Art Lead

1 Month ago • All levels • Art • $110,000 PA - $144,000 PA

Job Summary

Job Description

Crystal Dynamics is seeking an Art Lead to oversee in-game art development. This role involves guiding internal and external teams, ensuring alignment with artistic vision and technical standards. Responsibilities include providing feedback, developing documentation, collaborating with the Art Director, managing outsourcing pipelines, negotiating vendor contracts, and mentoring artists. The Art Lead will also stay updated on industry trends and participate in cross-discipline discussions. The company offers competitive salaries, comprehensive benefits including employer-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance, professional development, and flexible hybrid work options.
Must have:
  • Senior/lead game artist experience.
  • Excellent written/verbal communication.
  • Proficiency in Maya, Max, Substance Painter, Unreal 5, Houdini, Blender.
  • Proficiency in Project Management Software (Confluence, Miro, Jira).
  • Understanding of game engine technical constraints.
  • Strong portfolio of high-fidelity work.
  • Ability to meet with global teams across time zones.
Good to have:
  • Experience on third-person action-adventure games.
  • Experience managing outsourcing pipelines.
  • Proficiency in Unreal Engine.
  • Eagerness to work with external vendors.
  • Grasp of contract discussions and budgeting.
Perks:
  • Competitive regional salary
  • 100% employer-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance
  • Professional development reimbursement
  • Flexible hybrid on-site/off-site work opportunities
  • Company paid holidays
  • Additional paid days in December
  • Ability to accrue additional paid time-off

Job Details

Crystal Dynamics is constantly seeking the best gaming talent worldwide to add to our 30-plus year legacy of game development creating new and iconic franchises. We are committed to making great games with great people and living the dream while doing it.

Benefits for our regular full-time positions include, but are not limited to, a competitive regional salary, 100% employer-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance options, professional development reimbursement, flexible hybrid on-site/off-site work opportunities, company paid holidays, plus additional paid days in December when the studio is closed for holiday break, and the ability to accrue additional paid time-off.

Join us and shape the future of an amazing studio culture committed to creating award-winning franchises like Tomb Raider, the next Perfect Dark, and more! 


An Art Lead oversees the in-game art for the project. You will play a central role in the development and execution of the game's visual style in addition to managing the collaboration with vendors and outsourcers, making sure their contributions meet our visual and technical standards. Your technical expertise, leadership and collaboration will be vital in guiding internal teams, external co-developers and vendors.

As Art Lead, you will: 

  • Provide clear and concise feedback to internal and external teams to ensure alignment with the studio's quality standards, technical requirements, and artistic vision.
  • Develop and maintain comprehensive documentation, such as style guides and technical specifications, to foster consistent and efficient communication.
  • Be proficient in Unreal Engine and able to be a contributor; refine final art assets in industry-standard software and import them into Unreal Engine.
  • Collaborate with the Art Director and internal directors to define and carry out the game's overall visual style.
  • Manage the outsourcing pipeline, including identifying and onboarding external vendors, defining the scope of work, providing feedback and art direction, and ensuring the delivery of high-quality assets.
  • Handle vendor contract negotiations, pinpointing costs and deliverables, seeking the nod from legal and finance during this phase, and later supervising the allocated budgets.
  • Actively screen and interview prospective vendors to align with the outsourcing needs of the team.
  • Mentor and provide feedback to artists, enhancing their skills and helping them reach their full potential.
  • Stay updated on industry trends and participate in cross-discipline discussions to refine designs and techniques. 

To be considered for this role, we require the following: 

  • Experience as a senior / lead game artist, having contributed to or have significant understanding of high-quality in-game art in various disciplines (concept art, environment art, lighting, character art, etc.) for a current or next-gen PC/console release.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to provide clear feedback and art direction.
  • Proficiency with industry-specific tools such as Maya, Max, Substance Painter, Unreal 5, Houdini, Blender.
  • Proficiency in Project Management Software such as Confluence, Miro or Jira.
  • An understanding of the technical constraints of commercial game engines.
  • A strong portfolio showcasing a strong understanding of high-fidelity, photorealistic creation within a core area of game development, ie. weapons/gadgets, environment, lighting, characters, etc.
  • Able and willing to regularly meet with varied development teams located in worldwide time zones. 

Preference will be given to candidates who have: 

  • Experience working on third-person action-adventure games or similar genres.
  • Experience managing outsourcing pipelines and collaborating with external vendors.
  • Proficiency in Unreal Engine.
  • Eagerness to work with external vendors.
  • In-depth grasp of contract discussions, budgeting, and asset supervision. 

It'll be a bonus if you also have: 

  • Shipped a AAA title in a Lead / Senior role.
  • Desire to mentor as well as produce art. 

En français

Crystal Dynamics recherche Un chef de l’équipe artistique supervise l’art intégré au jeu pour le projet. Vous jouerez un rôle central dans le développement et l’exécution du style visuel du jeu, en plus de gérer la collaboration avec les fournisseurs et les sous-traitants, afin de garantir que leurs contributions respectent nos normes visuelles et techniques. Votre expertise technique, vos compétences en leadership et votre sens de la collaboration seront essentiels pour guider les équipes internes, les co-développeurs externes et les fournisseurs.

À titre de chef de l’équipe artistique, vous devrez :

  • Fournir une rétroaction claire et concise aux équipes internes et externes afin d’assurer l’alignement avec les normes de qualité du studio, les exigences techniques et la vision artistique.
  • Développer et maintenir une documentation complète (guides de style, spécifications techniques) pour garantir une communication cohérente et efficace.
  • Maîtriser Unreal Engine et être en mesure de contribuer activement; peaufiner les éléments artistiques finaux à l’aide de logiciels standards de l’industrie et les intégrer dans Unreal Engine.
  • Collaborer avec le directeur artistique et les autres directeurs internes pour définir et mettre en œuvre le style visuel global du jeu.
  • Gérer le pipeline d’externalisation, notamment en identifiant et intégrant les prestataires, en définissant la portée du travail, en fournissant de la rétroaction et une direction artistique, et en garantissant la livraison d’éléments de haute qualité.
  • Gérer la négociation des contrats des fournisseurs, en identifiant les coûts et les livrables, en obtenant l’approbation des services juridiques et financiers à cette étape, puis en supervisant les budgets alloués.
  • Sélectionner et interviewer activement les fournisseurs potentiels afin de répondre aux besoins en sous-traitance de l’équipe.
  • Encadrer et conseiller les artistes, en les aidant à développer leurs compétences et à atteindre leur plein potentiel.
  • Rester à jour sur les tendances du secteur et contribuer activement à l’évolution des designs et méthodes de travail.

Critères de sélection pour ce poste :

  • Expérience à titre d’artiste senior ou chef d’équipe artistique ayant contribué à la création ou possédant une compréhension approfondie de l’art intégré au jeu, dans diverses disciplines (art conceptuel, environnement, éclairage, personnages, etc.) pour un jeu PC ou console actuel ou nouvelle génération.
  • Excellentes compétences en communication écrite et orale, avec la capacité à fournir un feedback clair et une direction artistique pertinente.
  • Maîtrise d’outils propres à l’industrie, comme Maya, Max, Substance Painter, Unreal 5, Houdini, Blender.
  • Maîtrise de logiciels de gestion de projet tels que Confluence, Miro ou Jira.
  • Bonne compréhension des contraintes techniques liées aux moteurs de jeu commerciaux.
  • Un portfolio solide démontrant une excellente compréhension de la création haute fidélité et photoréaliste dans un domaine central du développement artistique 3D (personnages/créatures, environnements, armes/gadgets, éclairages, effets visuels, etc.).
  • Capacité et disponibilité pour rencontrer différentes équipes de développement situées dans divers fuseaux horaires à l’échelle mondiale.

Seront considérés comme des atouts supplémentaires :

  • Expérience sur des jeux d’action-aventure à la troisième personne ou genres similaires.
  • Expérience de la gestion du pipeline d’externalisation et de la collaboration avec des prestataires externes.
  • Maîtrise d’Unreal Engine.
  • Intérêt pour la collaboration avec des prestataires externes.
  • Excellente compréhension des négociations contractuelles, de la budgétisation et de la supervision des éléments artistiques.

Atout supplémentaires :

  • Avoir dirigé ou occupé un rôle de niveau senior dans le développement d’un titre AAA.
  • Désir d’encadrer en plus de produire du contenu artistique.

The pay range for this role includes the annual base salary, not including bonus and the generous benefits package that Crystal Dynamics provides all full-time employees. Individual compensation is determined by work location within our approved states or regions, as well as additional factors, including job related skills, experience, and relevant education.

Your recruiter will be able to share more information about total compensation.

Pay Range (United States)

$110,000 - $144,000 USD

Pay Range (Canada)

$115,000 - $161,000 CAD

Not sure if you are qualified? We hope that you will still choose to apply so we may review your application!


 

Please be advised that our company is aware of scammers impersonating us, and we assure you that all legitimate communication will come from the official Crystal Dynamics email address domain "@crystald.com" or will be an automated response from our applicant tracking system using "no-reply@us.greenhouse-mail.io". If you have any concerns about the validity of a message from our staff, feel free to contact us.

For more information on how to avoid scams like this please see our Jobs Scams & Phishing Attempts help page, or visit the FTC website.

 

Crystal Dynamics is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to identifying and implementing positive and persistent measures to ensure equal opportunity in the recruitment, hiring, development, training, promotion and compensation of a diverse team employee group. This includes persons of different race, color, creed, religion, sex, gender identity or gender expression, pregnancy, breastfeeding or medical conditions related to breastfeeding, genetic characteristic, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, medical condition, political affiliation, age, veteran status, uniform service member status, marital status, physical or mental disability, or citizenship, as well as any other classifications protected by applicable federal, state or local laws. Crystal Dynamics is committed to providing reasonable accommodations in accordance with applicable laws. If you require any accommodations, please notify us at your earliest convenience during the interview process.

By submitting an application, you acknowledge that you have read and understand Crystal Dynamics's Privacy Notice.

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United States (Hybrid)

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