Jenkins started his career in 1987 as an effects animator on Who Framed Roger Rabbit. He spent most of his professional life at Walt Disney Pictures where he served as artistic coordinator on Atlantis: The Lost Empire. Before that, Jenkins was visual effects supervisor on The Hunchback of Notre Dame. He also was an effects animator on Who Framed Roger Rabbit, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King, and Hercules.
Jenkins left Disney to work at Sony Pictures Imageworks, where he conceived the idea for Surf's Up. Jenkins had been attached to direct Hotel Transylvania before leaving the company.
He worked at Blue Sky Studios in Greenwich, Connecticut, for one year during the development of Rio.
As of August 2011, Jenkins is at DreamWorks Animation, where he produced the 2015 animated feature film Home.