Avatar Development Lead
De Art · Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Apply & track with Apply EdgeThe successful candidate will oversee the complete avatar development process, from character concept and visual identity through 3D production, rigging, facial systems, animation, real-time integration, and performance optimization.This is a hands-on leadership role working closely with character designers, 3D artists, animators, technical artists, AI specialists, developers, writers, and performance teams to create believable, expressive, technically robust, and scalable avatars for interactive and AI-driven experiences.ResponsibilitiesLead the end-to-end development of avatars for AI characters, digital humans, virtual humans, and interactive virtual identities.Translate character concepts, narratives, personalities, roles, and user experience requirements into complete avatar development plans.Define avatar development standards covering visual identity, anatomy, proportions, facial structure, body design, clothing, hair, materials, expressions, and overall character consistency.Oversee 3D character production including modeling, sculpting, retopology, UVs, texturing, materials, shading, grooming, clothing, and asset preparation.Lead the development and refinement of realistic and stylized human avatars according to project requirements.Coordinate facial systems including facial topology, blendshapes, facial rigs, expressions, eye systems, lip synchronization, and emotional performance.Oversee body rigging, deformation systems, body animation, gesture systems, posture, locomotion, and other movement-related components.Coordinate integration of motion capture, facial capture, performance capture, voice, and other performance data into avatar systems.Work closely with animation and technical teams to ensure natural movement, facial expression, timing, and character performance.Lead avatar integration into real-time environments using platforms such as Unreal Engine, Unity, MetaHuman, or comparable technologies.Collaborate with AI and software teams to connect avatar appearance and performance with conversational AI, personality systems, memory, behavior, voice, and interactive agents.Ensure that avatar behavior, facial performance, body language, and visual identity remain consistent with the character's personality and narrative role.Establish technical and visual quality standards for realism, expressiveness, responsiveness, performance, and consistency.Review avatar assets and performance throughout the production pipeline and identify technical, visual, or behavioral issues.Optimize avatars for real-time performance, including polygon count, materials, textures, shaders, rig complexity, animation systems, and runtime performance.Evaluate and implement emerging technologies such as generative AI, AI-assisted character creation, procedural generation, photogrammetry, 3D scanning, neural rendering, and advanced facial animation.Coordinate with developers and technical artists on avatar pipelines, tools, asset standards, version control, and integration workflows.Support the development of reusable avatar frameworks, production pipelines, templates, and technical guidelines.Conduct testing of avatars across different devices, environments, interaction scenarios, and performance conditions.Analyze issues related to visual realism, facial animation, lip synchronization, eye movement, body motion, latency, interaction responsiveness, and system stability.Work with character designers, writers, AI trainers, conversational designers, animators, and directors to maintain alignment between character identity and technical implementation.Research new avatar technologies, platforms, workflows, and production methodologies and assess their potential application to the project.Document development processes, technical specifications, production standards, and lessons learned.Mentor and coordinate team members involved in avatar development and help establish efficient interdisciplinary workflows.QualificationsMinimum BA/MA in Computer Graphics, Computer Science, Animation, Game Development, Digital Media, 3D Design, Visual Effects, Virtual Production, or a related field.At least 5 years of professional experience in character development, avatar production, digital humans, real-time 3D, animation, virtual production, or a closely related field.Strong understanding of the complete digital character and avatar production pipeline, from concept and modeling through rigging, animation, real-time integration, and optimization.Demonstrable experience developing realistic or stylized human characters and avatars.Strong knowledge of human anatomy, facial structure, body proportions, facial expressions, deformation, and character movement.Professional experience with tools such as Unreal Engine, Unity, MetaHuman, Maya, Blender, ZBrush, 3ds Max, Houdini, Substance 3D, Marvelous Designer, MotionBuilder, or comparable tools.Experience with character rigging, skinning, blendshapes, facial rigs, body rigs, animation systems, and deformation workflows.Practical experience with motion capture, facial capture, performance capture, retargeting, animation cleanup, and real-time character performance.Understanding of facial animation, lip synchronization, eye tracking, gaze behavior, and expressive digital character performance.Experience with real-time rendering, materials, shaders, lighting, optimization, and performance constraints.Familiarity with AI characters, conversational AI, large language models, AI agents, generative AI, or intelligent interactive systems.Understanding of how AI-generated behavior, dialogue, emotion, voice, and personality can be connected to avatar performance.Experience working with multidisciplinary teams combining artists, animators, AI specialists, developers, writers, designers, and performers.Strong technical problem-solving and debugging skills, with the ability to identify and resolve issues across creative and technical pipelines.Strong visual judgment and attention to detail, particularly regarding realism, expressiveness, consistency, and character quality.Ability to translate creative and narrative requirements into practical technical and production solutions.Experience designing or improving production pipelines, technical standards, reusable assets, or scalable character-development workflows.Strong communication, leadership, coordination, and mentoring skills.Ability to manage multiple development priorities while maintaining quality and production efficiency.Strong interest in emerging technologies related to digital humans, avatars, AI characters, real-time graphics, and interactive media.Portfolio, showreel, or documented examples of relevant avatar, digital character, digital human, or real-time character projects.Fluency in English.What We OfferThe opportunity to lead the development of next-generation avatars for AI characters, digital humans, and virtual humans.A highly interdisciplinary environment combining AI, character development, 3D graphics, animation, storytelling, performance, and interactive technology.The opportunity to establish new technical and creative approaches to avatar development and digital character production.Close collaboration with specialists across AI, software, animation, design, narrative, performance, and real-time technologies.Access to advanced tools, technologies, and emerging workflows for digital human and avatar development.The opportunity to influence how digital characters look, move, communicate, express emotion, and interact with people.A role with significant creative and technical ownership over the avatar development pipeline.Professional growth through research, experimentation, and development of new avatar technologies and methodologies.How to ApplyPlease submit the following to farhang@parsikia.ir with subject line “Avatar Development Lead — AI Characters & Digital Humans”:1.CV (max 2 pages)1.Cover letter (1 page) describing your relevant experience in avatar, digital character, or digital human development and why you are interested in this role.1.Portfolio or showreel, including links to 3 relevant avatar, digital character, digital human, real-time character, or related projects.1.Two references (name, role, contact)Shortlisted candidates will be invited for an interview and asked to complete a brief practical assignment involving the planning, evaluation, or improvement of an avatar development pipeline for an AI character or digital human.We welcome applications from candidates with diverse backgrounds and encourage cross-disciplinary practitioners with strong combinations of technical, creative, artistic, and production experience to apply.