Lead Character Artist [Fixed Term]

Avalanche Studios Group; Stockholms kommun; On-site; SEK 700,204 - 915,652; Full time

Job summary

Avalanche Studios Group is looking for a talented Lead Character Artist to join our dynamic Development team in Stockholm. You will translate the artistic vision into outstanding visuals, emphasizing animal and creature design, while leading a team of artists.

Your experience in game development and leadership will help foster creativity and collaboration within our team. The role requires a presence in the office part-time to boost team synergy and drive creative excellence.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in game development, particularly in Art departments.
• Deep understanding of realistic anatomy and creature-specific production challenges.
• Proven leadership skills with a track record of developing high-performing teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead and inspire a team of artists to deliver exceptional visual quality.
• Act as a subject-matter expert in animal anatomy and realism.
• Collaborate with various stakeholders to resolve bottlenecks and improve workflows.
• Mentor team members and support their professional development.

Skills

Animal and creature design

Realistic anatomy

Leadership

Communication skills

Game development experience

Job description

We are seeking a talented Lead Character Artist to join our dynamic Development team at Avalanche Studios Group in Stockholm. In this role, you'll act as a vital link between our Art Director and a team of artists, ensuring the artistic vision is translated into outstanding visual content, with a strong emphasis on animal and creature design. If you're passionate about leadership, realism-driven creature art, and long-term creative excellence, we want to hear from you.

What you'll do

• Lead and inspire a team of talented artists, clearly communicating and implementing the artistic vision to deliver exceptional quality visuals, with a strong focus on animals and characters.
• Act as a subject‑matter expert in animal anatomy, behavior, and realism, ensuring authenticity and visual credibility across all creature assets.
• Oversee visual asset creation, ensuring artwork meets productivity, delivery, and quality benchmarks throughout the pipeline.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with designers, developers, and other stakeholders to resolve bottlenecks, improve workflows, and foster a positive, high-performing team culture.
• Occasionally contribute hands‑on to asset creation, using your artistic expertise to guide quality, consistency, and problem-solving at a high level.
• Advocate for systemic improvements, scalable solutions, and long-term thinking within art production and pipelines.

People Management

• Support your direct reports throughout their entire employee journey, from hiring and onboarding to performance evaluations and career growth.
• Actively engage in team members’ professional development by providing constructive feedback, mentorship, and clear growth paths.
• Handle administrative responsibilities such as approving time reports, leave requests, and maintaining accurate employee records.
• Serve as a company representative regarding organizational, cultural, and legal responsibilities, ensuring compliance with workplace standards, employee privacy, and working conditions.

Who you are

• Extensive experience in game development within Art departments, with a high degree of expertise in animal and creature design, as well as strong foundations in general character art.
• Deep understanding of realistic anatomy, materials, fur/skin workflows, and creature-specific production challenges.
• Proven leadership skills with a track record of coaching and developing high-performing art teams.
• Strong organizational and communication skills, able to align artistic goals across multiple disciplines.
• Experience with or strong interest in pipeline creation, optimization, and long-term workflow improvements.
• A proactive, solution-oriented mindset and a passion for improving both creative quality and production efficiency.

The Stockholm location

Our Stockholm office is situated in Södermalm, the beating heart of the city's game industry. It's a physical representation of our games – the lush vegetation of Just Cause and the Hunter: Call of the Wild meets corroded metal straight out of Mad Max. Our hybrid model requires you to be in the office on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays to foster collaboration and creativity.