementary drawings in 2D ...

Skydance

Character Designer

Santa Monica, CA

$2.9K - $4.0K/wk

Skydance Animation is seeking an experienced Character Designer to join our team on an upcoming ... Create clear and expressive character turnarounds, pose sheets, and supplementary drawings in 2D ...

Naughty Dog

Senior Character Artist

Santa Monica, CA

$135K - $142K/yr

The Character Art team is looking for a highly technical and artistic Senior Character Artist to ... Monitor the needs of rigging, animation, and design to ensure clear characters in game Maintain a ...

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How much do senior 2d character animator jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 16, 2026, the average yearly pay for senior 2d character animator in the United States is $112,707.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $106,000.00 and $121,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

How does a senior 2D character animator typically collaborate with other departments during a production?

Senior 2D Character Animators work closely with storyboard artists, directors, and designers to ensure character movements align with the creative vision and narrative. They often participate in team meetings to discuss animation timing, character consistency, and technical requirements with compositors and rigging teams. Effective communication and feedback exchange are essential, as animators frequently review work-in-progress scenes and make adjustments based on input from multiple departments. This collaborative workflow helps maintain high-quality animation and smooth project progression.

What does a senior 2D character animator do?

A Senior 2D Character Animator is responsible for creating high-quality animations of characters for films, TV shows, video games, or commercials. They use traditional or digital animation techniques to bring characters to life, focusing on movement, emotion, and personality. In addition to animating, they often mentor junior animators, collaborate with other artists and directors, and ensure the animation aligns with the project's vision and style. Their seniority means they are expected to lead by example and help solve complex animation challenges.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a senior 2D character animator, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Senior 2D Character Animator, you need expert-level drawing skills, a deep understanding of animation principles, and experience with character design, typically backed by a degree in animation or a related field. Mastery of industry-standard software such as Adobe Animate, Toon Boom Harmony, and experience with digital asset management systems are essential. Creative problem-solving, strong communication, and the ability to give and receive constructive feedback help animators excel in collaborative environments. These skills ensure the creation of compelling, high-quality animations that meet artistic vision and production deadlines.

What cities are hiring for Senior 2D Character Animator jobs?

Cities with the most Senior 2D Character Animator job openings:

What are the most commonly searched types of 2D Character Animator jobs?

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Senior 2D Character Animator jobs near you

Senior Animator, Unannounced Super Fun Video Game (Contract)

Second Dinner Studios, Inc

Remote

$60 - $70/hr

Full-time

Re-posted 20 days ago

Job description

Our Team
We're building a PvE co-op action game with a small, highly autonomous team.
Each discipline is represented by a single owner. There is no large animation department, dedicated technical animation team, or production layer separating disciplines. The people who thrive here are comfortable making decisions, solving problems independently, and moving work forward without extensive process or oversight.
We care more about demonstrated capability than years of experience, previous titles, or studio pedigree. Show us great animation work, shipped games, side projects, game jam projects, mods, tools you've built, pipelines you've improved, or anything else that demonstrates your ability to create and ship great experiences.
Your Role
Animation is the primary focus of this role.
We're looking for someone who can create both expressive character performances and exceptional gameplay animation. Our characters need to feel compelling when viewed up close through facial expressions, acting, personality, and charm, while also feeling responsive, readable, and satisfying during gameplay.
You'll own animation from rigging and implementation through final polish. Most of your time will be spent creating animation, but because of our team's size, you'll also be expected to identify technical challenges, improve workflows, and occasionally step outside traditional discipline boundaries when it helps the project move forward.
This is a fully remote role. Much of the team's coordination happens asynchronously, so success requires clear written communication, proactive updates, and the ability to make progress without waiting for meetings or direction.
The strongest candidates tend to be builders. They make games outside of work, participate in game jams, create mods, experiment with new tools, or otherwise demonstrate a habit of learning and creating beyond their day job.
What You'll Do
  • Create high-quality character, gameplay, and combat animation.
  • Bring personality, appeal, emotion, and charm to characters through performance and facial animation.
  • Create responsive, readable, and satisfying gameplay animation that supports combat and player feedback.
  • Rig, skin, and prepare assets for animation.
  • Implement, iterate on, and polish animation directly in Unreal Engine.
  • Work closely with Design and Engineering to improve gameplay feel, responsiveness, readability, and player experience.
  • Coordinate with Character Art, Environment Art, and VFX to ensure assets integrate smoothly into the game.
  • Identify bottlenecks and improve workflows through tooling, automation, technical solutions, or process improvements.
  • Evaluate and leverage AI-assisted workflows when they meaningfully improve iteration speed, content creation, or production efficiency.
  • Occasionally collaborate with external art partners to review deliverables, communicate feedback, and maintain quality standards.
  • Own animation as a discipline from concept through final implementation.

What You'll Need
  • A portfolio demonstrating exceptional animation work.
  • Demonstrated strength in both character performance animation and gameplay animation.
  • Strong understanding of character acting, facial expression, appeal, timing, and physicality.
  • Strong understanding of gameplay readability, responsiveness, combat feel, and player feedback.
  • Strong rigging skills.
  • Experience implementing animation content in Unreal Engine.
  • Comfort working directly in-engine to solve problems and iterate on content.
  • The ability to independently own a discipline and make forward progress with minimal oversight.
  • Strong written communication skills and comfort working in a fully remote, asynchronous
  • environment.
  • The ability to discuss technical and creative tradeoffs with designers, engineers, artists, and external partners.
  • Comfort learning unfamiliar tools, workflows, or disciplines when doing so benefits the project.
  • Comfort using AI-assisted tools as part of a modern game development workflow.

Nice to Have, But Not Necessary
  • Experience as a Technical Animator, Tech Artist, Art Director, or other cross-disciplinary role.
  • Experience building tools, pipelines, procedural systems, or workflow automation.
  • Experience managing external vendors or outsourcing relationships.
  • Experience shipping an indie game, game jam project, mod, or significant personal project.
  • Experience working on small teams where individuals routinely contribute outside their primary discipline.
  • Experience with cooperative action games, boss-focused encounters, or other highly replayable multiplayer experiences.
  • Affinity for complex competitive games such as League of Legends, Teamfight Tactics, or similar titles.
  • Experience with endgame MMO content such as raiding in World of Warcraft, Final Fantasy XIV, or similar games.
  • Familiarity with anime-inspired visual styles, character archetypes, and modern anime storytelling conventions.

This position pays a range of $60 - 70 per hour (USD).
Individual pay within this range may span multiple levels within the discipline and is determined by assessed job-related skills, experience, relevant education, or training. It also factors in market demands and business needs. The disclosed range is not adjusted based on location and may be subject to change or modification based on business needs in the future. This role is contracted through a third-party that provides health benefits, etc., which your recruiter can discuss more during the hiring process.
We are an equal opportunity employer that places high value on diversity and inclusion. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, age, disability status, sex (including pregnancy), gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, military status, or veteran status.
You must be legally authorized to work and reside in the United States. We do not sponsor visas or support employment outside the U.S. for this role.

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