Senior Machine Learning Engineer, Animation

Our client is an innovative AI avatar technology company powering the visual and embodiment layer for AI personas. Their proprietary framework brings AI to life as fully realized digital identities that look, think, and behave like living entities across enterprise, gaming, and entertainment ecosystems. Backed by $200M from top-tier investors, they are built on the belief that every website, app, game, and human will soon have an AI persona. We are seeking a Senior Machine Learning Engineer to join their Avatar Technology team. In this role, you will bridge the gap between machine learning and real-time animation pipelines, taking generative models from prototype to high-quality production environments. What You'll Do Production ML Integration: Integrate machine learning models into real-time animation systems across mobile and web environments. Motion Generation: Develop systems that translate inputs like audio, text, and intent into responsive avatar motion, specifically adapting generative models (diffusion, transformers) for facial animation and gesture generation. Data & Tooling Pipelines: Build motion data processing pipelines (mocap, facial capture) and develop DCC tool integrations (Maya, Blender) to empower Technical Artists. Optimization & Collaboration: Partner with Behavior and LLM teams to link predictive motion to character logic , while optimizing performance across CPU, GPU, and memory constraints. What You Should Have 7+ years of experience in machine learning, animation systems, or related technical roles within games, VFX, or interactive media. Strong programming skills in Python , along with C++ and/or C# . Production experience with ML frameworks like PyTorch or TensorFlow , and a proven track record of shipping ML systems. Practical exposure to skeletal animation, rigging, or simulation pipelines . Experience integrating systems into real-time engines such as Unity, Unreal , or web-based runtimes. Deep understanding of performance constraints including latency, memory, and scalability. Benefits & Structure Work Structure: Hybrid environment (minimum 4 days weekly in-office); remote-eligible Compensation: Competitive salary, equity packages, and comprehensive health/wellness benefits. Perks: Unlimited PTO and parental leave. Harnham