Principal / Lead Technical Artist

About Steel City Interactive

SCI was born out of passion for video games and boxing, with the ambition to create an authentic and exciting boxing game that does justice to the sport we love. What started as a fun prototype has grown into ‘Undisputed’, the first major boxing video game in over a decade.  

SCI is a welcoming place for expression and open communication, where everyone has a voice. We’re a diverse bunch, consisting of people with decades of games industry experience, graduates and talented individuals who come from other industries. We all bring knowledge and learn from each other.

Together we are driven by ambition to bring the world of boxing into a video game like never before.  

The Role

The Principal / Lead Technical Artist is responsible for supporting all Art crafts to enable them to deliver exceptional art content across the game as well as making sure the game meets any performance/memory metrics that are impacted by the Art disciplines.

This work will encompass RnD investigation in terms of defining workflows, art pipelines, shader development, technical craft prototyping and benchmarking solutions.

Working closely with the different Art crafts and establishing the technical requirements and offering solutions for complex technical investigation.

Working closely with the engineering team to bridge that gap between the 2 crafts of development and bringing these together to deliver content that meets and exceeds expectations.

Will have a good degree of experience with managing teams and does have experience in having direct line reports. Will hold regular 1:1’s with artists to mentor, coach and develop their skills for them to succeed in their role and future career ambitions.

Alongside the Head of Art, the Principal/Lead Technical Artist will communicate updates for their specific craft. Presents with confidence, gravitas and persuasion within the team and wider organisation.

Alongside the Head of Art, they can effectively define and articulate the art vision goals and pillars for the project in a way that is clearly understandable to different audiences.

Can work closely with external development teams and offer technical art support.

Responsibilities

• Alongside the Head of Art, they share the responsibility to champion the high level vision and direction of the game and franchise.
• Oversees all aspects of Technical Art production and works closely with the production team to support and deliver content aligned to the roadmap.
• Able to build/architect/maintain an art workflow. Proficient in workflow creation. Can create and operate tools for prototyping & production.
• Will provide technical knowledge at some level for the following areas: art pipelines, game engines, optimization, how their work fits with other game disciplines, look development, rendering, lighting, materials, animations and scene setup.
• Authoring and establishing budgets. Specifically: setting them, advising others on how to best utilise them, working within them, and maintaining/iterating them.
• Able to support making builds and troubleshoot build issues.
• Able to evaluate software, hardware, and design specs, and then advise others on the discipline requirements.
• Coding, debugging and testing capability in one or more scripting or programming languages. Can implement, debug and polish the code for Art related features.
• Will create and maintain effective and accessible documentation.
• Will support designers and artists with all technical needs.
• We will lead a team of Technical Artists and oversee their personal development.
• Inspires peers to push limits of what could be achieved through the delivery of technical benchmarks.
• Will provide knowledge and skill in optimising code and content for performance and memory. Able to prioritise each individual craft budget for the specific needs of the project.
• Ability to construct optimized shader systems that are performant, hit defined visual targets.
• Outside the box thinking to bring in new potential art features related to their craft; effectively working with talent in and outside the studio.
• Assess and communicate issues and risks within reasonable timescales.
• Has a keen eye for quality, identifying areas that could be improved, ensuring their area of expertise meets the highest standards.
• Helps to mentoring and coach colleagues in their artistic development.

Knowledge, Skills & Experience

• At least 5 years in the games industry as a Principal / Lead technical artist.
• Shipped at least one game at a principal level technical artist.
• Is confident using project planning software.
• Expert in standard 3D Art software, game engines and coding languages.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Be able to work independently and as part of a team.
• Based in the UK.

What we offer

Healthy work-life balance:

• 23 days annual leave (plus bank holidays), that increases 1 day per year of service.
• Christmas shut down
• Holiday exchange programme
• Flexible working hours

Support for family life:

• Enhanced Maternity and Paternity pay
• Private Healthcare which includes Optical & Dental

Great office environment:

• A dog friendly studio based in Sheffield, with free snacks, fruit and drinks!
• Free parking

Health & wellbeing support:

• Company sick pay
• 2 days paid Mental Health leave per year
• Access to 24/7 doctors
• Employee Assistance Programme
• £300 wellbeing stipend every January

Learning support:

• Learning days
• Unlimited access to Udemy courses

Additional financial support:

• Technology scheme (up to £750)
• Discount Club at over 350 high street stores
• Discretionary Cost of Living Payments
• Relocation benefits
• Electric Car Vehicle Scheme
• Bonus

Connection and perks:

• Wrap parties & company paid outings
• Individual entertainment budget to cover team events

Steel City Interactive is an equal opportunity employer. We’re committed to building a diverse team and welcome all applications, considering them without regard to race, religion, belief, age, gender, gender expression, gender identity, gender reassignment, disability, marriage or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, sex or sexual orientation.

If you’re excited about this role and believe you would add value to our team, but don’t meet every single requirement, we would still like to hear from you – please let us know about the value you would bring in your application.

NOTICE TO APPLICANTS

Please be aware that all applications for roles submitted through our website will be managed by our external recruitment partner, Amiqus. While they will handle the processing and management of your application, your data will remain securely stored within our Applicant Tracking System (ATS). We are committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring the confidentiality of your personal information. By submitting your CV through our website, you give your permission for your application to be managed by Amiqus and to be contacted by them on SCI’s behalf.