Lead Lighting Artist

Placements24; Klerksdorp; Hybrid; ZAR 700,000 - 1,000,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Hybrid work

Advanced tools

Collaborative culture

Job summary

Placements24 seeks an experienced Lead Lighting Artist to guide the visual development team in Klerksdorp. You will define mood, atmosphere, and fidelity across projects, leading lighting artists and ensuring consistency in scenes.

You will develop lighting strategies, create stunning setups for environments and characters, collaborate with art and design to achieve a unified visual style, and optimize performance while adopting the latest lighting techniques.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Graphics, Fine Arts or related field.
• 7+ years lighting for games/VFX with at least 2 years in a lead role.
• Proficiency with Unreal Engine and Unity; strong rendering knowledge.

Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor a team of lighting artists with technical and artistic direction.
• Develop and implement lighting strategies to enhance mood, gameplay and storytelling.
• Create lighting setups for environments and characters that are visually stunning and technically sound.
• Collaborate with concept, environment and TD teams to align on visual style.
• Optimize lighting performance for smooth frame rates and efficient rendering.
• Stay updated on new lighting tech and techniques.

Skills

Team leadership

Lighting design

Color theory

Cinematic composition

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Graphics or Fine Arts

Tools

Unreal Engine

Unity

Shaders

Job description

About the Role

Our client is seeking an experienced and visionary Lead Lighting Artist to guide their visual development team in Klerksdorp . This role is crucial for defining the mood, atmosphere, and visual fidelity of our projects through expert lighting techniques. You will lead a team of lighting artists, ensuring consistency and quality across all scenes, and collaborate closely with other art and design departments to achieve the desired artistic direction. This is an exciting opportunity to significantly influence the aesthetic quality of high‑profile projects, contributing to the creative excellence of the studio within the North West region.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor a team of lighting artists, providing technical and artistic direction.
• Develop and implement lighting strategies that enhance mood, gameplay, and visual storytelling.
• Create stunning and technically sound lighting setups for environments and characters.
• Collaborate with concept artists, environment artists, and technical directors to achieve a unified visual style.
• Optimize lighting performance to ensure smooth frame rates and efficient rendering.
• Stay up-to-date with the latest advancements in lighting technology and techniques.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Graphics, Fine Arts, or a related field.
• Minimum of 7 years of experience in lighting for games or visual effects, with at least 2 years in a lead role.
• Proficiency with industry‑standard lighting software and game engines (e.g., Unreal Engine, Unity).
• Strong understanding of light, color theory, composition, and cinematic composition.
• Experience with rendering techniques, shaders, and optimization.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and problem‑solving skills.

Benefits

• Competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package.
• Hybrid work environment offering a balance of office and remote work.
• Opportunity to lead a talented team and shape the visual direction of exciting projects in Klerksdorp.
• Access to advanced tools and technologies.
• A collaborative and supportive work culture within the North West.