Horizontal Talent
Horizontal Talent

Character Art Manager

Los Angeles, CA, US • Posted 2 days ago • Updated 51 minutes ago
Full Time
On-site
Compensation information provided in the description
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Job Details

Skills

  • Sketch
  • Brand
  • Publishing
  • Product Development
  • Marketing
  • Management
  • Illustration
  • Energy
  • Consumer Goods
  • Animation
  • Licensing
  • Communication
  • Collaboration
  • Adobe Photoshop
  • Adobe Illustrator
  • Drawing
  • Retail
  • Art
  • Presentations
  • Recruiting
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Job Boards

Summary

Bring beloved characters to life through original artwork that extends beyond existing production assets and supports a wide range of consumer products. This hands-on creative role blends strong illustration skills with the ability to guide artists and vendors, ensuring every piece stays true to character identity and brand standards.
Responsibilities
  • Develop fresh character poses, expressions, outfits, props, and group interactions for consumer products and related applications.
  • Sketch, refine, and revise artwork directly, stepping in on priority projects when hands-on creative support is needed.
  • Translate model sheets, turnarounds, animation references, and approved production art into assets tailored for consumer products.
  • Maintain visual consistency, ensuring artwork remains on-model, on-character, and aligned with brand standards.
  • Create drawovers and redlines to address anatomy, proportions, likeness, silhouettes, expressions, and costume details.
  • Build and organize scalable character art libraries for apparel, accessories, toys, packaging, publishing, retail, softlines, and more.
  • Identify gaps in existing artwork and recommend new assets based on title, seasonal, and business needs.
  • Brief, direct, and review the work of character artists, freelancers, vendors, and agencies from concept through final delivery.
  • Collaborate with style guides, product development, franchise, marketing, and creative production partners.
  • Prepare final assets for style guides, seasonal packs, retail programs, and global character art libraries.
  • Manage multiple creative workstreams while tracking quality, timing, and feedback across deliverables.
Skills
  • Strong portfolio showcasing character illustration, pose exploration, expression work, outfit development, and visual storytelling.
  • Excellent drawing ability with a solid understanding of anatomy, gesture, movement, proportion, silhouette, and expression.
  • Proven ability to draw established characters accurately while adding energy and personality.
  • Experience in consumer products, animation, entertainment, licensing, or a related creative field.
  • Experience creating drawovers and providing creative direction to internal or external artists.
  • Knowledge of how character artwork adapts across product categories and production methods.
  • Strong communication, presentation, collaboration, and organization skills.
  • Proficiency in Photoshop, Illustrator, and other digital drawing tools.
  • Ability to juggle multiple priorities in a fast-moving creative environment.
Preferred Skills
  • Experience developing artwork for style guides, retail programs, or global character art libraries.
  • Familiarity with working across cross-functional creative teams and external partners.
  • Ability to spot creative gaps and proactively recommend solutions.
  • Comfort presenting concepts and incorporating feedback while protecting character design integrity.
  • Experience supporting projects with a strong emphasis on franchise consistency and commercial application.

Horizontal is committed to building an inclusive environment where diverse perspectives are valued and every candidate is considered fairly. We encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and experiences, and we are dedicated to fostering equity and belonging throughout the hiring process.

By applying for this position, you acknowledge and agree that Horizontal Talent may contact you regarding your application using automated technology, including phone calls, SMS/text messages, or email, which may be delivered by our virtual AI recruiter, Alex.

Please apply through this online posting or by visiting our Job Board at Applications will be accepted for 4 weeks. For those that join the team, we offer competitive compensation and benefits including medical, dental, vision, and retirement. Check out all we have to offer and how you can become part of the Horizontal Talent Team. The pay range for this role is $94 - $135 per hour based on qualifications and experience.
Employers have access to artificial intelligence language tools (“AI”) that help generate and enhance job descriptions and AI may have been used to create this description. The position description has been reviewed for accuracy and Dice believes it to correctly reflect the job opportunity.
  • Dice Id: 10123528
  • Position Id: 76410
  • Posted 2 days ago

Company Info

About Horizontal Talent

Horizontal Integration offers two service lines. Our staffing agency places IT, digital and creative talent in both contract and permanent roles. Our digital agency provides digital marketing strategy and technology consulting on a project basis. Many of our clients take advantage of both service lines.

We are a certified Minority Business Enterprise, with more than 200 employees across our offices in Minneapolis, Denver, Dallas and Vadodara, India. We ve been consistently growing and profitable since the company was founded in 2003.

Honors:
Recognized as a "2009 Best Place to Work" by Minneapolis/St.Paul Business Journal.

Fact:
Our people and our organization are deeply rooted in IT and interactive marketing.

Horizontal is proud to be an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer. We seek to provide employment opportunities to talented, qualified candidates regardless of race, color, sex/gender including gender identity and/or expression, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, marital status, citizen status, veteran status, or any other protected classification under federal, state or local law.

In addition, Horizontal will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities. If you need to request a reasonable accommodation in order to complete the application or interview process, please contact us. All applicants applying must be legally authorized to work in the country of employment.

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Abhipsa Pati

Recruiter @ Horizontal Talent

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