Technical Director Core Assets

Netflix is hiring a Technical Director Core Assets based in Sydney, Australia, to work within its Animation Studios division. This role sits at the intersection of Modelling, Rigging, and Surfacing, owning the pipeline tools and workflows that allow character and environment assets to move cleanly through large-scale animated feature film production. It suits a pipeline TD who has spent real time on the floor of an animation studio or VFX feature film environment and knows how to balance tool development with keeping artists unblocked.

About the Role

The Technical Director Core Assets role operates within Netflix Animation’s core asset pipeline, supporting productions across a global studio structure with a base in Sydney. Day to day, this person is troubleshooting workflow issues in Maya and Houdini, writing Python tools, driving QA on pipeline releases, and working alongside Solutions Engineers and R&D to push asset technology forward. It is a hands-on technical role that requires both strong code output and the production awareness to know when a tool needs to ship and when scope needs to be managed.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the technical direction and maintenance of core asset workflows across Modelling, Rigging, and Surfacing within the animated feature film pipeline.
• Design, develop, and maintain well-structured Python tools and integrations, including PyQt or PySide interfaces, to support artist workflows in Maya and Houdini.
• Track, debug, and resolve pipeline issues in collaboration with Lead TDs, Technical Supervisors, and Solutions Engineers across the production.
• Actively drive QA, technical testing, and validation of new tool releases and pipeline changes to ensure minimal disruption to artist workflows on active shows.
• Provide technical guidance and mentorship to junior TDs and Technical Artists, including onboarding support for new starters joining the team.
• Monitor scope and timelines on development initiatives, flagging adjustments and re-estimates to keep projects on track within the production calendar.

What You Bring

• Five or more years of pipeline TD experience on animated features, animated TV series, VFX feature films, or large-scale game productions.
• Strong working knowledge of OpenUSD architecture, including composition and Hydra, applied in a production context.
• Comprehensive hands-on experience with Maya and Houdini, including their respective APIs and troubleshooting in live production environments.
• Solid Python development skills with experience in asset management systems, publishing workflows, and tools like Flow Production Tracking (ShotGrid).
• Familiarity with git and GitHub, code review processes, and software development practices including Agile methodologies.

Why This Role

Netflix Animation is building a long-term production infrastructure across multiple global locations, which means the tooling and pipeline decisions made now will shape how animated feature film production runs at scale for years ahead. The Sydney studio is an active part of that build, not a satellite operation, and this role carries real influence over how core asset technology evolves. For a TD who wants to work at the feature animation level with meaningful scope, this is a substantive position.

Apply now for the Technical Director Core Assets role at Netflix and bring your pipeline experience to one of the most active animation studios operating at this scale today.