Head of Characters – Netflix Animation Studios

Job Position(s): Head of Characters - Netflix Animation Studios

Netflix is hiring a Head of Characters at its Animation Studios location in Sydney, Australia. This role sits at the intersection of art and technical production, leading all character asset creation across modeling, rigging, surfacing, and character effects (CFX) from early concept through to final shot delivery on animated feature film production. It suits a senior character pipeline specialist who has moved through the craft disciplines and is comfortable holding both the artistic and technical brief on a large-scale production.

About the Role

The Head of Characters operates as the show-level lead for every character asset built during production, reporting into creative and technical leadership while managing department supervisors across modeling, rigging, surfacing, and CFX. Day to day, this means running character reviews, translating 2D concept art into production-ready 3D assets, and partnering with the VFX pipeline and production technology teams to keep workflows clean and free of technical debt. The role is the critical link between the Director’s visual intent and what the animation and lighting departments actually receive.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead character asset creation end to end, setting the creative and technical standard for stylized 3D characters across the full VFX pipeline from model to final CFX pass.
• Drive character reviews with modeling, rigging, surfacing, and CFX teams, providing specific, actionable notes grounded in both artistic appeal and downstream animation requirements.
• Translate 2D character designs into rig-ready, animation-friendly 3D builds that integrate cleanly into animation, crowds, and lighting departments without rework.
• Define and maintain canonical character asset workflows in partnership with technical supervisors and production technology, ensuring consistency and stability across the production.
• Work directly with the Director, Production Designer, and Art Director on characters to ensure every build reflects the film’s visual language and performance requirements.
• Partner with production management on bids, schedules, and resource planning to keep the character department on track within project constraints.

What You Bring

• At least 10 years in character asset creation across feature film, television, or games production, with 5 to 7 years in a supervisory or department lead role on animated features or VFX films.
• Deep working knowledge of skeletal systems, skinning, and deformation pipelines, with a strong grasp of character animation principles as they apply to rig design.
• Production-level proficiency in Maya and ZBrush, plus texturing packages including Substance, Mari, and Photoshop.
• Demonstrated ability to mentor modeling, rigging, surfacing, and CFX supervisors and artists across a large animation studio environment.
• Clear communication across disciplines, including translating technical pipeline requirements into language creative leadership can act on.

Why This Role

Netflix Animation Studios is building original animated feature film capability across three global studio locations, with Sydney as one of its core production hubs. This is a foundational role on productions being made at a studio that is still defining how it works, which means real influence over process, team culture, and the character of the work itself. For a senior character artist or technical lead ready to step into full department ownership on animated feature production, this is a direct path to doing that at scale.

Apply now for the Head of Characters role at Netflix Animation Studios in Sydney.