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Senior Animator Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Bonfire Studios

Gameplay Animator (Senior/Principal)

Irvine, CA · On-site +1

$113K - $129K/yr

We're looking for a Senior/Principal Animator who understands that every frame communicates something: timing, weight, threat, opportunity. You'll help define the animation language of a competitive ...

PlayStation Global

OR

$105K - $120K/yr

Develop high-quality cinematic animation content using both motion capture and hand-key techniques, ensuring alignment with schedule and performance benchmarks. * Collaborate closely with Animation ...

Insomniac Games

OR

$105K - $120K/yr

Develop high-quality cinematic animation content using both motion capture and hand-key techniques, ensuring alignment with schedule and performance benchmarks. * Collaborate closely with Animation ...

Ten4

Senior Gaming Animator

Redwood City, CA

$129K - $148K/yr

Drive animation performance without pushing out of a believable and realistic style; your hand-keyed work will fit seamlessly with motion capture * Join forces with designers and engineers to create ...

Insomniac Games

Senior Cinematic Animator

$76.92 - $86.06/hr

Develop high-quality cinematic animation content using both motion capture and hand-key techniques, ensuring alignment with schedule and performance benchmarks. * Collaborate closely with Animation ...

Ten4

Senior Gaming Animator

Redwood City, CA · On-site

$129K - $148K/yr

Drive animation performance without pushing out of a believable and realistic style; your hand-keyed work will fit seamlessly with motion capture * Join forces with designers and engineers to create ...

PlayStation Global

Senior Cinematic Animator

$76.92 - $86.06/hr

Collaborate closely with Animation Directors and Lead Animators to design cinematics that reflect the game's vision and adhere to its unique cinematography style. * Contribute to setting and ...

2K

Senior Technical Animation Designer

San Mateo, CA

$108K - $161K/yr

We are looking for a Senior Technical Animation Designer to be responsible for designing, creating, and maintaining animation systems that drive the gameplay motion of our characters. This will ...

2K

Senior Technical Animation Designer

San Mateo, CA · On-site

$108K - $161K/yr

We are looking for a Senior Technical Animation Designer to be responsible for designing, creating, and maintaining animation systems that drive the gameplay motion of our characters. This will ...

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Senior Animator information

See salary details

$77K

$112.7K

$122K

How much do senior animator jobs pay per year?

As of Jun 28, 2026, the average yearly pay for senior 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.

What is a Senior Animator job?

A Senior Animator is a highly skilled professional responsible for creating high-quality animations for films, video games, advertisements, or other media. They lead animation projects, collaborate with designers and directors, and ensure character movements and visual effects align with the creative vision. Senior Animators also mentor junior team members, refine animation workflows, and help maintain consistency in style and quality. Strong artistic ability, technical proficiency in animation software, and experience in storytelling are essential for this role.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive in the Senior Animator position, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Senior Animator, you need advanced animation and storytelling skills, a strong portfolio, and typically a degree in animation, fine arts, or a related field. Proficiency in industry-standard software such as Autodesk Maya, Adobe After Effects, and Toon Boom Harmony is essential, along with knowledge of the latest animation techniques and pipelines. Leadership, communication, and mentorship abilities help you collaborate effectively and guide junior animators. These skills ensure high-quality animation production, foster team growth, and support the creative vision of complex projects.

What are the common responsibilities of a Senior Animator on a production team?

As a Senior Animator, you are responsible for creating high-quality animation sequences, collaborating closely with directors and other departments to achieve the project's visual style. You will review and provide feedback on the work of junior animators, help troubleshoot animation challenges, and participate in planning meetings. Daily tasks often include refining complex shots, ensuring animation consistency, and integrating feedback from supervisors. These responsibilities allow you to have a direct impact on the final product and support the overall creative direction of the team.

More about Senior Animator jobs
What cities are hiring for Senior Animator jobs? Cities with the most Senior Animator job openings:
What are the most commonly searched types of Animator jobs? The most popular types of Animator jobs are:
Who are the top companies hiring for Senior Animator jobs? The top employers for Senior Animator jobs are:
What states have the most Senior Animator jobs? States with the most job openings for Senior Animator jobs include:
What job categories do people searching Senior Animator jobs look for? The top searched job categories for Senior Animator jobs are:
Senior Animator jobs near you
Infographic showing various Senior Animator job openings in the United States as of June 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% Internship, 4% As Needed, 87% Part Time, 7% Temporary, and 1% Nights. Highlights an 87% Physical, 4% Hybrid, and 9% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $112,707 per year, or $54.2 per hour.
Gameplay Animator (Senior/Principal)

Gameplay Animator (Senior/Principal)

Bonfire Studios

Irvine, CA • On-site, Remote

$113K - $129K/yr

Full-time

Posted 14 days ago

Job description

What's the one game you couldn't put down? The game that connected you with friends, and made you feel like you belonged? If a game has ever defined a chapter of your life, then you already know the spark we're chasing. Our mission is to ignite that same feeling for players; the thrill of competition, the joy of community, and the belonging of finding your own corner of a larger world.
Great games begin with people who dare to dream big. If that sounds exciting, you might be exactly who we're looking for.
Bonfire is a group of experienced and ambitious developers, proud to be creating our first original IP: Arkheron. It is a fast-paced, competitive PVP game set in a surreal dark fantasy world where 15 teams of three battle their way up the Tower. In a world built from memories, you will loot powerful items to create and adapt a unique build-out that will change your strategy and combat experience with every Ascension.
The best way to understand our Art team is in their own words - here's how they describe their work.
Our goal is to immerse players in an extraordinary and haunting realm. From initial concept art to final in-game elements, we are crafting a compelling aesthetic experience that seamlessly blends with and brings to life the game's narrative, level design, combat and audio. We play the game daily and our deep understanding of it allows us to deliver visuals that put the player experience first, while still pushing artistic boundaries to fully capture the unique tone and unforgettable atmosphere of the Arkheron's world.
We're looking for a Senior/Principal Animator who understands that every frame communicates something: timing, weight, threat, opportunity. You'll help define the animation language of a competitive experience, shaping clarity and responsiveness from the earliest stages of development. On a small team, your work will directly influence the feel of every ability, encounter, and moment of impact. If you care about animation as gameplay (and want real ownership over the result) we'd love to see your reel.
YOU'LL CONTRIBUTE BY:
  • Creating high-quality, in-game character animations that bring combat, movement, and moment-to-moment gameplay to life.
  • Collaborating closely with designers, engineers, and tech artists to develop combat that feels responsive, readable, and satisfying in a competitive multiplayer environment.
  • Partnering with animation, engineering, and tech art to help shape rigs, tools, and animation systems that improve workflows and elevate quality.
  • Owning animation features end-to-end, from early exploration and iteration through polish and final implementation.
  • Aligning with the animation team on style, quality bar, and execution, while contributing your own ideas, taste, and problem-solving.
  • Participating actively in playtests, evaluating your work through the lens of the player experience and iterating based on feel, clarity, and gameplay impact.
  • Balancing animation fidelity with gameplay needs, making smart tradeoffs that serve performance, readability, and fun.
  • Wearing multiple hats in a small, focused team and using your experience to contribute beyond your core lane when it helps the game or studio.
  • Helping shape a new IP, contributing creatively and thoughtfully as the game, systems, and pipelines evolve.

WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT YOU BECAUSE YOU:
  • Have strong experience creating high-quality gameplay animation, ideally across multiple shipped titles.
  • Are genuinely excited by competitive multiplayer combat and understand how animation affects feel, fairness, and clarity.
  • Bring a deep understanding of combat systems and how animation drives responsiveness and player satisfaction.
  • Have experience working with or helping develop animation systems and tools, including in new or evolving engines.
  • Are comfortable owning work independently, seeing features through from concept to completion.
  • Are highly skilled at conveying character through gameplay animation, not just cinematics.
  • Push for animation excellence while prioritizing gameplay quality first.
  • Are self-motivated and good at identifying what matters most right now for the game.
  • Thrive in highly collaborative, cross-disciplinary teams and communicate clearly with partners in all disciplines.
  • Value trust, openness, and diverse perspectives, and enjoy learning from others.
  • Have a growth mindset and care about raising the quality bar for both yourself and the team.
  • Are passionate about the creative process and excited to help build something new together.

THIS MIGHT NOT BE THE ROLE FOR YOU IF:
  • You're primarily looking for a people-management or team-lead role rather than a hands-on IC position.
  • You prefer working in a highly siloed environment with minimal cross-disciplinary collaboration.
  • You're uncomfortable iterating based on playtests or adjusting work to serve gameplay needs.
  • You're looking for a role with narrowly defined responsibilities and little room to explore beyond your lane.
  • Competitive multiplayer games (and the tradeoffs they require) don't genuinely excite you.
  • You prefer fully established pipelines and systems over building and evolving things as you go.

YOU'LL LOVE WORKING AT BONFIRE BECAUSE WE:
  • Embrace bold challenges with creativity and courage, making the tough calls to build a game we're proud to play every day.
  • Keep fun at the core: we play Arkheron daily, staying grounded as players. If it's not more fun than yesterday, we fix it. We don't chase trends; we listen by playing.
  • Stay truly independent, with decisions driven by the team - not by investors or a board.
  • Thrive in a culture of passion, trust, and shared ownership; where transparency matters and egos don't.

The base salary range for this role is $196,500 - $247,133. Depending on your experience and level (whether you're closer to mid-level or principal), your offer may land above or below that range. We don't just look at years on a résumé - we think about the impact you can have on the team and the game. Of course, compensation at Bonfire goes beyond salary. Every new teammate receives equity, plus a full benefits package and some extra perks to make work (and life) better. When we connect, we'll happily walk you through the full details.
Want to get a feel for what it's like to work here? You can check out more about our culture, team, benefits, and perks at www.bonfirestudios.com. And don't worry - anything you share with us in the application process is just for recruiting and won't be shared. You can read more in our privacy policy.

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