Material Artist / Reviewer - Freelance Contractor (US)

Lakshya Digital; United (PA); Remote; USD 60,000 - 80,000; Part time

Job summary

A leading game development studio seeks a Freelance Material Artist / Reviewer to review and approve materials for quality and consistency. Candidates must be proficient in Substance Designer, have experience in material creation, and excellent communication skills. This is a remote role that requires availability during West Coast hours and is open to candidates located in Ontario, Quebec, or British Columbia.

Qualifications

• 1+ year of experience in material artist or reviewer / outsourcing management role.
• At least one shipped title (console, PC, or equivalent).
• Strong knowledge of Substance Designer and procedural material creation.
• Experience with Unreal Engine or a comparable real-time engine.

Responsibilities

• Review materials created in Substance Designer for quality, consistency, and performance.
• Provide actionable, detailed feedback to vendors to ensure adherence to project style guides.
• Integrate approved materials into the engine, ensuring correct setup and optimization.
• Collaborate closely with technical artists to maintain pipeline efficiency.

Skills

Substance Designer

Real-time rendering optimization

Excellent communication

Attention to detail

Tools

Unreal Engine

Perforce

Git

Job description

Material Artist / Reviewer - Freelance Contractor (US) – Refined

Location: USA (Remote - Within Pacific Time Zone (PST))
Rate: $44-$45/hour USD
Employment Type: Freelance

About Lakshya Digital
Established in 2004, Lakshya Digital, a Keywords Studio, is one of the leading interactive entertainment and game development services studios globally. With production studios in Gurgaon and Pune and business offices in Tokyo and San Diego, Lakshya delivers world-class art and game development solutions to top-tier clients worldwide.

About the Role
We are seeking a skilled Material Artist / Reviewer on a freelance basis. In this role, you will review and approve materials created in Substance Designer by external vendors, ensuring they meet visual quality, technical standards, and project style guidelines. You will assess material graphs, evaluate texture quality, consistency, and performance impact, and provide clear, actionable feedback. You will also assist with integrating materials into the game engine, ensuring proper functionality and optimization. Although this role is remote, successful candidates must be located in Ontario, Quebec, or British Columbia and must be available to work West Coast (PST) hours to align with our production teams.

Responsibilities and Duties

• Review materials created in Substance Designer by external vendors for quality, consistency, and performance.
• Provide actionable, detailed feedback to vendors to ensure adherence to project style guides and technical standards.
• Integrate approved materials into the engine, ensuring correct setup, shader functionality, and optimization.
• Collaborate closely with technical artists and environment/character teams to maintain pipeline efficiency.
• Troubleshoot material issues and ensure consistent visual fidelity across the project.
• Maintain documentation and communicate best practices for material creation and review.

Minimum Qualifications

• 1+ year of experience in material artist or reviewer / outsourcing management role.
• At least one shipped title (console, PC, or equivalent).
• Strong knowledge of Substance Designer and procedural material creation.
• Experience with Unreal Engine or a comparable real-time engine.
• Understanding of material optimization for real-time rendering.
• Excellent communication and feedback delivery skills.
• Strong attention to detail and ability to maintain consistency across materials.

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience managing or reviewing outsourced material teams.
• Experience with shader authoring and engine integration.
• Familiarity with version control tools such as Perforce or Git.
• Knowledge of performance budgets and best practices for high-quality real-time materials.

Why Join Us?

At Lakshya Digital, you\'ll work on high-quality projects alongside a passionate, global team of artists and developers. Your expertise will directly contribute to crafting visually consistent, immersive materials for players worldwide.

Role Information

• Studio: Lakshya
• Location: Americas, Canada
• Area of Work: Art
• Service: Create
• Employment Type: Freelance
• Working Pattern: Remote (West Coast hours required)