Remote Lead Character Artist

Placements24; Mbombela (Nelspruit); Hybrid; ZAR 15,005,000 - 21,674,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Health benefits

Performance bonuses

Remote work

Job summary

Placements24 is seeking a Lead Character Artist for a fully remote role with a globally distributed team. You will guide a team of artists in creating high‑fidelity characters for upcoming titles, define artistic direction, and ensure stylistic consistency across projects.

The ideal candidate has 7+ years in game character art, an outstanding portfolio, expertise in ZBrush, and proficiency in Maya/Max/Blender, Substance Painter, and engine pipelines like Unreal or Unity.

Qualifications

• Significant experience (7+ years) in character art for video games with leadership experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead, mentor, and manage a team of character artists, providing artistic direction and technical guidance.

Skills

Character leadership

3D character art

Texturing

Rigging

Art direction

Leadership

Unreal Engine

Unity

Tools

ZBrush

Maya

3ds Max

Blender

Substance Painter

Photoshop

Unreal Engine

Unity

Job description

About the Role

Our client, a globally recognized game development studio, is seeking an exceptionally talented and experienced Lead Character Artist to join our fully remote team. This is a critical leadership role where you will guide a team of character artists in creating high-quality, compelling characters for our upcoming flagship titles. You will be responsible for setting the artistic direction for character development, ensuring stylistic consistency, and mentoring team members to achieve their full potential. The ideal candidate possesses a profound understanding of anatomy, form, color, and a mastery of character modeling, sculpting, texturing, and rigging. This is a fantastic opportunity to shape the visual identity of characters from anywhere, working with a dynamic and collaborative international team.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead, mentor, and manage a team of character artists, providing artistic direction and technical guidance.
• Oversee the creation of high-fidelity 3D character models, including sculpting, retopology, UV mapping, texturing, and material creation.
• Establish and maintain character art style guides and ensure consistency across all characters in a project.
• Collaborate closely with game designers, animators, and technical artists to ensure characters are optimized for performance and gameplay.
• Conduct regular reviews of character art, providing constructive feedback to improve quality and adherence to the artistic vision.
• Develop and refine character art pipelines and workflows for efficiency and quality.
• Stay abreast of the latest trends and technologies in character art and related fields.
• Ensure characters meet technical requirements for rigging, animation, and rendering.
• Foster a positive and productive team environment, encouraging creativity and skill development.

Requirements

• Significant experience (7+ years) in character art for video games, with proven leadership experience.
• A strong portfolio demonstrating exceptional character art skills across various styles and platforms.
• Expertise in 3D sculpting software such as ZBrush.
• Proficiency in 3D modeling software (Maya, 3ds Max, Blender) and texturing tools (Substance Painter, Photoshop).
• Deep understanding of human and creature anatomy, proportions, and form.
• Experience with game engines (Unreal Engine, Unity) and understanding of real-time rendering techniques.
• Knowledge of character rigging and animation pipelines is a plus.
• Excellent communication, leadership, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to provide clear and actionable feedback.
• Proven ability to manage a team and deliver high-quality assets on schedule, in a remote setting.

Benefits

Our client offers a highly competitive salary, comprehensive health benefits, performance bonuses, and extensive opportunities for professional growth and development within a leading global game studio. As a fully remote position, you will enjoy the flexibility to work from your ideal location while collaborating with a world-class team. We provide access to cutting-edge tools and foster a culture of innovation and artistic excellence. Join our client and lead the creation of unforgettable characters in the gaming world.