Expression of Interest: 2D Animation Director

Bardel-Entertainment; Vancouver; On-site; CAD 86,450 - 91,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible work environment

Extended Health and Wellness from day

RRSP matching

Job summary

Bardel-Entertainment is seeking a 2D Animation Director in Canada to lead the animation vision for an original anime-inspired project. You will guide the team from concept to proof-of-concept trailer and future series, establishing style, performance, and cinematic storytelling.

You will collaborate with creative leadership to ensure emotional tone, pacing, and high-quality animation while balancing production goals and schedules.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience directing or leading animation.
• Strong understanding of character acting, body mechanics, timing, spacing, weight, and performance.
• Experience translating storyboards and animatics into polished, emotionally engaging animation.
• Proficiency with Toon Boom Harmony or comparable 2D animation software.

Responsibilities

• Lead the animation team from pre-production through final delivery.
• Define and maintain the project's animation style, including character performance, acting, timing, movement, and visual consistency.
• Review animation and provide clear, actionable creative feedback that elevates performance and quality.
• Collaborate with the Storyboard Director, Producer, and other department leads to translate boards into engaging animated sequences.
• Ensure animation supports the emotional tone, pacing, and cinematic intent of each scene.
• Balance creative ambition with production goals, identifying risks and helping the team deliver on schedule.
• Help establish animation workflows, quality standards, and documentation that can scale into series production.

Skills

2D animation leadership

Character acting & timing

Storyboard to animation

Toon Boom Harmony

Team mentoring & direction

Collaborative development

Anime-inspired storytelling

Tools

Toon Boom Harmony

Job description

Role Overview

Bardel is looking for a 2D Animation Director to lead the animation vision for an original anime-inspired project, bringing a web comic to life through a proof-of-concept trailer and future animated series. This role establishes the animation style, guides the animation team, and works closely with creative leadership to deliver compelling performances that support the project's cinematic storytelling.

What You’ll Do

• Lead the animation team from pre-production through final delivery.
• Define and maintain the project's animation style, including character performance, acting, timing, movement, and visual consistency.
• Review animation and provide clear, actionable creative feedback that elevates performance and quality.
• Collaborate with the Storyboard Director, Producer, and other department leads to translate boards into engaging animated sequences.
• Ensure animation supports the emotional tone, pacing, and cinematic intent of each scene.
• Balance creative ambition with production goals, identifying risks and helping the team deliver on schedule.
• Help establish animation workflows, quality standards, and documentation that can scale into series production.

What You’ll Bring

• Significant experience directing or leading animation on animated productions, with strong expertise in 2D character animation.
• Exceptional understanding of character acting, body mechanics, timing, spacing, weight, and performance.
• Experience translating storyboards and animatics into polished, emotionally engaging animation.
• Proficiency with Toon Boom Harmony or comparable 2D animation software.
• Strong communication and leadership skills with the ability to mentor artists and provide clear creative direction.
• Comfortable collaborating in an evolving development environment where ideas continue to be refined.
• Passion for anime-inspired animation, with an understanding of the performance, timing, action, and visual language commonly found in the genre.

Pay Range

CAD $1900 - $2000 per week

This salary range provided reflects our current expectations for these roles as of this posting’s date. Your final salary offer will consider various key factors, including your education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographical location, as well as the needs and requirements of the business.

Benefits

Flexible work environment, Extended Health and Wellness from day 1, RRSP matching are just some of the benefits. For more details, check out our website.