Department Manager; Development Phase - Remote

Tonko House is an independent animation studio founded by Pixar‑alums Robert Kondo and Dice Tsutsumi following the Academy Award nomination of their short film “The Dam Keeper.” As a critically acclaimed studio dedicated to constant exploration and creative excellence within a variety of mediums, Tonko House was nominated for an Eisner Award for The Dam Keeper Graphic Novel and received the grand prize at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival in 2018 for the episodic series, “PIG:
The Dam Keeper Poems.” Most recently Tonko House received both Annie and Emmy Awards for its Netflix Limited Series, “ONI:
Thunder God’s Tale.”

Operating a fully remote model, we connect and collaborate with top global talent. We are currently entering a critical development phase for an exciting new project, focusing heavily on script refinement, storyboards, and animatics. We are looking for an adaptive, highly organized Department Manager to guide our creative pipeline from concept to story reel.

As the Department Manager for our Development Phase, you will oversee the talent, logistics, and digital infrastructure required to build our project’s narrative blueprint. You will serve as the organizational backbone for a global, remote team of writers, storyboard artists, editors, and voice talent.

• Development Pipeline Management:
  Oversee the day‑to‑day operations and asset flow between the writer, storyboard team, editorial, and voice talent.
• Global Talent Coordination:
  Schedule, coordinate, and facilitate remote table reads, storyboard pitches, and animatic reviews across multiple time zones.
• Resource & Schedule Juggling:
  Actively manage the development schedule, ensuring script pages, story panels, and temporary audio tracks reach editors on time.
• Virtual Culture & Morale:
  Build a supportive digital environment via Slack, Zoom, and Miro to keep isolated remote creators connected, aligned, and motivated.
• Secure Asset Management:
  Collaborate with technical leads to ensure secure sharing of confidential scripts, audio stems, and visual assets across external networks.

• Animation Pre‑Production
  
  Experience:
  
  Proven experience in a production management or coordination role specifically during the development, story, or animatic phases.
• Adaptability & Organization: A self‑motivated mindset comfortable with wearing multiple hats and building remote, highly organized, workflow structures.
• Remote Tools Mastery:
  Proficient with collaborative remote software, including project trackers (e.g., Shot Grid/Flow), digital whiteboards (Miro), and / or Google Suite.
• High Emotional Intelligence:
  Exceptional communication skills with a proven ability to gauge team morale, resolve creative bottlenecks, and manage talent empathetically.