Hard Surface Outsource Lead

Epic Games; Cary (NC); Remote; USD 120,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

Epic Games is seeking an experienced Hard Surface Outsourcing Lead to supervise external vendors delivering high‑quality hard surface assets for Fortnite. You will collaborate with HS Cosmetics Lead and HS Art Leads to shape creative direction and ensure assets meet Epic’s pipeline standards.

In this role you’ll manage vendor relations, review references, provide clear feedback, and occasionally contribute hands-on modeling to keep production on track.

Qualifications

• Experience shipping AAA titles across multiple platforms.
• Experience in game art asset creation in Maya, 3ds Max, ZBrush, Photoshop, Substance.
• Strong 3D modeling for hard and soft surfaces; UVs and texturing essential.
• Excellent communication with vendors and internal teams in a high‑pressure environment.

Responsibilities

• Work with HS Leads to define creative direction and onboard vendors.
• Prepare documentation, video references, and asset requirements for vendors.
• Deliver fixes to keep assets production-ready during outsourcing.
• Provide clear visual feedback to vendors at each stage.
• Coordinate with HS implementation to ingest assets into the pipeline/engine.
• Contribute hands-on art production if needed.
• Provide bug support and triage for outsourced art assets.

Skills

3D modeling

Hard surface modeling

Maya

3ds Max

ZBrush

Photoshop

Substance

UV mapping

Vendor management

Communication

Job description

WHAT MAKES US EPIC?

At the core of Epic’s success are talented, passionate people. Epic prides itself on creating a collaborative, welcoming, and creative environment. Whether it’s building award-winning games or crafting engine technology that enables others to make visually stunning interactive experiences, we’re always innovating.

Being Epic means being a part of a team that continually strives to do right by our community and users. We’re constantly innovating to raise the bar of engine and game development.

ART

What We Do

Push your artistic talent to the limit on a team of world‑class environment, character and concept artists who strive to innovate and inspire.

What You\'ll Do

Epic Games is searching for an experienced Hard Surface Outsourcing Lead to support and supervise creative hard surface content provided by outsource partners. Working alongside Hard Surface Art Leads, and reporting to the Hard Surface Cosmetics Lead, the Outsource Lead will provide front-line creative feedback for work submitted for Fortnite. Though the role will be mainly supervisory, the individual should be an experienced artist, having worked in AAA titles before, and have a solid hands‑on art background, with a very strong foundation of 3D modelling for both hard and soft surfaces. The ideal candidate would be a talented 3D artist who is able to communicate equally effectively, both with outsource partners and internal teams, to ensure the timely delivery of high quality assets to the next stage in the art pipeline. Their skills will include; a keen artistic eye for ‘clean’ 3D modeling, documenting existing pipelines, creating blockouts, paintovers and exemplar assets and, ultimately, providing clear visual feedback to vendors at each stage of the process.

In this role, you will

• Work closely with the HS Cosmetics Lead and HS Art Leads to pull together clear creative direction for the assets to be created, and then ensure this information is packaged and conveyed to the Vendor as clearly as possible. Work with Directors, Production, and internal partners to evaluate, hire, and onboard vendors
• Collect or generate detailed documentation, video reference, and examples of art asset production, procedures, and engine requirements to support the external vendors
• If required, making any needed fixes to keep assets consistent and technically game ready as they’re handed off from the outsource partner
• Clearly communicating modeling and paint feedback to the outsource partner, and ensuring those creative notes and goals are met. Informing leadership in the event that isn’t happening
• Communicating and partnering with the HS implementation team ensuring outsourced assets are ingested into the pipeline and engine correctly
• When required, some amount of hands‑on art production delivering assets for the project, ensuring they are familiar with and capable of working inside of the Epic pipeline
• Bug support, triage, and resolution for any art assets that have been created by the outsourcing team

What we\'re looking for

• Experience in shipping AAA titles across multiple platforms
• Experienced shipping 3D production assets for games in either character, weapon, or prop disciplines
• Experienced in game art asset creation in a variety of software packages including Maya, 3ds Max, Zbrush, Photoshop, Substance, etc
• Experience in modeling, creating UV's and texturing is essential
• Must be highly organized, self-driven, customer focused, and a great team player
• Must be a clear and concise communicator, able to deliver complex creative feedback across external vendor locations
• Experienced working within a team and a high pressure production environment
• You’re user-focused, passionate, solutions-focused, and innovative
• A PLUS - Fluency in languages other than English, including Chinese, German, Spanish, Italian, or Russian

This role is open to multiple locations across the US (including CA, NYC, & WA).

Pay Transparency Information

The expected annual base pay range(s) for this position are detailed below. Each base pay range is relevant only for individuals who are residents of or will be expected to work within the specified locale. Compensation varies based on a variety of factors, which include (but aren’t limited to) things such as skills and competencies, qualifications, knowledge, and experience. In addition to base pay, most employees are eligible to participate in Epic’s generous benefit plans and discretionary incentive programs (subject to the terms of those plans or programs).

New York City Base Pay Range

$136,652 — $227,754 USD

California Base Pay Range

$120,254 — $200,424 USD

Washington Base Pay Range

$109,322 — $182,204 USD

ABOUT US

Epic Games is a leading interactive entertainment company. For over 30 years we've been making award-winning games and engine technology that empowers others to make visually stunning games and 3D content that bring environments to life like never before. Epic's award-winning Unreal Engine technology not only provides game developers the ability to build high-fidelity, interactive experiences for PC, console, mobile, and VR, it is also a tool being embraced by content creators across a variety of industries such as media and entertainment, automotive, and architectural design. As we continue to build our Engine technology and develop remarkable games, we strive to build teams of world‑class talent.

Epic Games deeply values diverse teams and an inclusive work culture, and we are proud to be an Equal Opportunity employer. Learn more about our Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy here.