Lead Lighting Artist

Placements24; Noord-Kaap; On-site; ZAR 600,000 - 900,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Health insurance

Paid time off

Learning resources

Creative studio

Job summary

Placements24 in Kimberley is seeking a Lead Lighting Artist with 5+ years in game lighting to guide the art team and shape mood through light and shadow. You will set lighting standards, develop strategies, and oversee implementation across environments and cinematics.

You will work with environment artists, tech artists, and directors to meet visual targets and ensure lighting enhances player experience, with opportunities to mentor juniors.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years as a Lighting Artist in the game industry, with at least 2 years in a lead or senior capacity.
• Proficiency with industry-standard lighting tools and game engines (Unreal Engine, Unity).
• Strong understanding of color theory, composition, and the principles of light and shadow.
• Experience with real-time lighting techniques, including baked lighting, dynamic lighting, and global illumination.
• Excellent artistic eye and the ability to translate art direction into tangible lighting solutions.
• Strong communication and leadership skills, with the ability to mentor and inspire a team.

Responsibilities

• Lead the lighting team, setting artistic direction and providing technical guidance.
• Develop and implement lighting strategies and solutions for game environments and cinematics.
• Create visually appealing and performant lighting setups that enhance mood and atmosphere.
• Collaborate with environment artists to ensure lighting integrates seamlessly with scene composition and assets.
• Optimize lighting performance to meet target frame rates and hardware specifications.
• Mentor junior lighting artists and conduct quality assurance reviews of lighting work.

Skills

Leadership

Lighting techniques

Unreal Engine

Unity

Color theory

Mentoring

Tools

Unreal Engine

Unity

Global Illumination

Job description

About the Role

Our client is seeking a talented and experienced Lead Lighting Artist to guide their art team in Kimberley . This role is essential for establishing the mood, atmosphere, and visual storytelling of our projects through masterful use of light and shadow. You will be responsible for setting lighting standards, developing lighting strategies, and overseeing the implementation of lighting across environments and scenes. Working closely with environment artists, technical artists, and directors, you will ensure that our visual targets are met and that lighting contributes significantly to the overall player experience. This is a fantastic opportunity to lead artistic direction in a key visual discipline.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the lighting team, setting artistic direction and providing technical guidance.
• Develop and implement lighting strategies and solutions for game environments and cinematics.
• Create visually appealing and performant lighting setups that enhance mood and atmosphere.
• Collaborate with environment artists to ensure lighting integrates seamlessly with scene composition and assets.
• Optimize lighting performance to meet target frame rates and hardware specifications.
• Mentor junior lighting artists and conduct quality assurance reviews of lighting work.

Requirements

• Minimum 5 years of experience as a Lighting Artist in the game industry, with at least 2 years in a lead or senior capacity.
• Proficiency with industry-standard lighting tools and game engines (e.g., Unreal Engine, Unity).
• Strong understanding of color theory, composition, and principles of light and shadow.
• Experience with real-time lighting techniques, including baked lighting, dynamic lighting, and global illumination.
• Excellent artistic eye and the ability to translate art direction into tangible lighting solutions.
• Strong communication and leadership skills, with the ability to mentor and inspire a team.

Benefits

• Competitive salary and bonus opportunities.
• Opportunity to lead lighting efforts on visually impressive projects in Kimberley .
• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance.
• Generous paid time off and holidays.
• Access to continuous learning and professional development resources.
• A collaborative and creative studio environment dedicated to producing high-quality games.