2D Key Animator at ROUGE Collective

AnimationClub; Brewster Heights (NY); Remote; USD 40,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

ROUGE Collective is seeking experienced Key Animators to contribute to their 2D frame-by-frame projects in a fully remote setup. The work is steady, with projects building on each success, and consistency is prized over volume.

Remote is fine, and candidates should be fluent in Toon Boom or Clip Studio, with a track record of finished animation. You’ll need to show your work and be able to collaborate when sharing files between artists.

Qualifications

• Must fluently use Toon Boom or Clip Studio and choose which one you use most often.
• Experience delivering rough animation in finished projects (films, series, or commissions).
• Ability to work with another animator’s files and keep work readable for the next person.
• Comfort with adapting to different studio processes, workflows, and review rhythms.

Responsibilities

• Turn storyboards and animatics into rough animation with clear acting, timing and staging.
• Produce roughs and tie-downs; may include shading, highlights, clean-up, in-betweens, or colour as agreed.
• Match each project’s style, model sheets and art direction.
• Collaborate early with the assigned project leads so story and animation grow together.
• Take notes, revise quickly and keep shots consistent across scenes and episodes.
• Hand off organized files to schedule for clean-up, colour and compositing.
• Flag problems early and bring ideas that strengthen a shot.

Skills

Toon Boom

Clip Studio

Rough animation

Remote collaboration

Adaptable workflows

Job description

ROUGE Collective are looking for Key Animators to join them on their 2D frame-by-frame animation projects.

Their work is steady, and each good project tends to bring the next. They hire project by project, but they’re not looking for a writer for one job. They’re looking for a voice they can trust and keep coming back to. Consistency matters more to them than volume.

Remote is fine. You don’t have to live in Malaysia, but you have to know it in your bones: how people speak, what’s happening there now, the humour and references that don’t survive translation.

Must Have (these are non-negotiables)

If these don’t fit, we can’t consider your application:

• You’re based in Southeast Asia. You can work with them in English, remotely, with a team spread across the region.
• You’re fluent in at least one of Toon Boom or Clip Studio. Any one is enough. Tell them which.
• You’ve had rough animation produced. Show them your shots from finished films, series or commissions.
• You’re comfortable passing or working from another animator’s file. Keeping your work readable for the next person.
• You are able to adapt to different studio processes. Every project has its own workflow, file setup, style requirements, and review rhythm.

Should Have (these will make you shine)

• You participate in the room, even remotely. They’re building a remote studio, not a drop-off folder. You don’t need to be the loudest person in the call, but they appreciate animators who stay connected to the team.
• You adapt to the project’s style. From character-led performance to stylised or illustrative looks, you match the model sheet and art direction rather than imposing your own.
• Working knowledge of more than one animation tool. Some shots need a bit of problem-solving, so if you know more than one animation tool, that can be very handy. Tell them what you use and where you’re strongest.

Nice to Have (this is the cherry on top)

• Animal and creature movement, from real observation
• Experience with NGOs, B Corps or mission-driven organisations

A Note on Working Style

This is a collaborative remote production. They need animators who can show progress, receive direction, ask useful questions, and keep their work readable for the people who come after them. Notes from the director and project leads are part of the process. Sometimes the note will be specific. Sometimes it will be about what the character should feel, what the scene should convey, or what is not reading clearly yet.

You will not be expected to disappear into the work and only return with finished files. They want an animator who treats a note as material rather than a verdict. If your instinct on a revision is to find another way in rather than defend the first pass, you’ll fit. They care about making the work stronger, not protecting the first pass.

What You’ll Actually Do

• Turn storyboards and animatics into rough animation with clear acting, timing and staging
• Produce roughs and tie-downs as the minimum scope. Depending on the project, this may include shading, highlights, clean-up, in-betweens, or colour if that is part of your agreed role.
• Match each project’s style, model sheets and art direction
• Collaborate early with the assigned project leads, so story and animation grow together
• Take notes, revise quickly and keep shots consistent across scenes and episodes
• Hand off organised files to schedule, ready for clean-up, colour and compositing
• Flag problems early and bring ideas that make a shot stronger

Requirements

• You're based in Southeast Asia. You can work with them in English, remotely, with a team spread across the region.
• You're fluent in at least one of Toon Boom or Clip Studio. Any one is enough. Tell them which.
• You've had rough animation produced. Show them your shots from finished films, series or commissions.
• You’re comfortable passing or working from another animator’s file. Keeping your work readable for the next person.
• You are able to adapt to different studio processes. Every project has its own workflow, file setup, style requirements, and review rhythm.

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