2D Animation Lead (YouTube Series)

Bardel Entertainment is hiring a 2D Animation Lead for a new preschool animated YouTube series based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. This role sits within the animation department and is responsible for guiding a team of 2D animators through production, reviewing character performance, and ensuring the visual quality and stylistic consistency of animation sequences from rough to final. It suits an animator who has moved into a mentorship or supervisory track and knows how to give notes that actually improve the work.

About the Role

The series is a preschool production built around expressive character animation, original music, and storytelling aimed at young audiences, developed in partnership with a prominent content creator for YouTube. Day to day, the 2D Animation Lead works directly with the Animation Director to translate the creative vision into production-ready animation, reviewing sequences, communicating director notes, and helping animators solve both creative and technical problems within the Toon Boom Harmony pipeline. This is a contract position with a start date of early August 2026.

Key Responsibilities

• Review animation sequences and provide specific, constructive feedback on character acting, timing, posing, and overall execution relative to the director’s vision.
• Communicate Animation Director notes clearly to the team and verify that feedback has been incorporated before sequences move forward in the production pipeline.
• Mentor 2D animators across the team, helping less experienced artists develop their understanding of cut-out animation workflows and preschool animation style.
• Identify and troubleshoot creative and technical challenges within Toon Boom Harmony to keep production moving against schedule milestones.
• Collaborate with production and other departments to track animation deliverables and flag any issues that could affect the timeline.
• Participate in portfolio reviews and recruiting as the studio expands the animation team ahead of launch.

What You Bring

• A minimum of one to two years in a lead or supervisory role within a 2D animation production environment, preferably on episodic television or a series format.
• Extensive hands-on experience with Toon Boom Harmony, including working with production-ready character rigs.
• A portfolio that demonstrates strong character performance, including comedy timing, subtle facial expression, and dynamic movement suited to a preschool audience.
• Solid grounding in traditional 2D animation principles applied within a cut-out animation workflow.
• Clear communication skills when giving notes, with the ability to work constructively across both the artist team and creative leadership.

Why This Role

Bardel Entertainment has been producing animation for over 35 years, with a track record across preschool, comedy, and primetime series that gives their studio real depth in episodic television production. The 2D Animation Lead position offers meaningful leadership responsibility on a greenlit series with a defined creative identity, not a development project that may not move forward. Compensation is set at CAD $1,600 to $1,700 per week, with extended health and wellness benefits from day one and RRSP matching.

Apply now for the 2D Animation Lead role at Bardel Entertainment and bring your animation leadership experience to a series built from the ground up.