Character Animator- Generative AI Experiences Software
Apple
Software Engineering, Data Science
Cupertino, CA, USA
USD 147,400-272,100 / year + Equity
Posted on Apr 4, 2026
At Apple, we strive to make great products that empower people and improve their lives. We are looking for a great Character Animator to join our diverse team of engineers, artists and designers and help us take our state of the art character animation systems to the next level. This position focuses on creating high-quality, stylized character animation with emphasis on creative expression, performance, and facial animation to push the limits of the next generation of interactive computing.
This role requires a deep understanding of animation artistry, technical proficiency in Maya, and the ability to work within real-time constraints while maintaining high creative standards.
- Create compelling character performances using creative and stylized animation techniques
- Develop expressive facial animation that conveys emotion and personality
- Collaborate with directors and technical teams on animation pipelines and workflows
- Explore emerging animation technologies and techniques
- Work with motion capture data to create polished, performance-driven animation
- Ensure animation quality meets real-time performance requirements
- Solid grasp on the traditional principles of animation
- Experience in expressive facial animation
- Expert level of knowledge of Autodesk Maya
- Understanding of technical constraints in real-time environments
- Great at providing and receiving feedback
- Ensure animations run efficiently across target platforms and use cases, both real time with frame rate budgets and non-real time
- USD format and workflow familiarity
- Experience with procedural animation techniques
- Motion capture cleanup and performance enhancement experience
- Experience with real-time game engines (Unity, Unreal, or proprietary engines)
- Experience with non-linear animation systems, animation statemachines and/or motion matching techniques.
- Skilled in modeling and rigging is a plus
Apple is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to inclusion and diversity. We seek to promote equal opportunity for all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, Veteran status, or other legally protected characteristics. Learn more about your EEO rights as an applicant.