Lead 3D Artist - Unannounced Project

Lightfox Games; Seattle (WA); Hybrid; USD 135,000 - 165,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health coverage

Vision coverage

Dental coverage

401(k) matching

Equity

Commuting benefits

Job summary

Lightfox Games is seeking a talented and enthusiastic Lead 3D Artist to join our Seattle, Washington based team to work on an unannounced mobile game for a world-class IP and Publisher. This role is hybrid out of our downtown Seattle office, with approximately 50% of time expected in-person.

You will own the character art pipeline, create high-quality 3D assets optimized for mobile, mentor teammates, and drive the art direction from concept to final polish.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of professional game development experience with lead-level ownership of a character or 3D art pipeline.
• Strong portfolio across a range of assets including characters and environments.
• Proficiency with Maya, ZBrush, Substance Painter/Designer, and Photoshop.
• Experience with Unity and real-time rendering constraints for mobile platforms.
• Ability to mentor artists and maintain a cohesive visual style across a team.

Responsibilities

• Own the character art pipeline end-to-end, establishing standards and workflows.
• Create high-quality 3D assets, optimized for mobile performance and IP alignment.
• Collaborate with Art Direction, Design and Engineering to maintain pipelines, standards, and best practices.
• Optimize models, textures, and materials to balance fidelity with performance.
• Mentor and provide feedback to other artists and lead the visual development from concept to final polish.

Skills

Leadership

3D modeling

Texturing

Art direction mentoring

Tools

Maya

ZBrush

Substance Painter/Designer

Photoshop

Unity

Job description

Lightfox Games is seeking a talented and enthusiastic Lead 3D Artist to join our Seattle, Washington based team to work on an unannounced mobile game for a world-class IP and Publisher. We are looking to build an organization of talented individuals operating in small teams with high levels of ownership. This role is hybrid out of our downtown Seattle office, with approximately 50% of time expected in-person. When remote, we're a quick-to-videocall, video-on studio to keep collaboration fast and effective.

Responsibilities

• Own the character art pipeline end-to-end, establishing the standards, and workflows that define the game's characters
• Create high-quality 3D assets, including characters, props, weapons, and environment art, that meet mobile performance requirements and align with the IP's visual identity
• Work across disciplines as needed, contributing to environments, levels, and architectural/building assets alongside the character pipeline
• Collaborate with Art Direction, Design, and Engineering to establish and maintain art pipelines, standards, and best practices
• Optimize models, textures, and materials to balance visual fidelity with mobile performance constraints
• Mentor and provide constructive feedback to other artists, helping elevate the overall quality bar
• Lead the visual development of the game, from early concept exploration through final in-engine polish

Requirements

• 8+ years of professional game development experience, including lead-level ownership of a character or 3D art pipeline on at least one shipped title
• Strong portfolio demonstrating expertise in 3D modeling, texturing, and material creation across a range of asset types, including characters and environments
• Proven ability to set and maintain a visual style across a team, with experience mentoring or leading other artists
• Proficiency with industry-standard tools such as Maya, ZBrush, Substance Painter/Designer, and Photoshop
• Experience with Unity and its asset pipeline
• Solid understanding of real-time rendering constraints, PBR workflows, and texture budgets for mobile platforms
• Comfortable working multi-disciplinarily across characters, props, and environments as the project requires
• Strong communication skills and a collaborative mindset, comfortable working in small, fast-moving teams

Nice to Have

• Experience working within an established IP or licensed property
• Experience with stylized art directions
• Experience with environment and level art, including architectural/building assets
• Experience leveraging AI tools in art production workflows

Compensation

US$135,000 – US$165,000 depending on experience, plus health/vision/dental coverage, 401(k) matching, commuting benefits, and equity.