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Senior Animation Director Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Epic Games

Cinematics Animation Director

Cary, NC · On-site

Experience in a lead or senior role, managing animators and owning animation quality for both ... Experience directing and working with motion capture. * A technical mindset - someone who enjoys ...

CD PROJEKT RED

Senior Animation Programmer

Boston, MA · On-site +1

$118.80K - $217.80K/yr

Explore our social media and check out our YouTube channel where we share behind-the-scenes insights and stories direct from our team members! CD PROJEKT RED is looking for a Senior Animation ...

CD PROJEKT RED

Senior Animation Programmer

Boston, MA · On-site +1

Explore our social media and check out our YouTube channel where we share behind-the-scenes insights and stories direct from our team members! CD PROJEKT RED is looking for a Senior Animation ...

CD PROJEKT RED

Senior Animation Programmer

Boston, MA · On-site +1

$118.80K - $217.80K/yr

Explore our social media and check out our YouTube channel where we share behind-the-scenes insights and stories direct from our team members! CD PROJEKT RED is looking for a Senior Animation ...

Velan Studios

Gameplay Animator (Senior+/Lead)

Troy, NY · On-site

$110K - $150K/yr

Take ownership of the full gameplay animation process, from rough prototypes to polished game ... Proactive and self-directed, with a good sense of when to explore and when to get things done.

loyalkaspar

Senior Designer / Animator

New York, NY · On-site

$116K - $132.40K/yr

The Senior Designer / Animator will collaborate with fellow Creatives, Art Directors, and Producers to deliver professional, pixel-perfect final deliverables for projects ranging from small show ...

loyalkaspar

Senior Designer / Animator

New York, NY

$116K - $132.40K/yr

The Senior Designer / Animator will collaborate with fellow Creatives, Art Directors, and Producers to deliver professional, pixel-perfect final deliverables for projects ranging from small show ...

Velan Studios

Gameplay Animator (Senior+/Lead)

Troy, NY · On-site

$110K - $150K/yr

Take ownership of the full gameplay animation process, from rough prototypes to polished game ... Proactive and self-directed, with a good sense of when to explore and when to get things done.

CD PROJEKT RED

Senior Gameplay Animator (Locomotion)

Boston, MA · On-site

$115.20K - $131.50K/yr

... direct from our team members! CD PROJEKT RED is looking for a Senior Gameplay Animator with a focus ... Partner with the Animation Lead and key stakeholders to align animation quality, style, and ...

CD PROJEKT RED

Senior Gameplay Animator (Locomotion)

Boston, MA · On-site +1

$115.20K - $131.50K/yr

... direct from our team members! CD PROJEKT RED is looking for a Senior Gameplay Animator with a focus ... Partner with the Animation Lead and key stakeholders to align animation quality, style, and ...

Ten4

Senior Gaming Animator

Redwood City, CA

$129.80K - $148.10K/yr

Self-directed and independent worker Major Plus: * Excellent hand-keyed facial animation * Motionbuilder and Unreal Engine experience * First-person animations experience * strong design eye * Strong ...

Epic Games

Senior Technical Animator

Cary, NC · On-site

$98.20K - $112.10K/yr

What You'll Do Epic Games is searching for a Senior Technical Animator with a passion for ... Direct Technical Animation work for Cinematic trailers, including outsourced and internal trailers

AirSculpt

Senior Video Editor and Animator

Dallas, TX

$90/hr

Strong animation experience is essential, with the ability to bring static creative to life and ... Collaborate closely with Social Media and Content Director and Art Director to ensure cohesive ...

Ten4

Senior Gaming Animator

Redwood City, CA · On-site

$129.80K - $148.10K/yr

Self-directed and independent worker Major Plus: * Excellent hand-keyed facial animation * Motionbuilder and Unreal Engine experience * First-person animations experience * strong design eye * Strong ...

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Senior Animation Director information

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$77K

$112.7K

$122K

How much do senior animation director jobs pay per year?

As of May 29, 2026, the average yearly pay for senior animation director 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.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Senior Animation Director, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Senior Animation Director, you need advanced expertise in animation principles, storytelling, and visual design, often backed by a degree in animation or a related field and significant industry experience. Mastery of animation software like Maya, Toon Boom, or Adobe After Effects, along with experience managing production pipelines, is typically required. Exceptional leadership, creative vision, and communication skills help you inspire teams and effectively convey concepts to stakeholders. These skills ensure cohesive, high-quality animation projects that align with creative goals and production timelines.

What are some common challenges faced by a Senior Animation Director when leading a large animation team?

As a Senior Animation Director, one common challenge is balancing creative vision with production constraints such as deadlines and budgets. Overseeing a large team requires strong communication skills to ensure that animators, storyboard artists, and other departments are aligned and motivated. Managing feedback from multiple stakeholders while maintaining a coherent artistic direction can also be demanding. Additionally, Senior Animation Directors often mentor junior staff, which means investing time in training and fostering a collaborative, productive work environment.

What does a Senior Animation Director do?

A Senior Animation Director oversees the creative and technical aspects of animation projects, guiding teams of animators, storyboard artists, and other professionals to ensure the final product meets the desired artistic vision and quality standards. They are responsible for setting the animation style, reviewing work for consistency, and collaborating closely with producers, writers, and other department heads. Their role also involves managing schedules, budgets, and mentoring junior staff to ensure efficient workflow and professional development within the animation team.

What is the difference between Senior Animation Director vs Animation Supervisor?

AspectSenior Animation DirectorAnimation Supervisor
ResponsibilitiesOversees overall animation vision, leads creative teams, and ensures project qualityManages day-to-day animation production, coordinates team tasks, and maintains schedules
CredentialsExtensive animation experience, leadership skills, strong portfolioProven animation skills, team management experience, technical knowledge
Work EnvironmentCreative leadership in studios or production companiesSupervisory role within animation teams, often on-site or remote

While both roles require strong animation skills and leadership, the Senior Animation Director focuses on the creative vision and overall project direction, whereas the Animation Supervisor handles daily team management and production workflows. The Senior Animation Director typically has more strategic responsibilities, guiding the artistic style and quality, while the Animation Supervisor ensures timely delivery of animation tasks.

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What cities are hiring for Senior Animation Director jobs? Cities with the most Senior Animation Director job openings:
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What job categories do people searching Senior Animation Director jobs look for? The top searched job categories for Senior Animation Director jobs are:
Senior Animation Director jobs near you
Infographic showing various Senior Animation Director job openings in the United States as of May 2026, with employment types broken down into 95% Full Time, and 5% Temporary. Highlights an 70% In-person, 15% Hybrid, and 15% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $112,707 per year, or $54.2 per hour.
Cinematics Animation Director

Cinematics Animation Director

Epic Games

Cary, NC • On-site

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement, PTO

Posted 15 days ago

Job description

WHAT MAKES US EPIC?
At the core of Epic's success are talented, passionate people. Epic prides itself on creating a collaborative, welcoming, and creative environment. Whether it's building award-winning games or crafting engine technology that enables others to make visually stunning interactive experiences, we're always innovating.
Being Epic means being a part of a team that continually strives to do right by our community and users. We're constantly innovating to raise the bar of engine and game development.
CINEMATICS
What We Do
In the Cinematics Team, we are pushing the boundaries of what is possible in realtime. We are in the early stages of this growth in realtime quality work and we are growing quickly and implementing various techniques and ideas to improve what can be done in Unreal Engine. Our team is one of the few at the forefront of delivering innovation, through cinematic quality visuals.
What You'll Do
Epic Games is searching for a Cinematic Animation Director to join our cinematic team working on projects, including Fortnite and other IP. You'll create original animation with a strong emphasis on style and appeal, grounded in realistic world physics - and you'll help shape how we make that animation, not just what it looks like. This role requires a deep understanding of animation fundamentals and how they translate to game animation, combined with genuine curiosity about emerging tools and workflows. You'll take animation from initial concept through implementation using our animation system in Unreal Engine 5, while actively exploring new approaches - from AI-assisted motion generation and video-to-animation pipelines (Meshcapade, video2fbx, etc.) to whatever comes next.
In this role, you will
  • Lead and mentor a small team of experienced internal cinematic animators.
  • Own the animation direction and quality control for all cinematic animation outsourcing efforts.
  • Create character-specific animations based on narrative collaborations with cinematic directors, using Unreal Engine's Sequencer and Control Rig toolset.
  • Drive collaboration across disciplines - including Production, Technical Animation, and Design - to help define the style and feel of Epic's cinematic animation.
  • Collaborate with other discipline leads (environment, lighting, fx, game dev, etc) in a dailies-style critique environment, find optimal solutions, and address issues as they arise.
  • Direct and work with motion capture data as a core part of the layout process.
  • Refine animations as needed to achieve the highest quality within project timelines. Research, evaluate, and prototype emerging animation workflows and tools, helping the team stay ahead of the curve on production innovation.
What we're looking for
  • A strong animation reel demonstrating expertise in keyframed character and creature animation.
  • Experience in a lead or senior role, managing animators and owning animation quality for both internal and outsourced teams.
  • Relevant experience in cinematic animation.
  • Strong instincts for both realistic and stylized motion.
  • Strong story and problem solving skills when adjustments are needed.
  • Ability and affinity for brainstorming and collaborating with a small team to design short stories that align with the creative brief.
  • Familiarity with Unreal Engine and the Control Rig workflow.
  • Experience directing and working with motion capture.
  • A technical mindset - someone who enjoys digging into pipelines, scripting tools, and figuring out how to make workflows faster and better, not just animating within them.
  • Demonstrated interest in emerging animation technology: AI-driven motion synthesis, video-to-animation capture, procedural animation, or similar tools and techniques. Strong communication skills and the ability to thrive in a collaborative team environment. Ability to work independently and own a project from start to completion.

Nice to have
  • Experience animating hard-surface or vehicle animation.
  • Understanding of modeling, skinning, and rigging.
  • Hands-on experience with tools like Meshcapade, DeepMotion, Rokoko, or similar emerging motion capture and generation platforms.
  • Background in scripting or technical art (Python, MEL, Blueprints).

EPIC JOB + EPIC BENEFITS = EPIC LIFE
Our intent is to cover all things that are medically necessary and improve the quality of life. We pay 100% of the premiums for both you and your dependents. Our coverage includes Medical, Dental, a Vision HRA, Long Term Disability, Life Insurance & a 401k with competitive match. We also offer a robust mental well-being program through Modern Health, which provides free therapy and coaching for employees & dependents. Throughout the year we celebrate our employees with events and company-wide paid breaks. We offer unlimited PTO and sick time and recognize individuals for 7 years of employment with a paid sabbatical.
ABOUT US
Epic Games spans across 25 countries with 46 studios and 4,500+ employees globally. For over 25 years, we've been making award-winning games and engine technology that empowers others to make visually stunning games and 3D content that bring environments to life like never before. Epic's award-winning Unreal Engine technology not only provides game developers the ability to build high-fidelity, interactive experiences for PC, console, mobile, and VR, it is also a tool being embraced by content creators across a variety of industries such as media and entertainment, automotive, and architectural design. As we continue to build our Engine technology and develop remarkable games, we strive to build teams of world-class talent.
Like what you hear? Come be a part of something Epic!
Epic Games deeply values diverse teams and an inclusive work culture, and we are proud to be an Equal Opportunity employer. Learn more about our Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy here.
Note to Recruitment Agencies: Epic does not accept any unsolicited resumes or approaches from any unauthorized third party (including recruitment or placement agencies) (i.e., a third party with whom we do not have a negotiated and validly executed agreement). We will not pay any fees to any unauthorized third party. Further details on these matters can be found here.

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