Character Designer- Ink

Netflix; Los Gatos (CA); On-site; USD 79,000 - 113,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical benefits

Dental benefits

Vision benefits

Mental health support

Retirement plan

Paid time off

Job summary

Netflix Inkubator seeks a Character Designer to help shape look, tone, and design of characters using experimental GenAI-native production pipelines. You will work to create feature-quality content in an artist-led environment, balancing creative vision with technical workflows.

Through research and collaboration, you’ll develop attitudes, costumes, and poses, delivering options that support the story and world while aligning with production needs and schedules.

Qualifications

• 2+ years of character design experience in production settings.
• Excellence in draftsmanship with anatomy knowledge.
• Advanced working knowledge of digital drawing tools.
• Portfolio demonstrating character design for animation.

Responsibilities

• Align with the show's style and sensibility.
• Explore and create character design options for story/world.
• Translate references to develop personality, mood, and tone.
• Collaborate with technical leads to refine models and maintain fidelity.
• Develop character expressions, turnarounds, and production assets.
• Present work clearly, showing intent.
• Meet production schedule and deliver on time.
• Collaborate with grace, inclusion, and open-mindedness.
• Communicate blockers to production management.
• Provide proactive feedback on pipeline tools and workflows.
• Translate notes into actionable items for production.

Skills

Character design

GenAI tools

Digital drawing

Art direction

Collaboration

Tools

GenAI tools

Adobe Photoshop

Illustration software

Job description

At Netflix, our mission is to entertain the world. Together, we partner with creators as they experiment with a range of cutting-edge tools that bridge innovation with imaginative storytelling. Come join Inkubator to shape what’s next and explore the creative possibilities.

Position Summary

We are seeking a Character Designer to join our pioneering team in creating animated content using experimental GenAI-native production pipelines. The Character Designer will help establish the look, tone, appeal, and design of characters that fit within the story and world, leveraging both generative AI and traditional tools to create feature-quality content in a creator- and artist-led environment.

Through research, design exploration, conversations, and collaboration, the Character Designer will work with the creative leads to develop characters' attitudes, personalities, costumes, and poses. We are seeking artists with both unique artistic vision and strong technical skills who will help bring this project to life.

Key Responsibilities

• Align with the style and sensibility of the show.
• Explore and create a variety of character design options that fit into the story/world.
• Translate references to visually develop a character’s personality, mood, and tone.
• Partner with technical leads to refine and troubleshoot character models, ensuring consistency in fidelity, proportion, and emotional range across all shots.
• Develop character expressions, turnarounds, and production assets.
• Present work in a clear and organized manner that demonstrates intent.
• Work flexibly to troubleshoot and address notes.
• Adhere to the production schedule and deliver completed assignments on time.
• Collaborate with grace, humility, inclusion, and open-mindedness.
• Maintain open dialogue with production management about any potential roadblocks or concerns in delivering assignments on time.
• Provide proactive, upward feedback on pipeline tools and workflow scalability to help refine our emerging production processes.
• Translate creative notes into technical, actionable items, demonstrating a willingness to experiment and pivot as production requirements evolve.

Qualifications

• 2+ years of character design experience on series, feature films, shorts, development/production OR a portfolio that demonstrates a strong understanding of character design for production settings.
• Excellence in draftsmanship with a working knowledge of anatomy and/or volumetric drawing.
• Advanced working knowledge of digital drawing tools.
• Broad knowledge of artistic styles and the latest technology is essential.
• Knowledge of AI tools, Cursor and other agents, and workflows a plus.
• Samples and/or credits demonstrating excellence in character design.
• Excellent verbal, written, and e-social communication skills.
• Experience working within an iterative, agile creative environment where rapid prototyping and feedback loops are part of the daily workflow.
• Demonstrated experience or strong interest in AI-assisted creative workflows, specifically in how AI can accelerate character development without replacing the artist's creative vision.

This job may be covered by a collective bargaining agreement. If so, pay for the position is governed by the currently effective applicable collective bargaining agreement and thus will be no less than $69.71 an hour and up to any better conditions and terms negotiated and obtained as expressly provided therein.

Depending on whether you are covered by a collective bargaining agreement, INK 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.

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.