Art Director - Environment

PIE Recruitment; England; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading recruitment agency is seeking a visionary Art Director to lead the creative development of immersive 3D environments and props. This role involves establishing an artistic vision, collaborating with the existing Art Director, and mentoring a team of 3D artists. The ideal candidate will have proven experience in games or immersive experiences, expert proficiency in standard industry tools, and a strong understanding of visual storytelling. This position is based in Haverhill, near Cambridge.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in games, immersive experiences, or virtual production.
• Exceptional eye for visual storytelling and aesthetics.
• Ability to lead and inspire a creative team.

Responsibilities

• Establish and maintain the artistic vision for immersive experiences.
• Collaborate with the existing Art Director on aesthetic integration.
• Lead and mentor a team of 3D artists.

Skills

Proven experience as an Art Director or Senior 3D Artist

Expert proficiency in Maya

Expert proficiency in ZBrush

Expert proficiency in Character Creator

Expert proficiency in Photoshop

Expert proficiency in Substance Painter/Designer

Expert proficiency in Marvelous Designer

Strong understanding of real-time rendering

Strong understanding of PBR workflows

Exceptional eye for composition

Job description

Job Title: Art Director (3D Art & Immersive Experiences)

Location: Haverhill - Near Cambridge / Suffolk

Department: Creative / Art

Reports To: Chief Technology Officer

About us

A revolutionary AI solution, born out of a gaming studio based in Haverhill (Suffolk), who are reshaping the future of AI with their hyper realistic avatars who can naturally converse to great detail, in any language of your choosing.

With many uses for the product, including concierge/receptionist/exhibitor/entertainment solutions, they are attracting enormous amounts of interest already and have a large number of projects set to kick off over the next few months.

We’re seeking a visionary Art Director to lead the creative development of immersive 3D environments, props, and supporting assets for our ground-breaking experiences.

This role complements our existing Art Director, who focuses on Icons & Legend 3D Character Avatars, by owning all other aspects of visual design and art direction across projects.

You will define the artistic vision for environments, props, lighting, and scene composition, ensuring a cohesive and high-quality aesthetic that aligns with our brand and storytelling goals. This position requires mastery of industry-standard tools and workflows for real-time rendering and optimization.

The Job

• Establish and maintain the artistic vision for environments, props, and supporting assets across immersive experiences.
• Collaborate with the existing Art Director to ensure seamless integration of character and environment aesthetics.
• Lead and mentor a team of 3D artists, providing feedback on modelling, texturing, lighting, and composition.
• Oversee asset creation pipelines using Maya, ZBrush, Character Creator, Photoshop, Substance Painter/Designer, Marvelous Designer, and other tools.
• Ensure all assets meet technical requirements for real-time rendering in Unity/Unreal.
• Work with technical artists and developers to optimize assets for performance without sacrificing visual fidelity.
• Stay ahead of industry trends in 3D art, immersive environments, and virtual production techniques.
• Contribute to creative ideation and concept development for new projects and experiences.

What you’ll need to bring

• Proven experience as an Art Director or Senior 3D Artist in games, immersive experiences, or virtual production.
• Expert proficiency in Maya, ZBrush, Character Creator, Photoshop, Substance Painter/Designer, Marvelous Designer.
• Strong understanding of real-time rendering, PBR workflows, and optimization for Unity/Unreal.
• Exceptional eye for composition, colour, lighting, and visual storytelling.
• Ability to lead and inspire a creative team while collaborating cross-functionally.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills.