Senior 2D Character Animator

Responsibilities

• Animate character states including idle, reactions, celebrations, and emotional responses for interactive learning experiences
• Collaborate with the Art Director and technical animator to ensure quality and consistency across the character system
• Work closely with engineering to ensure animations integrate cleanly into the live product
• Build scalable animation libraries and naming conventions that can be extended by others
• Use Rive to craft expressive, emotionally resonant, and delightful animations for children ages 4–8

Requirements

• Portfolio or reel demonstrating exceptional, expressive, and emotionally resonant character animation
• 3–5+ years of professional experience in character animation
• Production experience with real-time, state-machine-driven animation tools (Rive preferred; Spine, Unity Animator, or similar)
• Ability to work in a US-compatible timezone
• Ability to travel to San Francisco occasionally

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with state machine architecture, including designing states, transitions, and trigger logic
• Technical depth in rigging, including building skeletal structures and deformation setups
• Experience owning the handoff between animation and engineering for live products
• Background in children's products, interactive games, or edtech
• Experience at animation-forward companies or gaming studios

Benefits

• Opportunity to animate characters loved by hundreds of thousands of children
• Work at the cutting edge of AI, animation, and education
• High level of ownership and the ability to ship work directly to users weekly
• Collaboration with a world-class design and engineering team

About the Company

Ello is a public benefit corporation on a mission to maximize the potential of every child. We are building the world's first AI teacher—a real-time learning platform that listens, speaks, and adapts to provide personalized, interactive education for children worldwide. Headquartered in San Francisco, our mission-driven team is revolutionizing how children learn through the power of generative AI.