Position: Animator - LeadHiring Range: $136,500 to $140,400/year for a 40 hour work weekTerm Contract: June 2026 startCompany Benefits: Extended healthcare from day 1, premiums 100% covered by Image Engine, up to 8 paid Health and Wellness days per year.Candidate must be based in British Columbia and eligible to work in Canada.POSITION PURPOSEThe Lead Animator plays a very important role in the quality control and supervision of Animation artists. As a Lead, they will build a good rapport with all artists to foster communication and increase inter‑department creativity. They will provide support, guidance and feedback to the team with regards to understanding notes, handling client feedback, and any technical problems or concerns. They should have a good understanding of the status of each task and flag any possible concerns/solutions with the coordination team and Animation Supervisor. The Lead will also be proactive in identifying issues, while developing and implementing creative and technical solutions — including reviewing rigs and workflow setups unique to the show.The Lead supports the Animation Supervisor to communicate creative and technical notes to artists while maintaining the continuity/integrity of the brief and ensuring quality and standards are achieved. They are also able and willing to help address issues across the show when the Animation Supervisor is not available. They will use their leadership to maintain a positive attitude in times of high stress and create a work environment of motivated artists.The Lead will also contribute to the overall operation and improvement of the Animation team by setting and maintaining department standards. This will include, but will not be limited to,



engaging in cross‑department communication, documentation, and participating in the buddy system for new employees. In addition, the Lead will develop new processes and stay up to date on innovative technologies to keep the Animation team on the cutting edge and to execute shots of high levels of difficulty.DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIESWork with the Supervisor to develop the style of creatures/characters, which may include creating poses/cycles and test workAnimate agile, believable and appealing characters/non‑character assetsApply client notes to all shots with minimal guidanceCommunicate successes and challenges faced by the team to the Animation SupervisorManage time and resources to meet weekly targetsComplete all quality control for animation they have submitted for review for artistic problems (e.G. bad poses, character being off model, crashing, etc.) prior to Animation Supervisor’s reviewBe proficient in the pipeline, and be able to troubleshoot issues and assist animatorsAssist animators in interpreting the Client/Animation Supervisor's notes as neededEnsure the team has the tools and information they need to carry out their tasksAssist the Animation team in solving technical problemsAssist Animators who are having trouble working with the animation rig as neededWork with the rigging department to solve problems with rigs (including requesting new animation tools or revising an existing animation rig)In the absence of an assigned Animation Supervisor, act as a creative Lead working closely with Supervisors and Clients to execute the story and binding physics involvedAttend dailies, reviews, and team meetings as requiredEDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE10+ years’ of experience animating character and non‑character assets for VFX/feature filmsExperience leading teams (6+ people) on large projects of 300+ shotsDemonstrated expert knowledge of traditional animation principles, acting, film production and compositional designAbility to animate multiple types of character/non‑character assets from simple to complex with a minimum of supervisionStrong visual storyteller and well‑versed in cinematography: camera angles, composition and continuityExcellent attention to detail when finalizing, approving or quality controlling workAbility to balance quick turnaround while achieving a high degree of aesthetic qualitySKILLS AND ABILITIESTechnical skillsExpert level knowledge of MayaA working knowledge of Motion Capture and/or Rigging is a plusCore skillsAbility to troubleshoot and deal with competing priorities and projectsCapable of managing a team of artists; setting expectations, and managing their timeAbility to assess artist’s strengths and weaknesses to assign tasks and manage workflowAbility to train and coach artists in animation techniques and best practiceAbility to adapt quickly to new technologies and applicationsAbility to teach new techniques and apply new approaches to push Animation to the next levelStrong leadership skillsExcellent time management and communication skills#J-18808-Ljbffr

📌 Animator - Lead - $136,500 - $140,400 A Year (Winnipeg)
🏢 Image Engine
📍 Winnipeg