Senior Technical Animator at Disney Experiences
Job Description
About the Role & Team
Disney Digital Entertainment, a division of Disney Experiences, is embarking on a mission to create the 'digital front door' for The Walt Disney Company, bringing all of the magic of Disney together into a new interactive universe!
We are building an expert development team that will be building a groundbreaking game experience that will herald the next generation of Disney to the world.
Working with top-class industry talent, this role is perfect for the seasoned Senior Technical Animator looking to create something epic - collaborating with an incredible group of game developers focusing on individual experiences to build a wonderfully rich and cohesive product that is truly "Disney".
We are looking for a uniquely talented Senior Technical Animator with a focus on character rigging to join us on a daring and exciting new project. Are you an experienced game developer with superb animation and tech art skills, and have a love of Disney/Pixar, Star Wars and Marvel properties? If so, you'll want to check out this opportunity!
This is a remote opportunity and will report to our Sr. Manager, Lead Character Animator
What You Will Do:- Work with the lead animator to define, create and maintain the animation pipeline and toolsets from Maya/Motionbuilder to multiple UE5 (Unreal Engine 5) and UEFN (Unreal Editor Fortnite) game projects.
- Partner with artists and designers to help create characters, creatures and props that meet technical and animation requirements.
- Assist in the implementation of animations in UE5 and UEFN, including assistance with Blueprints, animation trees, troubleshooting and data organization.
- Create and maintain process and toolset documentation, guides and tutorials for internal and external asset development.
- Champion and evangelize best practices for rigging, skinning, animation, etc.
- Serve as a key member of a growing game development team at Disney, helping to bring our worlds and characters to life.
- 5 years of PC and console game development experience, including holding a position of Technical Animator, Tech Artist or Animator for 3 years.
- Expert knowledge of current AAA animation pipelines, tools and best practices in Maya and UE5/UEFN.
- Experience developing and maintaining modular rigging systems and pipelines in Maya a plus (e.g. Morpheus Rigging System, mGear, etc).
- Strong scripting experience (e.g. Python, etc.) and deep technical understanding of how games work.
- Excellent eye for animation, with deep knowledge of figure and facial anatomy.
- Experience with motion capture workflows and pipelines.
- Strong creative and interpersonal skills, with a genuine passion for collaborative development and problem-solving.
- At least one shipped game or equivalent live service game launch experience.
- Familiarity with early game and/or R&D development.
- A Bachelor's degree in Art and/or Design or equivalent combination of education and experience.
- The application must include a portfolio that accurately represents your personal and team-based accomplishments. Please share or disable any passwords for efficient review of portfolios.
Our Benefits: Disney offers a rewards package to help you live your best life. This includes health and savings benefits, educational opportunities and special extras that only Disney can provide. Learn more about our benefits and perks at
LI-REQ
The hiring range for this remote position is $117,800 to $186,300 per year, which factors in various geographic regions. The base pay actually offered will take into account internal equity and also may vary depending on the candidate's geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors. A bonus and/or long-term incentive units may be provided as part of the compensation package, in addition to the full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the level and position offered.
Typical senior pay: $136k for Special Effects Artists and Animators nationally
Top performers earn significantly more—skill and negotiation matter.
Senior roles pay 86% more than entry—experience is well rewarded.
Strong candidate leverage
Strong hiring activity gives you options. Use competing offers strategically.
Why this market feels harder than it looks
This market is hiring aggressively, but most openings are backfilling churn, not expansion and many compete as freelancers. Employers are filling roles, but not bidding wages up.
Who this leverage applies to
Where to negotiate
Likely Possible Unlikely
Watch out for
Don't let hiring headlines mislead you—focus on concrete offers.
Does this path compound?
Limited new roles, but specialists earn significantly more.
Openings come from turnover, not new growth. Differentiate to advance.