Lead Lighting Artist - Real-Time AAA Cinematics (Unreal 5)

Cloud Chamber; Novato (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401(k)

Paid holidays

Paid vacation 15–25 days

Parental leave

Job summary

Cloud Chamber is seeking a Lead Lighting Artist to shape visual narrative and atmosphere for BioShock-inspired environments. You will lead lighting artists, develop efficient pipelines, and collaborate with design, art, engineering, inspiration teams to deliver world-class visuals.

You will mentor artists, establish best practices, and push for continuous improvement while maintaining high standards and strong cross-team communication.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in real-time lighting and final rendering, with a proven track record as an Art Lead on at least one shipped AAA title.
• Deep understanding of PBR, runtime optimization, lighting for in-game cinematics, and practical expertise with Unreal Engine 5 (Lumen Lighting and Sequencer).
• Proven history of recruiting, mentoring, and retaining top artistic talent while managing workload and team well-being.
• Experience collaborating with Core Tech and Production teams to optimize real-time pipelines.

Responsibilities

• Lead a team of lighting artists and provide guidance, feedback, and mentorship to ensure high-quality results.
• Establish best practices and standards within the team to drive productivity, quality, and excellence.
• Foster a positive, proactive, and agile work environment that encourages innovation and collaboration.
• Collaborate closely with the Art Director and other leads to uphold the visual style and direction for lighting.
• Develop and maintain a consistent lighting pipeline and workflows, acting as primary contact for issues and resolving roadblocks.
• Research and implement new lighting techniques and technologies for continuous development and improvement.
• Collaborate with Core Tech, Production, and other art groups to ensure cohesive and optimized real-time pipelines.
• Monitor project progress and communicate updates to stakeholders, adjusting priorities as needed.
• Receive and apply constructive feedback as part of our iterative process.

Skills

Real-time lighting

Unreal Engine 5

Mentoring

Pipeline development

Tools

Sequencer

Lumen

Job description

Cloud Chamber is seeking a Lead Lighting Artist to shape visual narrative and atmosphere for BioShock-inspired environments. You will lead lighting artists, develop efficient pipelines, and collaborate with design, art, engineering, inspiration teams to deliver world-class visuals.

You will mentor artists, establish best practices, and push for continuous improvement while maintaining high standards and strong cross-team communication.