About the role
Job Overview
Princess Bento is seeking an Animation Director (2D) to start in December 2026/January 2027. Applicants must have significant studio animation experience supervising or directing on stylised, hand-drawn projects. Candidates must be based in Australia with full work rights.
Responsibilities
Strategic Creative Direction
- Uphold the artistic vision and style of the animation, ensuring consistency and alignment with the show's creative goals.
- Collaborate with other Animation Directors to ensure animation consistency across the production.
- Collaborate closely with Producers, Directors, and other department heads to establish and maintain animation pipelines and workflows.
- Provide creative feedback and direction to animators to enhance character performances, storytelling, and visual appeal.
- Collaborate with the creative leads to ensure animation supports the overall visual style and narrative of the production.
- Address feedback from Directors, Producers, and Showrunners to incorporate revisions as necessary.
- Ensure animation is properly reviewed prior to client deliveries at critical milestones and project processes are aligned with the standard set by the show creators.
- Communicate effectively with the production team to align on project goals, milestones, and creative objectives.
Leadership
- Lead the animation teams, providing mentorship, guidance, and strategic direction to achieve high-quality animation standards.
- Promote a collaborative and creative work environment with open communication and a positive atmosphere.
- Plan, prioritise and provide thoughtful guidance and feedback to the animation team to ensure consistency and quality in their work.
- Delegate tasks appropriately, ensuring workload distribution is balanced and efficient.
- In conjunction with Production, review and contribute to asset/bid and or lead sheets where required.
- Collaborate with Production to plan, distribute and manage workload of crew in relation to the schedule.
Animation Production
- Review and approve animation sequences to maintain visual consistency and meet production standards.
- Coordinate with other departments to ensure seamless integration of animated elements into final shots.
- Conduct regular reviews and critiques of animation work to uphold high standards of quality, consistency, and technical execution.
- Provide clear and concise direction to animators and collaborate with other departments to resolve animation-related challenges.
Outsourcing
- In conjunction with other Animation Directors, oversee the launch of animation to outsource studios.
- Review animation submitted by outsource studio and provide clear and concise feedback.
- Approve outsource animation for delivery to downstream departments.
- Maintain strong communication with the outsource studio to ensure seamless delivery of animation.
Client Management
- Review and specify creative and/or technical revisions and requests impacting the time and budget.
- Effectively facilitate discussion with the client to discuss improving the quality of our work.
Skills and Experience
- 7+ years of experience working in 2D Animation and 5+ years experience in a similar role.
- Have a collaborative and supportive working style.
- Strong time management and organisational skills, working effectively to deadlines.
- Proficiency in Toon Boom Harmony.
- Proficiency in Shotgrid/Flow is desirable.
- Confident presentation and facilitation skills.
- Able to lead a client-focused approach to deliver shows to their expected standards.
- Effective leadership and management of large teams.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, ensuring that the necessary information is flowing across production and within the department.
- Show a high degree of professionalism, maturity and initiative.
Employment Details
- Location: South Melbourne (Remote working offered for Australian residents outside of Victoria).
- Employment Type: Full-time.
- Visa Status: Must have the right to work in Australia; no visa sponsorship offered.
About Princess Bento
Based in Melbourne, Australia, Princess Bento is an animation studio formed by Princess Pictures in collaboration with Bento Box Entertainment. The studio focuses on high-end 2D animation for a global audience. Founded in 2020 with 400+ co-workers.