Principal Concept Artist

Frontier; Cambridge (MA); Hybrid; USD 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working hours

Annual bonus

Private family healthcare

Cycle to Work scheme

In-house subsidised catering

Job summary

Frontier is looking for a Principal Concept Artist in Cambridge to elevate the visual direction of their projects. This role combines exceptional artistic skills and leadership, focusing on producing high-quality concept art across diverse content areas.

The ideal candidate will work closely with the Art Director and cross-disciplinary teams, leading the concept team, mentoring artists, and ensuring alignment with project goals. Frontier offers a supportive work environment and a comprehensive benefits package, including flexible working options.

Qualifications

• Strong portfolio demonstrating expert-level concept design.
• Significant experience in senior concept art roles.
• Deep understanding of anatomy, composition, perspective.
• Proven ability to translate artistic vision into clear directions.
• Experience mentoring and developing artists.

Responsibilities

• Define and guide the creation of high-quality concept art.
• Work closely with the Art Director to interpret project vision.
• Lead and support the concept team within the project.
• Mentor and develop artists at all levels.
• Collaborate with departments to ensure concept work supports goals.

Skills

Artistic skill

Leadership

Communication

Problem-solving

Tools

3D tools (Blender or Maya)

Job description

Frontier is an independent video game developer and publisher, crafting immersive gaming experiences with fun gameplay and unparalleled artistic quality. Renowned for its iconic creative management simulation games, Frontier captivates players worldwide with immersive and authentic game worlds. The modern studio is located in the vibrant technology hub of Cambridge (UK). The talented team at Frontier are dedicated to nurturing our existing portfolio and delivering our exciting future roadmap.

This role is offered on a full in‑studio basis or a hybrid basis (minimum 3 days per week in the studio). We can provide a comprehensive relocation support package as part of any offer, should you need to relocate.

WHAT’S THE ROLE?

We’re looking for a highly experienced Principal Concept Artist to help define and elevate the visual direction of our projects.

In this role, you’ll sit at the forefront of creative development, combining exceptional artistic skill with strategic thinking and leadership. You’ll play a key role in shaping the look and feel of our worlds, working closely with Art Direction and cross‑disciplinary teams to deliver compelling, high‑quality visual experiences.

WHAT YOU'LL BE DOING

• Define and guide the creation of high‑quality concept art across key content areas, including characters, environments, props, and visual storytelling elements.

• Work closely with the Art Director to interpret and extend the project’s visual vision, translating it into clear, actionable concept direction.

• Act as the primary concept point of contact within the project, ensuring alignment between Art Direction and concept delivery.

• Lead and support the concept team within the project, providing clear direction, feedback, and guidance to ensure consistent, high‑quality output.

• Mentor and develop artists at all levels, supporting progression, capability building, and leadership growth where appropriate.

• Take creative briefs and explore a wide range of visual solutions, refining them into strong, production‑ready directions.

• Establish and communicate clear visual targets, benchmarks, and supporting material to guide concept artists and downstream teams.

• Break down high‑level creative direction into modular, production‑ready concepts aligned with modelling, animation, design, and implementation requirements.

• Provide high‑level feedback across teams, ensuring clarity, consistency, and alignment of concept work across all areas.

• Collaborate closely with design, production, and other art disciplines to ensure concept work supports gameplay, narrative, and technical constraints.

• Represent the concept discipline in project planning, reviews, and cross‑team discussions, supporting alignment and decision‑making.

• Support planning, scoping, and prioritisation of concept work in collaboration with Production and project leadership, ensuring alignment with delivery needs.

• Contribute hands‑on concept work where appropriate to establish quality benchmarks and resolve complex visual challenges.

• Support teams in managing outsourced concept work, ensuring clear direction, effective feedback, and alignment with project standards.

• Identify and contribute to improvements in workflows, pipelines, documentation, and discipline practices, supporting efficiency, clarity, and quality across the project.

WHAT YOU'LL BRING

• A strong portfolio demonstrating expert‑level concept design across multiple disciplines and styles.

• Significant experience in senior or leadership‑level concept art roles within the games industry.

• Exceptional artistic skill, with deep understanding of anatomy, composition, perspective, lighting, and visual storytelling.

• Proven ability to translate high‑level artistic vision into clear, actionable concept direction.

• Strong understanding of how concept art supports modelling, design, gameplay, and narrative.

• Experience guiding and supporting teams to deliver high‑quality concept work.

• Demonstrated ability to provide clear, constructive feedback that improves quality and clarity of output.

• Experience mentoring and developing artists, including supporting progression and capability building.

• Experience acting as a key point of contact or leading concept direction within a project.

• Strong communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to influence across disciplines.

• Strong problem‑solving ability, able to resolve complex creative and production challenges.

• Experience working with outsourcing pipelines and supporting teams with external partners.

BONUS IF YOU HAVE

• Experience working on AAA titles or complex game worlds

• Proficiency in 3D tools such as Blender or Maya to support concept workflows

• Experience contributing to cross‑project or discipline‑level improvements in workflows, standards, or practices

• Ability to work effectively across a range of artistic styles

• Experience supporting planning, resourcing, or project setup

• Experience contributing to recruitment, hiring, or team growth initiatives

WHAT WE CAN OFFER YOU

You will work with talented and passionate people to support, develop or publish our sophisticated and enduring games, in a creative, collaborative and inclusive environment. We love what we do, and we work hard to provide outstanding experiences for our players.

Wellbeing is a big focus at Frontier, and we are continually evolving how we can support our people. We encourage a healthy work/life balance and provide a range of wellbeing activities, initiatives and sessions to support both mental and physical health.

We offer a competitive salary and benefits package, which includes a success‑based annual bonus, share option schemes, life assurance, private family healthcare, flexitime working hours, enhanced maternity/paternity leave, in‑house subsidised catering, support with relocation, a Cycle to Work scheme, free bike servicing, and social activities and events.

We strive to create an environment where everyone can fully demonstrate their capability and potential. If you therefore need any reasonable adjustments to support you during the recruitment process, please speak to your Talent Acquisition representative.

For queries, please email: [e-mail]