Lead Character Artist — Remote AAA Studio

Impleo; Canada; Hybrid; CAD 209,000 - 250,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision insurance

14 paid holidays

Paid vacation 15–25 days per year

Up to 10 paid sick days

Remote work flexibility

Job summary

Partner Company is seeking a Lead Character Artist in Canada to define visual direction for character development on a major AAA project. You will lead a talented team, set high artistic and technical standards, and collaborate across Art, Design, Gameplay, Animation, Environment, and Engineering to deliver distinctive stylized characters.

You will establish workflows, mentor artists, and coordinate with external partners to ensure quality and timely output while advancing pipelines and tools to

Qualifications

• 10+ years in the video game industry with at least two shipped titles as a Character Artist; first-person game experience is preferred.
• Proven experience leading, managing, and mentoring teams of character artists.
• Expert proficiency with 3D creation and character development tools, including industry-standard applications.
• Strong mastery of PBR workflows and texture creation, baking processes, Substance Painter, and Photoshop.
• Excellent traditional art knowledge with deep understanding of anatomy, proportion, composition, and color.
• Strong cross-disciplinary collaboration and ability to communicate complex concepts clearly.
• Proactive, self-motivated, and able to maintain quality under changing priorities and production pressure.
• Demonstrated emotional intelligence and ability to build trust across teams while delivering feedback.
• Strong ownership and organizational skills with meticulous attention to detail and autonomous work habits.
• Collaborative mindset, positive attitude, and commitment to maintaining a high-performing team culture.
• Proficiency in both French and English is required for candidates in Quebec, including collaboration with U.S. and international teams and technical documentation.

Responsibilities

• Lead, manage, coach, and mentor a team of character artists, supporting their professional development and output quality.
• Establish and maintain high artistic standards for character development within Unreal Engine, including workflows and reference assets.
• Collaborate with Art Directors, Directors, Concept, Environment, Design, Gameplay, Animation and other disciplines to prototype and develop character assets.
• Partner with external development and outsourcing teams to assign, schedule, review, and coordinate production.
• Contribute to material and character art pipelines, monitor team output, and identify opportunities to improve production efficiency and quality.
• Supervise bug distribution and provide input into custom tools, software, and technical solutions for the character art team.
• Stay current with technologies and production techniques to overcome creative and technical challenges.
• Provide constructive feedback, communicate priorities clearly, and maintain a collaborative team environment.

Job description

Partner Company is seeking a Lead Character Artist in Canada to define visual direction for character development on a major AAA project. You will lead a talented team, set high artistic and technical standards, and collaborate across Art, Design, Gameplay, Animation, Environment, and Engineering to deliver distinctive stylized characters.

You will establish workflows, mentor artists, and coordinate with external partners to ensure quality and timely output while advancing pipelines and tools to