Creative Lead (CGI)

Brandtech+; South Africa; Remote; ZAR 1 200 000 - 1 800 000; Full time

Job summary

A global creative technology company is looking for a Creative Director with extensive CGI expertise and AI proficiency to lead their CGI/3D team. In this role, you'll drive creative excellence, oversee CGI projects, and mentor a team of 3D artists while ensuring high-quality outputs. The ideal candidate will have at least 10+ years of experience in CGI and proven leadership skills. This position is remote, based in South Africa.

Qualifications

• Over 10 years of experience in CGI/3D, with 3-5 years of team management experience.
• Ability to manage projects from concept to completion effectively.

Responsibilities

• Lead and oversee CGI projects ensuring high quality.
• Establish creative and technical direction for all CGI content.
• Mentor and inspire a team of 3D artists.
• Work closely with producers on project objectives.
• Allocate team resources across multiple projects.
• Troubleshoot technical challenges to ensure project alignment with CGI techniques.
• Explore new tools and workflows for CGI innovation.
• Act as a client representative for all CGI work.

Skills

CGI expertise

Technical mastery in Cinema4D and 3dsMax

Leadership skills

Client management

Communication skills

Project ownership

Attention to detail

Education

Relevant degree in CGI or animation

Tools

Cinema4D

3dsMax

Adobe Creative Suite

Unreal Engine

Job description

Brandtech+ (formerly OLIVER+) is a global team of creative thinkers, tech‑savvy trendsetters, and production pros specialising in film, CGI, automation, AI, motion design, and digital/print content. We partner with over 300 clients in 40+ countries and counting, connecting them with high‑quality solutions, talent and ambitious opportunities worldwide.

As part of The Brandtech Group, we are at the forefront of leveraging cutting‑edge AI technology to revolutionise how we create and deliver work. Our AI solutions enhance efficiency, spark creativity, and drive insightful decision‑making, empowering our teams to produce innovative and impactful results.

Location: South Africa (Remote working until further notice)

About the role

We are seeking a visionary Creative Director (Lead) with deep, hands‑on CGI expertise and proficiency in AI technologies to lead our world‑class CGI/3D team in delivering visually stunning, high‑impact creative work for global brands. This is a leadership role for someone who thrives at the intersection of art, design, storytelling, and cutting‑edge technology — confidently setting a bold creative vision, leveraging AI‑driven innovation, and providing precise hands‑on direction.

You will drive creative excellence across large‑scale CGI productions, oversee the growth and development of the global team, and ensure our output pushes the boundaries of what’s possible. Those with experience leading global campaigns for renowned consumer, luxury, premium, or technology brands will have a distinct advantage. This dynamic role requires adaptability, collaboration and the ability to juggle multiple high‑priority projects in a fast‑paced environment.

What you’ll be doing

• Lead and oversee projects: Own the end‑to‑end delivery of CGI projects, ensuring high‑quality output that exceeds expectations and leveraging AI‑enhanced workflows where appropriate to boost efficiency and creativity.
• Creative direction: Establish creative and technical direction for all CGI content, including sequence set‑up, lighting, rendering and final delivery. Ensure the highest standard of work across all projects.
• Mentorship and team development: Lead, mentor and inspire a team of 3D artists and CG team leads, providing guidance, constructive feedback and career development opportunities. Motivate and influence the CG team to constantly strive for excellence in performance.
• Collaborate across teams: Work closely with producers and team leads to align on project objectives and deliverables.
• Resource management: Allocate team resources effectively across multiple projects to meet deadlines and maintain quality.
• Ensure technical excellence: Oversee the readiness of assets for review, troubleshoot technical challenges and ensure projects align with the latest CGI techniques, AI innovations and industry best practices.
• Drive innovation: Explore new tools, techniques and workflows to push the boundaries of CGI and deliver innovative solutions. Investigate, propose and implement new ways of delivering CGI services to maximize efficiency and productivity.
• Client interaction: Act as a client‑facing representative for all CGI work, presenting ideas, discussing progress and ensuring their vision is brought to life.
• Brand stewardship: Be a brand guardian by maintaining visual consistency and fidelity across all projects.

What you’ll need

• Extensive expertise in CGI: Proven experience in data prep, lighting, compositing, texturing and animation for both stills and animation.
• Technical mastery: Expert‑level proficiency in Cinema4D + Octane and 3dsMax + Vray. Experience with other tools such as Unreal Engine, Maya, Blender or Redshift is a bonus.
• Leadership skills: Demonstrated ability to lead and inspire teams, manage resources and deliver high‑quality work under tight deadlines.
• Strategic vision: Strong creative and technical vision, with the ability to set and communicate benchmarks for the team.
• Client management: Excellent client‑facing skills, able to present, defend and sell ideas effectively.
• Adobe Creative Suite: After Effects, Photoshop, Illustrator and Premiere.
• Advanced texturing tools: Adobe Substance Painter and Designer.
• Unreal Engine or other real‑time rendering tools would be desirable.
• Strong communication: Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English.
• Project ownership: Ability to take projects from concept to completion while managing time, resources and client expectations.
• Eye for detail: Impeccable attention to detail and quality assurance.
• Curiosity and innovation: A desire to continuously learn, explore and implement cutting‑edge CGI practices.
• Business development: Attend client meetings, present work, discuss needs and identify opportunities.

You’ll have

• A relevant degree, diploma or equivalent experience in CGI, animation or a related field.
• A strong showreel showcasing CGI projects, including product visualisation and animation.
• At least 10+ years of experience in CGI/3D, with 3‑5 years of team management experience.

Required experience

As the senior design practitioner within the Creative team, the Creative Director will combine first‑class design expertise, creativity and thought leadership with commercial acumen and leadership gravitas.

Our values shape everything we do

• Be Imaginative to push the boundaries of what’s possible.
• Be always learning and listening to understand.
• Be Results‑focused to exceed expectations.
• Be actively pro‑inclusive and anti‑racist across our community, clients and creations.

Brandtech+, a part of the Brandtech Group, is an equal opportunity employer committed to creating an inclusive working environment where all employees are encouraged to reach their full potential, and individual differences are valued and respected. All applicants shall be considered for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, neurodivergence, disability status or any other characteristic protected by local laws.

Brandtech+ has set ambitious environmental goals around sustainability, with science‑based emissions reduction targets. Collectively, we work towards our mission, embedding sustainability into every department and through every stage of the project lifecycle.>