Join to apply for the 3D Character Supervisor role at Flying Bark Productions.
Flying Bark Productions is a dynamic and innovative animation studio dedicated to pushing the boundaries of character animation and storytelling. We are working on exciting projects such as Avatar: The Last Airbender feature film, Netflix's Ghostbusters animated series, Stranger Things animated series, and our production Tales From Outer Suburbia by Shaun Tan.
Not open for remote work; this position must be based in Madrid, Spain.
Key Responsibilities:
* Supervise and guide the modelling, texturing, shading, grooming and character FX teams to ensure all character assets meet the required quality, style, and technical specifications.
* Provide feedback and mentorship to asset artists, ensuring that their work is consistent and meets the show’s creative vision.
* Oversee hair, fur and cloth simulation needs, ensuring grooming and CFX setups support the artistic goals, technical requirements and performance capabilities of the characters.
* Collaborate with the Rigging Supervisor to ensure that character and creature models (including groom and cloth components) are optimized for animation, deformation and performance requirements.
* Support and maintain dialogue with other crew members, including Technical Directors, downstream department supervisors, and CG and VFX Supervisors, to ensure assets work efficiently within the pipeline.
* Assist the Pipeline and Technical teams in developing asset workflows and best practices to improve efficiency across the full character pipeline (Modelling → Texturing → Groom/CFX → Rigging → Animation).
* Identify and solve technical challenges related to asset creation, including topology, UV mapping, grooming, cloth, texturing and shading complexities.
* Participate in review sessions with the Art Director, CG Supervisor, and other department leads to maintain quality control and ensure all feedback is implemented.
* Coordinate with Production Coordinators and Producers to track asset progress, ensuring timely delivery while maintaining quality.
* Maintain documentation on workflows, best practices, and tools to ensure consistency and efficiency in character asset production.
* Work closely with the client or external vendors when necessary to ensure that outsourced assets meet the project’s technical and artistic requirements.
About You:
* 3–5 years of experience in a similar supervisory or lead-level position.
* Strong artistic sense and understanding of form, shape, structure, silhouette and performance requirements in character creation.
* Excellent knowledge of topology, UV mapping and efficient geometry creation for animation and rendering.
* Extensive experience in texturing, shading and material creation for photorealistic and stylised character assets.
* Strong experience in hair/fur grooming and cloth simulation workflows (CFX), and an understanding of how these integrate with rigging and animation.
* Strong understanding of physically based rendering (PBR) workflows and implementation in production environments.
* Experience working in Maya, ZBrush, Substance Painter, Katana, Houdini, XGen, Yeti and other industry-standard tools.
* Familiarity with rigging requirements to ensure smooth deformation and articulation in characters, including how groom and cloth elements impact rig behaviour.
* Experience with render engines such as Arnold, Redshift and/or RenderMan, with a solid understanding of asset optimisation techniques for efficient rendering and pipeline performance.
* Ability to troubleshoot technical issues related to character assets and implement efficient solutions.
* Strong leadership skills with experience mentoring and guiding artists across multiple sub-disciplines (model, texture, groom, CFX).
* Excellent communication and organisational skills to effectively coordinate with multiple departments.
* Ability to develop, document and refine character asset workflows and best practices, contributing to ongoing pipeline improvements and production efficiency.
* Ability to prioritise tasks and meet deadlines in a fast-paced production environment.
* Fluent in English and/or Spanish language, both written and verbal.
* Eligible to work in Spain/Europe. Spanish locals & Europeans open to relocation will be given priority.
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 cake days, movie nights, wrap parties & a Kulture Klub dedicated to coordinating our busy social calendar!
* We work in hybrid mode, with two days a week remotely and two extra days per month.
* If you love dogs as much as we do, you can bring them to work!
* Career development is important to us so we offer training and support opportunities whenever possible.
* We have a full slate and plans for international expansion so there is always plenty of opportunity for career development.
* Our employees say our culture is the best they've ever experienced – everyone is welcome and celebrated!
Flying Bark Productions is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer.
Seniority Level
Mid-Senior level
Employment Type
Full-time
Job Function
Other
Industries
Animation and Post-production
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