Familiar Machines & Magic
Principal Animator
Los Angeles +1 · On-site · Principal · Full-time · Posted Oct 1, 2026
- Location
- Los Angeles
Boston Metro Area (Woburn, MA) - Experience
- 10+ years of experience bringing characters to life through motion.
- Education
- Minimum of a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Animation or similar.
About the job
Creates and refines character animation, movement, behavior, and sound for embodied AI companions, adapting artistic intent to robotic hardware constraints.
What you'll do
- Develop clear, consistent animations for varied contexts, emotional states, and goals within hardware limitations.
- Collaborate on animation tools and workflows, critique control-policy output, and advise on hardware decisions.
- Work with experience designers to build emotional connection and create visual assets that communicate animation decisions.
What they ask for
- Proficiency with industry-standard animation tools like Maya and Blender.
- Ability to direct rendering of multi-material deformable surfaces, including textiles and rubber.
- Experience with real-world system limitations such as torque and collisions.
- Demonstrated aesthetic sensibilities for appeal and agency in non-humanoid forms.
Pay
$165 – $190 (currency and whether base salary or total pay are not stated)
Tools
Maya, Blender
AI focus
The role involves animating embodied AI companions and welcomes openness to AI-powered workflows; no specific AI development duties are stated.
Model-written summary · the original posting is authoritative