Environment Surfacing Supervisor – Netflix Animation Studios

Job Position(s): Environment Surfacing Supervisor - Netflix Animation Studios

Netflix is hiring an Environment Surfacing Supervisor to join Netflix Animation Studios in Sydney, Australia. This role sits at the intersection of art and pipeline, leading the surfacing of all digital environments, sets, and props on a feature film to ensure textures, materials, and shaders are production-ready for Lighting, FX, CFX, and Rendering. It suits an experienced surfacing or lookdev artist who has moved into a lead or supervisory capacity and is fluent in both the craft and the production workflow around it.

About the Role

The Environment Surfacing Supervisor operates within the Environments department at Netflix Animation Studios, working directly with the Production Designer, Art Director, and Head of Environments to translate visual design intent into finished surface looks across all non-character assets. Day to day, this means running surfacing reviews, managing artist output against pipeline standards, and staying closely connected to Modeling, Layout, Lighting, and Technical teams to keep the VFX pipeline moving cleanly. The role is hybrid, with a minimum of three days per week at the Sydney studio.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead environment surfacing across all sets, locations, and props on a feature animation production, maintaining consistency with the Director and Production Designer’s visual direction.
• Run regular surfacing reviews and deliver specific, constructive feedback on textures, materials, and shading work to maintain craft standards across the team.
• Ensure all surfaced assets meet technical pipeline requirements so they integrate cleanly with Lighting, FX, CFX, and Rendering downstream.
• Partner with Production Technology, R&D, and surfacing and lookdev TDs to define and refine material libraries, surfacing tools, and production workflows.
• Provide production management with accurate reads on asset complexity and team progress to support scheduling and prioritisation decisions.
• Mentor environment surfacing artists, identify training needs, and contribute to performance feedback and craft development across the department.

What You Bring

• Significant experience as a Surfacing or Lookdev Artist focused on environments in feature animation, VFX, or high-end game or episodic television production, including time in a lead or supervisory role.
• A strong portfolio demonstrating environment surfacing across stylized and realistic worlds, with depth in textures, materials, and color.
• Proficiency in Mari, Substance Painter, Substance Designer, and Maya, plus hands-on experience with a modern path-tracing renderer such as RenderMan or Arnold.
• A working understanding of how environment surfacing connects to Modeling, Layout, FX, CFX, Lighting, and Rendering within a feature film production pipeline.
• Clear communication and leadership skills, with a track record of giving direct, useful feedback and working across departments without friction.

Why This Role

Netflix Animation Studios is building a feature animation pipeline across three global locations, and the Sydney studio is an active part of that slate. This is a department-level leadership role on a feature film, not a support position, which means real creative and technical ownership from the start. The studio offers medical, dental, vision, mental health support, retirement programs, family-forming benefits, and paid leave programs.

Apply now for the Environment Surfacing Supervisor role at Netflix Animation Studios and bring your environment surfacing experience to a feature animation production built for the long term.