2D Animation Director - Glitch Productions

About us:

Glitch Productions is an independent animation studio based in Australia making original, long form animated shows distributed on Youtube. Our channel has over 22 million subscribers, tens of millions of views per episode and is still growing strong. Our studio is filled with incredibly talented and passionate artists that are determined to change the way animation is produced and treated in the industry. Our biggest IP; Digital Circus, has amassed over 350 million views on the pilot alone and we have a lot more still to come.

Role Information:

The 2D Animation Director is responsible for defining, maintaining, and elevating the animation style and performance quality across the production. This role leads the animation team-ensuring consistency, appeal, and strong storytelling in every scene-while working closely with Story, Design, Layout, and Compositing departments.

The ideal candidate is a strong visual storyteller with exceptional drawing skills, a deep understanding of traditional animation principles, and proven experience guiding teams through complex 2D pipelines (e.g., Toon Boom Harmony, Adobe Animate).

Your duties will include:

Creative Leadership

• Establish and maintain the overall animation style, performance tone, and visual rhythm of the project.
• Provide clear creative direction on acting, posing, timing, and expressive performance.
• Evaluate storyboards and animatics to identify animation needs or challenges early.
• Deliver high-quality draw-overs, notes, and examples that guide animators toward consistent and appealing results.
• Participate in storyboard pitches and character design development, providing creative feedback to enhance character performance and animation readiness.

Team Direction & Collaboration

• Lead, mentor, and support a team of lead animators, animators, clean-up artists, fx animators, and junior talent.
• Collaborate with the Showrunner, Character Layout Director, Art Director, Designers, and Layout to ensure stylistic cohesion.
• Partner with Production Management to communicate priorities, review schedules, and ensure a smooth workflow across episodes or sequences.
• Review episode assignments and ensure animation sequences are appropriately staffed and supported.
• Maintain an open and inclusive feedback culture, helping the team improve performance and quality.

Quality Control

• Lead animation reviews, dailies, and creative feedback sessions.
• Review and approve, breakdowns, roughs, and final animation across the team.
• Ensure all animation adheres to model sheets, drawing guides, style bibles, and the show’s visual language.
• Identify and correct off-model drawings, unclear acting, inconsistent linework, or weak posing.
• Uphold high-quality standards while ensuring efficient and achievable workflows.

Pipeline & Technical Oversight

• Guide the implementation of best practices for a 2D pipeline (Harmony).
• Work with Technical Directors, Character Layout Director, and compositing to optimize tools, rigs, and processes.
• Troubleshoot artistic and technical issues that impact animation delivery.
• Contribute to the development of pose libraries, timing charts, animation guides, and workflow documentation.

Strategic & Production Contribution

• Participate in planning sessions to determine animation scope, style, and resource needs.
• Provide input on casting sequences to individual animators based on skill and artistic strengths.
• Collaborate with the executive team to ensure animation goals align with the creative and production vision.
• Provide feedback on production workflows and identify opportunities to improve efficiency and animation quality on the show.

A successful candidate will have:

• At least 3 years of experience as an Animation Director or Supervisor in 2D productions.
• Strong Portfolio with hand-drawn 2D animation.
• Strong understanding of human anatomy.
• Experience working with both anime and Western animation art style.
• Proficiency in Toon Boom Harmony.
• Excellent communication skills.

Our values

Glitch Productions has an art-first mindset. Regardless of which team we’re in, every single team member’s core mission is to create the best art possible, and delight our audience that has given us so much. We achieve this mission through our values:

Passion:First and foremost, every team member has a passion for the work we do and why we do it. It’s what allows us to contribute our creative energy, pitch new concepts, and give everything we make a personal touch that resonates with our fans.

Innovation: From cobbling together sets in a living room, to inventing new pipelines using breakthrough technology, we have always had a focus on innovation and new ideas. We always try to push the boundaries of our industry and keep things fresh and exciting for both the team and our audience.

Teamwork: Animation takes a big team of incredibly talented people and everyone is always ready to pitch in and lend a hand. We believe that our diversity and range of skills are what allows us to create works none of us could do on our own.

Integrity: Our integrity is the heart of our core mission. It’s what allows us to do right for our projects and for each other.

At Glitch Productions, we’re passionate about fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace that reflects our values as a creative studio.

We hire based on skills, passion and potential, and celebrate the diverse perspectives that make our team stronger. We welcome people of all races, genders, sexual orientations, gender identities, ages, educational backgrounds, abilities, and experiences.

Simply put, if you’re a good person and share our passion for animation, we want to hear from you!