Technical Animator

Skild AI; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 100,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

An innovative firm is seeking a Technical Animator to enhance robotic simulations through high-fidelity motion systems. This role involves working closely with various teams to develop realistic animations for both human and robot avatars, directly supporting model training for large-scale neural networks. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in technical animation, game development, or VFX, along with proficiency in scripting and real-time engines. Join a passionate team dedicated to pioneering advancements in robotic intelligence and contribute to exciting projects that push the boundaries of technology.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of experience in technical animation or related fields.
• Proficiency in scripting and building motion capture systems.

Responsibilities

• Build high-quality motion capture systems for robotic simulations.
• Collaborate with teams to synthesize realistic robot motions.

Skills

Technical Animation

Game Development

VFX

Simulation

Rigging

Character Animation

Physics-based Motion Systems

Scripting (Python, MEL)

Animation Optimization

Collaboration

Tools

Unreal Engine

Unity

Job description

At Skild AI, we are building the world's first general purpose robotic intelligence that is robust and adapts to unseen scenarios without failing. We believe massive scale through data-driven machine learning is the key to unlocking these capabilities for the widespread deployment of robots within society. Our team consists of individuals with varying levels of experience and backgrounds, from new graduates to domain experts. Relevant industry experience is important, but ultimately less so than your demonstrated abilities and attitude. We are looking for passionate individuals who are eager to explore uncharted waters and contribute to our innovative projects.

Position Overview

We’re looking for a Technical Animator to help bring our robotic simulations to life. In this role, you'll work closely with the simulation, perception, and autonomy teams to develop high-fidelity motion systems and animations for human and robot avatars. Your work will directly support model training and evaluation, helping us generate realistic motion data to train large-scale neural networks.

Responsibilities

• Build high-quality motion capture systems
• Collaborate with robotics teams to synthesize realistic robot motions
• Build pipelines for processing animation data

Preferred Qualifications

• 3+ years of industry experience in technical animation, game development, VFX, or simulation
• Competence in building accurate motion capture systems
• Strong foundation in rigging, character animation, and physics-based motion systems
• Proficiency in scripting (Python, MEL, or similar) and animation tooling
• Experience with real-time engines (e.g. Unreal, Unity) and animation optimization for performance
• Comfort working in a fast-paced, research-oriented environment where collaboration is key
• Familiarity with machine learning, simulation, or robotics pipelines
• Background working with humanoid or robotic characters in simulation

Base Salary Range: $100,000 USD - $300,000 USD

Seniority Level

Mid-Senior level

Employment Type

Full-time

Job Function

Design, Art/Creative, and Information Technology

Industries

Technology, Information and Internet