Senior Lead Character Artist

Certain Affinity, Inc.; Toronto; On-site; CAD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading game development studio is seeking a Lead Character Artist with extensive experience in game development and leadership. The successful candidate will work closely with the Art Director to develop the character art style and maintain quality across projects. Responsibilities include mentoring the character art team, providing feedback, and optimizing art assets. Candidates should have at least 7 years of experience, with a proven track record in AAA titles, and strong communication skills.

Qualifications

• 7+ years in game development, with 3+ years as a lead character artist.
• Multiple shipped AAA titles in lead roles required.
• Superb communication and leadership skills essential.
• Strong understanding of art pipelines and character design.

Responsibilities

• Develop character art style and maintain quality standards.
• Lead and mentor the character art team.
• Provide feedback and critique on character artists' work.
• Collaborate with project teams to optimize art assets.

Skills

Game development

Leadership

Team communication

Problem-solving

Traditional arts

3D software proficiency

Tools

Z-Brush

Autodesk Maya

3ds Max

Substance

Quixel Suite

Adobe Photoshop

Unreal Engine

Unity

Job description

Responsibilities

• Work closely with the project Art Director to develop a style and provide consistent quality across all characters, creatures and related models
• Develop, support and challenge the individuals on the character art team to foster growth, satisfaction, and contribution
• Contribute a wide range of skills with the ability to lead by example while helping to grow a team's skills
• Provide clear and consistent feedback, direction and critique to character artists for aesthetic and technical considerations
• Help build and define the process and workflow for character creation
• Collaborate with the technical team to optimize and maintain optimal performance across all art assets
• Build and maintain partner and client relationships, trust and communication
• Work with development leads and directors to develop a strategy which provides strong character art resources to cover the studio's diverse project needs
• Collaborate with art and project leadership to coordinate character art resources, schedules, and priorities across multiple projects
• Carry out key department responsibilities that include interviewing, hiring, and training employees, reviewing work for quality, and appraising performance and resolving issues
• Serve as the external face of Certain Affinity's character art team in professional and recruiting events

Requirements

• 7+ years in game development, 3+ years specifically in a lead character artist role
• Multiple shipped AAA titles, with at least one in a Lead Character Artist role
• Superb communication and interpersonal skills, with a proven history of leading and growing a team of highly skilled artists
• Experience successfully collaborating and problem-solving issues that involve multiple disciplines
• Excellent understanding of art pipelines and workflows and how they connect with multiple disciplines
• Strong foundational knowledge in traditional arts, including, but not limited to, anatomy, figure drawing, and illustration
• Expert-level proficiency with Z-Brush, Autodesk Maya, 3ds Max, and/or other 3D software packages
• Proficiency with Algorithmic Substance, Quixel Suite, Adobe Photoshop, and/or other material and texture creation tools
• Broad experience working in a wide range of proprietary and third-party 3D game engines (Unreal, Unity, etc.)
• Ability to understand and communicate visual direction through words and images
• Understanding of how character design and construction facilitates and impacts animation
• Portfolio showing off your work
• A desire to work in a diverse and inclusive environment

Extra Credit

• Solid understanding of core principles of motion and how they impact character personality, action, and emotion
• Ability to provide constructive input and feedback in terms of character authorizing