Lead Character Surfacing Artist

Netflix Animation Studios; Sydney; Hybrid; AUD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical/dental/vision plans

Mental health support

Retirement programs

Family-forming benefits

Paid leave and vacation time

Job summary

Netflix Animation Studios in Sydney, Australia, is seeking a Character Surfacing Supervisor to lead the character surfacing team for an upcoming feature film. The role focuses on textures, materials, and shaders aligned with the director’s vision and studio pipelines.

You will supervise lookdev across assets, mentor artists, and partner with Production Design, Character TDs, and technical teams to ensure production-ready outputs.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience as a Surfacing/Lookdev Artist for characters in feature animation, VFX, or high-end games/series.
• Strong portfolio demonstrating skin, fabric, hair/fur materials and color understanding.
• Proficiency with Mari, Substance Painter/Designer, and Maya; experience with a modern path-tracing renderer.
• Understanding of how character surfacing integrates with modeling, rigging, and rendering pipelines.
• Excellent communication and leadership to mentor artists and collaborate across departments.

Responsibilities

• Supervise character surfacing to achieve high-quality, consistent looks across assets.
• Lead surfacing reviews and provide clear feedback on textures, materials, shading and color.
• Ensure assets meet pipeline standards for integration with Rigging, CFX, Animation, Lighting and Rendering.
• Collaborate with modeling, rigging, CFX, lighting and tech teams to troubleshoot issues.
• Help define tools, material libraries, and workflows with production tech and R&D.
• Mentor surfacing artists and support career development within the team.
• Foster an inclusive, collaborative team culture and effective cross‑department communication.

Skills

Character surfacing

Leadership

Communication

Pipeline collaboration

Tools

Mari

Substance Painter

Substance Designer

Maya

RenderMan

Job description

Netflix Animation Studios in Sydney, Australia, is seeking a Character Surfacing Supervisor to lead the character surfacing team for an upcoming feature film. The role focuses on textures, materials, and shaders aligned with the director’s vision and studio pipelines.

You will supervise lookdev across assets, mentor artists, and partner with Production Design, Character TDs, and technical teams to ensure production-ready outputs.