Lead Character Artist, 3D - Internal Game Studio
Netflix
At Netflix, our mission is to entertain the world. Together, we are writing the next episode - pushing the boundaries of storytelling, global fandom and making the unimaginable a reality. We are a dream team obsessed with the uncomfortable excitement of discovering what happens when you merge creativity, intuition and cutting-edge technology. Come be a part of what’s next.
We’re seeking a highly skilled Lead Character Artist – 3D to join a nimble, build-focused team creating a high-impact, character-driven experience for a global audience. In this role, you will take full, end-to-end ownership of the character art pipeline from early prototyping and style definition through asset production, external development management, and in-engine integration, ensuring that every character feels expressive, appealing, and high-quality.
As the primary driver of our character art efforts, you will collaborate closely with the Art Director, Concept Artists, Tech Artists, Animators, and external partners to translate vision into reality. You will be hands-on enough to establish visual targets and validate quality, while also building scalable workflows and guidelines that allow our team and vendors to move quickly and confidently. Your expertise will ensure that stylized characters with non-human proportions, facial fidelity suitable for mocap, and likeness requirements from brand and talent are constructed to deform well, animate smoothly, and pass approvals seamlessly.
The ideal candidate will act as an Informed Captain for character art: aligning stakeholders, communicating clearly across disciplines, and championing solutions that serve both artistic aspirations and production realities. You know how to balance creative ambition with the constraints of schedule, performance, and evolving design needs. Your proactive curiosity, technical literacy, and eye for detail will enable you to build robust pipelines that adapt to changing requirements while maintaining consistency and quality.
You will help shape how the team operates, developing trust-based relationships within our remote, cross-discipline group and with external collaborators. You value clear communication, rapid learning, and action-led planning, and you’re motivated by the opportunity to help build and scale something great from the ground up.
THE TEAM
We’re a small, scrappy team with big ambitions and an obsession to deliver memorable, innovative gameplay combined with beloved IPs, served seamlessly within the Netflix streaming ecosystem. We’re looking for new teammates who care deeply about the experiences they create and the people they make them with, who are biased towards action, and are energized by the learning that comes with bold experimentation at an agile pace. As part of Netflix, we strive to hire the best and value integrity, excellence, respect, inclusion, and collaboration.
RESPONSIBILITES
Character Asset Pipeline Ownership
Own the end-to-end character art pipeline in close partnership with animation and technical leadership, ensuring assets are animation-ready, performant, and aligned with visual targets.
Provide subject-matter expertise on modeling and material approaches related to characters, with technical needs and performance constraints in mind (Unreal Engine 5).
Contribute to discussions and in-software validation of our tools and pipeline as they relate to character workflows.
IP Translation & Style Execution
Work with the Art Director and other resources to translate beloved IP into a cohesive in-game character expression, balancing franchise authenticity, stylization, and technical limitations.
Work closely with the Art Director and Character Concept Artist to bring the art style guide to life, honing the final look of our main character and a representative set of enemies in-engine, with project scope in mind.
Character Asset Creation & Iteration
Create game-ready 3D character models and materials, including block-ins for testing and final, shippable assets based on character concept art.
Author and iterate on stylized character hair, ensuring strong readability, appeal, and performance.
Tweak geometry of existing costumes and other character assets to meet evolving visual, technical, and gameplay needs.
Author small props and character-adjacent assets as needed to keep feedback loops fast and unblock production.
Seek and incorporate feedback, ensuring all assets are technically sound for both animation and runtime performance.
Work closely with trusted internal and external partners to ensure scope is met at quality targets.
Best Practices, Documentation & Vendors
Help develop and document character-related best practices specific to the project (e.g., topology, materials, LODs, hair workflows).
Work closely with the Art Director to provide visual and process guidance and clear feedback on vendor-made character-related assets.
Ensure vendor assets function properly within our game engine and conform to style, quality, and technical requirements.
Over time, serve as part of the reception/validation/feedback team for outsource character efforts, helping scale our character pipeline.
Team Contribution & Communication
Actively participate in art and design discussions, contributing to a small and powerful team.
Occasionally flex into adjacent art skill sets (e.g., props, light animation tasks) as a generalist to speed up feedback loops.
Communicate needs, dependencies, risks, and progress clearly to cross-discipline partners and stakeholders.
THE IDEAL CANDIDATE
Has deep experience in Unreal Engine 5.
Is a master problem-solver who can balance technical needs with high visual goals
Has great attention to detail
Has excellent instincts for stylized shape language and flow.
Has experience collaborating remotely with internal teams and external partners.
Is an insatiable learner, curious inside and outside their specialization.
Has played a variety of both AAA and indie games, and cares deeply about player experience and craft.
REQUIRED APPLICATION MATERIALS
Resume
Link to Portfolio
LOCATION
Los Angeles preferred
Will consider remote applicants who are willing to travel for work-related events and work a PST-oriented dev team schedule.
Generally, our compensation structure consists solely of an annual salary; we do not have bonuses. You choose each year how much of your compensation you want in salary versus stock options. To determine your personal top of market compensation, we rely on market indicators and consider your specific job family, background, skills, and experience to determine your compensation in the market range. The range for this role is $190,000.00 - $320,000.00. This compensation range will vary based on location.
Netflix provides comprehensive benefits including Health Plans, Mental Health support, a 401(k) Retirement Plan with employer match, Stock Option Program, Disability Programs, Health Savings and Flexible Spending Accounts, Family-forming benefits, and Life and Serious Injury Benefits. We also offer paid leave of absence programs. Full-time hourly employees accrue 35 days annually for paid time off to be used for vacation, holidays, and sick paid time off. Full-time salaried employees are immediately entitled to flexible time off. See more details about our Benefits here.
Netflix is a unique culture and environment. Learn more here.
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.
Job is open for no less than 7 days and will be removed when the position is filled.