Lead Character Artist

Summary 

We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Lead Character Artist to join our dynamic team. As Lead Character Artist, you will be responsible for creating and overseeing the production of high-quality character assets. You will have a direct impact on the visual identity of our games, bringing characters to life with stunning detail and artistic excellence. 

Core Responsibilities 

• Lead the character art team in the creation of high-quality character models. 
• Collaborate with the Art Director to define the visual style of characters. 
• Sculpt, model, and texture characters to meet the artistic and technical requirements of the project. 
• Contribute in planning, organization and prioritization of tasks with Production for internal, OS, and co dev partners. 
• Create and maintain character pipeline documentation for training and onboarding 
• Proactively identify risks in character art production timelines and effectively communicate risks to Production and Directors. 
• Mentor and provide feedback to other character artists. 
• Ensure character assets are optimized for performance and memory usage. 
• Work closely with rigging, animation, and technical art teams to ensure characters are ready for implementation. 
• Stay current with industry trends and techniques in character art. 

Core Qualifications 

• Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts, Game Art, or related field. 
• 7+ years of experience in character art within the video game industry. 
• Strong proficiency in Maya, ZBrush, and Substance Painter. 
• Significant experience in Unreal Engine 
• Excellent understanding of anatomy, form, and silhouette. 
• Experience with PBR and hand-painted texturing workflows. 
• Proven track record of creating high-quality character models for AAA titles. 
• Ability to lead a team and work collaboratively across departments. 

Plus if... 

• Experience with character rigging and skinning. 
• Knowledge of Marvelous Designer or similar tools for clothing simulation. 
• Experience with rigid body dynamics and cloth simulation in Unreal Engine 
• Previous work in a leadership role on a major game title. 

Description 

• Full-time job with benefits. 
• Role is on-site in Santa Monica, CA. 
• Office is located near downtown Santa Monica – near metro and freeway. 

The base pay range for this position is $150,000 to $185,000 per year. Actual compensation is based on market location and may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. We also offer a competitive package of benefits including vacation time, sick time, company holidays, parental leave, medical/dental/vision insurance, life insurance, disability insurance, and 401(k) matching to regular full-time employees. Certain roles may also be eligible for bonus and equity.