Co-Head of Character Animation - Netflix Animation Studios

Netflix Animation Studios is on a mission to entertain the world with bold, immersive animated films that are timeless and impactful. We are paving the way for the future of animation by building a community of amazing artists and talent across three vibrant locations globally. Come join us!

We are seeking a Co-Head of Character Animation (Co-HoCA) to support our upcoming feature film. The Co-HoCA is a key leadership role that partners closely with the Head of Character Animation (HoCA) to support the artistic execution and technical integrity of character animation across a production. This role helps ensure that character performances are appealing, consistent, and aligned with the Director’s vision and the show’s animation style.

As the second-in-command, the Co-HoCA reports directly to the HoCA. This co-head leadership model is designed to effectively support the supervision needs of multi-location productions. In particular, the Co-HoCA provides creative and technical leadership to location-based teams, helping maintain alignment across sites.

The Co-HoCA will work primarily during shot production, but may also contribute during pre-production to help develop characters and performance language. This may involve doing drawovers during character design and rig development, creating pre-production animation tests to define personality and/or functionality, weighing in on story and complexity issues, and helping set up the animation side of the project for success.

This role is essential in extending the HoCA’s reach across the show, ensuring that character animation is cohesive, emotionally resonant, and technically sound. The Co-HoCA will work closely with Directors, Production Designers, Art Directors, Character Designers, and other show leadership, as well as with technical and production partners across NAS.

What You’ll Do

• Partner with the HoCA to supervise character animation across assigned sequences, units, or teams
• Review animation work and provide clear, constructive notes to ensure performances support story, emotion, and the show’s animation style
• Contribute to character performance development in pre-production, including animation tests, acting exploration, and feedback on character design and rig functionality
• Listen to Director and HoCA launches and translate their direction into concrete performance goals and actionable guidance for the animation crew
• Identify and offer solutions to upcoming challenges in animation (performance, staging, technical constraints)
• Collaborate closely with Layout, Rigging, Characters, CFX, Environments, Editorial, and Production to support strong visual storytelling from layout through final animation
• Maintain awareness of broader show needs as they relate to animation, including design changes, story revisions, and schedule considerations
• Support adherence to budget and schedule constraints while maintaining continuity in story, cinematography, aesthetics, and acting
• Contribute to training, workshops, and masterclasses in partnership with Learning & Development and internal support teams
• Collaborate with grace, humility, inclusion, and open-mindedness

What You’ll Need

• At least 3 years of character animation experience in creative leadership roles (e.g. Animation Supervisor, or equivalent)
• A great eye for animation performance and technique, with the ability to spot issues quickly and give clear, actionable notes
• Consummate animation skills and strong knowledge of animation techniques, posing, and visual storytelling
• Strong enough draftsmanship to communicate notes through drawovers and visual exploration
• The ability to identify technical issues impacting animation and propose practical solutions or workarounds on WIP rigs and models
• Great communication skills and the ability to foster enthusiasm, trust, and camaraderie within the animation crew
• Excellent verbal, written, and digital communication skills

This role is based in Vancouver, British Columbia. Hybrid Role (Minimum requirement of 3 days a week in the office).

At NAS, we carefully consider a wide range of compensation factors to determine your compensation. We rely on market indicators and consider your specific job family, background, location, skills, and experience.The overall market range for this role is typically $240,000-$300,000CAD.This reflects total compensation; we do not have bonuses.

NAS benefits can include medical/dental/vision plans, mental health support, retirement programs, and family-forming benefits, paid leave of absence programs, and paid time away programs to be used for vacation and sick paid time off. See more detail about our benefits here.

Inclusion is a Netflix value and we strive to host a meaningful interview experience for all candidates. If you want an accommodation/adjustment for a disability or any other reason during the hiring process, please send a request to your recruiting partner.

We are an equal-opportunity employer and celebrate diversity, recognizing that diversity builds stronger teams. We approach diversity and inclusion seriously and thoughtfully. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, ancestry, national origin, caste, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, age, disability, medical condition, pregnancy, genetic makeup, marital status, or military service.