Lead Character Artist

BULKHEAD is hiring a Lead Character Artist to oversee the development of high-quality character assets for our projects. This role requires a strong artistic and technical background, along with leadership skills to manage a team of character artists. You will work closely with the Art Director, Lead Artists, and Production teams to ensure assets meet both technical and artistic standards.

What you'll be doing

• Visual Direction & Research – Conduct research, develop visual references, and define the character art pipeline.

• Asset Creation – Develop realistic, game-ready character assets, ensuring technical efficiency and artistic consistency.

• Leadership & Team Management – Provide direction, feedback, and mentorship to the Character Art team, ensuring timely and high-quality asset delivery.

• Collaboration – Work closely with Technical Artists, Animators, and Designers to maintain workflow efficiency.

• Pipeline & Optimization – Implement best practices for character modeling, texturing, and integration into Unreal Engine 5

• Quality Control – Review assets to maintain consistency and resolve technical or artistic challenges.

• External Partner Coordination – Oversee outsourcing where necessary, ensuring asset quality aligns with project goals.

What we're looking for

• 8+ years of experience in AAA game character art.

• Shipped at least one AAA title in a Lead or Senior role.

• Expertise in ZBrush, Maya, Substance Painter, and Unreal Engine 5.

• Strong understanding of real-time asset creation, rigging, and animation constraints.

• Experience with character pipelines and optimisation techniques.

• Ability to collaborate across disciplines and manage production schedules.

• Familiarity with scripting for pipeline automation is a plus.

The Game

You'll be working on Wardogs, an all-out-warfare multiplayer first person shooter. That means infantry combat, tank warfare, jet dog fighting, and artillery barrages. We play test the game twice a week, so you'll have lots of time to get stuck in and really be a part of the game you're creating.