Senior Character Animator

Cashback24x7; New York (NY, CA); Remote; USD 83,000 - 124,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Referral reward up to $2,000

Job summary

Mercor is seeking a Senior Character Animator to help define what a well-transferred performance should look like. You will assess timing, emotion, and micro-expressions across feature films, VFX and AAA games to guide how the model recreates authentic performances.

This part-time, remote W-2 role pays $60–$90 per hour. You’ll review outputs, build benchmarks, and calibrate a team of reviewers. Payments are weekly via Stripe or Wise. Occasional in-person sessions may be required.

Qualifications

• 10+ years as a hands-on character animator focused on human and character acting at senior/lead/principal level.
• Animator credits on feature films, VFX features or AAA game cinematics at recognized studios.
• A sharp eye for micro expressions, lip sync, weight and timing, and small acting choices.

Responsibilities

• Set the quality bar: Define clear standards for when a performance has been carried over well, on body mechanics, facial nuance, timing and emotional intent.
• Critique model outputs: Review generated performances shot by shot and write precise, actionable notes.
• Build benchmarks: Choose reference performances from easy to hard to test the model.
• Shape the reviewer pool: Define profile, rubric and calibration for human reviewers.
• Collaborate with other experts to maintain consistency and accuracy.

Skills

Character animation

Senior/Lead/Principal

Lip sync

Real-time engines

Generative tools

Tools

Sora

Veo

Midjourney

Runway

Kling

Job description

Senior Character Animator
Company: Mercor
Compensation: $60-$90 per hour
Commitment: Hourly contract
Location: California or New York
Referral Reward: Earn up to $2,000 per successful referral.

Overview

A leading AI lab is building a performance transfer model: one that takes an actor's original performance and carries it faithfully into a new output, keeping the timing, the emotion and the small physical choices that make it feel real. We're looking for senior character animators who have spent their careers bringing acting to life on feature films, VFX and games, to help define what a well transferred performance looks like and judge where the model gets it right or wrong. This is a part-time W-2 employment position with Cincinnatus LLC, with the opportunity to be placed at a leading AI Lab as part of their extended workforce.

Key Responsibilities

• Set the quality bar: Define clear standards for when a performance has been carried over well, in body mechanics, facial nuance, timing and emotional intent, and point out where current evaluations fall short.
• Critique model outputs: Review generated performances shot by shot, the way you would in dailies, and write precise, actionable notes.
• Build benchmarks: Choose reference performances that range from easy to genuinely hard to capture, so the model is tested on what matters.
• Shape the reviewer pool: Help define the profile, rubric and calibration for the human reviewers who score outputs at scale.
• Collaborate with other experts to keep evaluations consistent and accurate.

Core Qualifications

• 10+ years as a hands-on character animator focused on human and character acting, at Senior, Lead or Principal level.
• Animator credits on several feature films, VFX features or AAA game cinematics at recognized studios (e.g., Sony Pictures Imageworks, ILM, Animal Logic, Laika, Pixar, Disney, DreamWorks, Framestore, MPC, DNEG, Weta FX).
• A sharp eye for micro expressions, lip sync, weight and timing, and the small acting choices that make a performance feel authentic.
• Strongly preferred: facial animation experience, and recent work in real-time engines (Unreal or Unity), VR/XR, or performance capture pipelines.
• Hands-on use of generative image and video tools (e.g., Sora, Veo, Midjourney, Runway, Kling) to create your own samples for testing and comparison.
• Able to work on-site in Playa Vista (Los Angeles), CA or New York, NY for in-person working sessions once or twice a month.
• Strong written communication and the ability to turn visual detail into clear, precise language for evaluation templates.

About Cincinnatus LLC

Cincinnatus LLC is an enterprise staffing company that partners with leading technology companies to source and employ highly skilled professionals for contingent and contract-based opportunities. Cincinnatus serves as the employer of record for these engagements, providing W-2 employment, payroll, benefits, and compliance, while placing employees directly within client teams to work on high-impact initiatives.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Cincinnatus is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, reproductive health decisions, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, genetic information, political views or activity, or any other legally protected characteristic. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to legally protected characteristics and provide reasonable accommodations upon request.

Contract and Payment Terms

You will be engaged as an independent contractor. This is a fully remote role that can be completed on your own schedule. Projects can be extended, shortened, or concluded early depending on needs and performance. Your work at Mercor will not involve access to confidential or proprietary information from any employer, client, or institution. Payments are weekly on Stripe or Wise based on services rendered. Please note: We are unable to support H1-B or STEM OPT candidates at this time.

About Mercor

Mercor partners with leading AI labs and enterprises to train frontier models using human expertise. You will work on projects that focus on training and enhancing AI systems. You will be paid competitively, collaborate with leading researchers, and help shape the next generation of AI systems in your area of expertise.