CG FX Lead

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 and Stranger Things animated series, as well as our production Tales From Outer Suburbia by Shaun Tan. 

*Please note that this is an Expression of Interest for roles starting early 2026 - must be open to relocate to Sydney, no remote opportunities available.*

About the role:

• Work closely with the creative Supervisors to establish and drive the look and animation of the visual FX for the series;
• Lead and produce scene specific and/or reusable 3D effects for the Program/s that fulfils the creative standards of the project as advised by the creative Supervisor/s;
• Direct, inspire and mentor all crew assigned to the effects department;
• Carry out regular performance management with effects crew, guided by the Producer;
• Review work daily and provide clear feedback to the crew to ensure that the creative and technical requirements for the Program is maintained;
• Direct and maintain an effects library in order to set the style and benchmark of the series as well as aid in reusing as much as possible to maintain efficiency;
• Clearly understand the creative requirements of the Program and help develop workflows and techniques that will ensure that these requirements are met;
• Work to deadlines as briefed by the Production crew, ensuring that any pressure points in the schedule are planned for;
• Work with relevant Production Coordinator/s to inform and establish shots ready for Animation Supervisor/s review and to ensure that the status of each shot is known, allowing them to track the progression of shots;
• Lookdev of effects to explore and establish new effects.
• Generation of compatible caches to export into various software including Katana, Maya, Houdini and Nuke;
• Rendering effects as show compatible image format elements to insert into comp;
• Effects to include the full range of customary CG effects including particles, fluids, destruction and also particle systems to drive crowd cycle paths;
• Establishment of successful working relationships with key members of production and crew.

About you:

• Be able to work within a team and maintain good team dynamics;
• Ability to problem solve and predict potential problems with assigned tasks;
• Ability to self manage and complete tasks within production deadlines;
• Communicate and seek information when necessary;
• Be adaptable, flexible and responsive to changes;

• Experience producing effects using Maya;
• Proficient in Houdini;
• Ability to comp in Nuke;
• Experience using Katana for rendering.

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 an industry leading studio space in Alexandria, complete with a cinema, quiet room, Zen Garden, games room, and state of the art animation facilities.
• Breakfast is served daily - on us!
• We have cake days, movie nights, wrap parties & a culture club dedicated to coordinating our busy social calendar!
• The Barkers have big hearts too, with our Paws for a Cause fundraising arm raising much needed funds for charities such as Beyond Blue, RSPCA and the Cancer Council.
• We love dogs and you will often see some of our regular fluffy companions in the studio.
• We have a hybrid approach to work with flexible work from home days on offer.
• Career development is important to us so we offer training and support opportunities whenever possible.
• Our employees say our culture is the best they've ever experienced - everyone is welcome and celebrated!
• You'll have access to mental health resources and free counselling via our Employee Assistance Provider, Support Act.

Flying Bark Productions is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer.