Senior 3D Animator

Flying Bark Productions is working on exciting projects such as Avatar: The Last Airbender feature film, Netflix's Stranger Things animated series, as well as our production Tales From Outer Suburbia by Shaun Tan. 

The Senior 3D Animator is responsible for breathing life into characters and creatures, with a focus on enhancing story and audience connection. . They collaborate closely with the Animation Director to meet creative and technical animation requirements while ensuring alignment with production schedules. 

About the role:

• Animate a diverse range of characters and creatures, focusing on personality, storytelling, and believable movement.
• Bring life to humanoid characters with expressive facial animation and dynamic body movement that enhances narrative and emotional impact.
• Develop animation for a wide range of creatures, from quadrupeds and flying creatures to hybrids and fantastical beings, balancing creativity with anatomical accuracy.
• Develop realistic and stylised creature animation, ensuring accurate weight, anatomy, and behaviour for quadrupeds, flying creatures, hybrids, and fantastical beings.
• Collaborate with the Rigging and Character FX teams to address animation challenges and refine rigs for optimal performance..
• Use reference footage (human performance, animals, and natural phenomena) to create authentic, nuanced animation.
• Adapt animation style to fit the project’s creative direction—whether it’s realistic, highly stylised, or something in between.
• Provide guidance and mentorship to junior animators, helping to maintain high artistic and technical standards across the team.
• Work closely with the Animation Director and other departments to meet creative goals and stay aligned with the production schedule.
• Adhere to the administrative tools used for tracking workflow, input and delivery/output of shots;

About you:

• You’re a passionate animator with a keen eye for detail and a deep understanding of motion, weight, and performance.
• You have a solid background in both character and creature animation, bringing emotional depth to characters and realistic movement to creatures.
• You’re comfortable switching between realistic and stylized animation styles to fit the project’s creative direction.
• Collaboration is second nature—you thrive in a team environment and communicate effectively with directors, rigging artists, and other departments.
• You’re proactive and adaptable, able to solve animation challenges creatively within technical constraints.
• You enjoy mentoring junior animators and contributing to a positive, inspiring team culture.
• Proficiency in Maya, of animation workflows, character rigs and storyboard interpretation;
• Ability to take direction from a Supervisor/lead and able to work unsupervised on additional tasks, such as creature exploration and cycles.
• Previous experience in film, television, or high-end animation projects.

What do we do? 

Flying Bark Productions is a renowned independent producer of family-focused animation entertainment. For over 50 years, our 2D and 3D production facility has created award-winning feature films and TV series. 

Why work with us? 

• We work on some pretty cool projects - check out our website: https://www.flyingbark.com.au/ 
• We have an industry leading studio space in Alexandria, complete with a cinema, quiet room, Zen Garden, games room, and state of the art animation facilities. 
• Breakfast is served daily - on us! 
• We have cake days, movie nights, wrap parties & a culture club dedicated to coordinating our busy social calendar! 
• The Barkers have big hearts too, with our Paws for a Cause fundraising arm raising much needed funds for charities such as Beyond Blue, RSPCA and the Cancer Council. 
• We love dogs and you will often see some of our regular fluffy companions in the studio. 
• We have a hybrid approach to work with flexible work from home days on offer.
•  Career development is important to us so we offer training and support opportunities whenever possible. 
• Our employees say our culture is the best they've ever experienced - everyone is welcome and celebrated! 
• You'll have access to mental health resources and free counselling via our Employee Assistance Provider Support Act. 

Flying Bark Productions is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer.