Senior Character Artist - Unannounced Project - M/F/NB

Ubisoft is seeking a Senior Character Artist to join a small, senior-level design team on an unannounced project in Montpellier. The role involves translating artistic intentions into 3D, developing technical and artistic production solutions, character modeling for key figures (main character, boss, NPC), and acting as a mentor for junior profiles or freelancers. The ideal candidate is experienced, reliable, autonomous, curious, and passionate about bringing game characters to life with a strong artistic identity.

Must Have

• Several years of experience in video game character production
• Experience on a game with a strong artistic vision
• Portfolio demonstrating anatomical knowledge, form quality, visual storytelling, and material quality
• Ability to translate 2D concepts into 3D assets (main hero to background NPC)
• Knowledge of proportion harmony and readable silhouettes
• Mastery of ZBrush, Maya, Marvelous, Substance (Painter/Designer)
• Mastery of video game character creation technologies and pipelines (scans, photogrammetry, groom, hair cards, FACS, shaders, topology)
• Solid experience in Character Modeling
• Comfort with game engines
• Understanding project constraints to deliver within production deadlines
• Proactive in pushing render quality in-game context
• Ability to give and receive feedback and share best practices
• Openness to feedback (DA revisions, gameplay rebalancing, engine optimization)
• Understanding other teams' needs and technical constraints
• Ability to share knowledge with junior profiles

Good to Have

• Attention to detail and expertise in focusing efforts
• Ability to communicate vision and build trust
• Capacity to challenge oneself with innovative solutions and manage change agilely
• Ability to elevate others and inspire them to excel
• Cinema/VFX profiles welcome if familiar with real-time

Perks & Benefits

• Flexible hours
• Possibility of remote work under Ubisoft charter conditions
• 20 days of remote work per year from an EU country (for EU citizens)
• 50% reimbursement of public transport pass or bicycle mileage allowance
• Access to game library (Ubisoft, competitors, consoles)
• CSE (Works Council) with preferential rates for shows, cinemas, concerts, gyms, amusement parks

Company Description

Ubisoft is a global leader in video games, with teams around the world creating original and memorable gaming experiences, from Assassin's Creed to Rainbow Six, Just Dance, and many more. We believe that diversity of perspectives advances both players and teams. If you are passionate about innovation and want to push the boundaries of entertainment, join our adventure and help us create the unknown!

Job Description

Come strengthen a small design team on an unannounced project with a Senior team.

What you will do:

• Work on translating artistic intentions into 3D
• Think about technical and artistic production solutions that allow translating artistic direction into 3D, with methods that optimize production
• Character modeling on key characters: Main character, Boss, NPC (to be shared with other principals)
• Professional contact for more junior or freelance profiles (around 4/5)

Your future work environment:

• Small team based in Montpellier
• Collaboration with specialized seniors.
• Tools used: Zbrush, Maya, Marvelous

Qualifications

What we are looking for:

An experienced, reliable, autonomous, and curious character artist. You are passionate about bringing game characters to life with a strong and varied artistic identity. You pay particular attention to the quality of your work. You understand the needs of other professions so that your work is perfectly integrated into the game world and experience.

Key skills for this position

• Several years of experience in video game character production.
• Experience on a game with a strong artistic vision.
• Portfolio demonstrating: anatomical knowledge, form quality, visual storytelling, material quality.
• Cinema/VFX profiles welcome if familiar with real-time.

Artistic skills

• You know how to translate a 2D concept into 3D assets, from the main hero to background NPCs.
• You have knowledge of proportion harmony and readable silhouettes
• You master ZBrush, Maya, Marvelous, Substance (Painter/Designer) tools.
• You master technologies and pipelines related to character creation for video games (scans, photogrammetry, groom, hair cards, FACS, shaders, topology, ...).

Technical:

• Solid experience in Character Modeling (share your best work via your portfolio).
• Comfort with game engines

Reliability & Ownership

• You understand project constraints to deliver within production deadlines.
• You are proactive: you push the quality of your renders even in their in-game context.

Team spirit and Mentoring

• You know how to give and receive feedback with your peers and share best practices.
• You remain open to feedback: artistic direction revisions, gameplay rebalancing, engine optimization, etc.
• You understand the needs of other teams and technical constraints to achieve the best renders in the game.
• You know how to share with junior profiles
• You encourage cooperation between teams and know how to unite.

What will make you successful

• Your attention to detail… and your expertise in knowing where to focus your efforts.
• Your ability to communicate your vision and inspire trust and commitment
• Your ability to challenge yourself by proposing innovative solutions to complex problems but also by effectively managing change and uncertain situations thanks to your agile mind
• Your way of elevating others by encouraging them to surpass themselves.

Additional Information

The recruitment process:

Our recruitment process

• Review of your application: our team will review it carefully.
• Quick pre-qualification (30 min max by phone): if your profile matches, you will have a first phone exchange to validate certain points.
• Interview 1: Discovery (1h, video conference): an exchange with a member of the recruitment team to get to know you better and check the suitability of your background with our expectations.
• Interview 2: Technical (1h, video conference): a discussion with two team members, more technically oriented, to get into the specifics and speak the same language.

A technical test step may be planned to better understand your way of working and your technical sensitivity

Other info:

Location: Montpellier

Start date: you can join the team as soon as possible

Remote work:

We adopt a hybrid work model that helps you stay connected with your team and aligned with company priorities, while giving you the opportunity to maintain your work-life balance. Note that some roles are entirely office-based and are not eligible for hybrid work.

Consult this guide which aims to support you in your application, and discover our actions to encourage more diversity and inclusion.

Joining Ubisoft Montpellier means having access from day one to:

• Flexibility in your hours and the possibility of working remotely under the conditions provided by the Ubisoft charter.
• 20 days of remote work per year from a European Union country (reserved for European citizenship profiles);
• Reimbursement of 50% of your transport pass or a mileage allowance if you use a bicycle as a mode of transport;
• Our game library where you can borrow the latest Ubisoft games, those of competitors, and consoles;
• Our CSE and its preferential rates on a wide range of shows, cinemas, concerts, gyms, amusement parks, and many other good deals.

As an employer, Ubisoft offers everyone the same opportunities for employment without distinction of gender, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, social status, disability, and age. Ubisoft strives to develop an inclusive work environment that reflects the diversity of its player community in its teams.

Ubisoft is actively working to reduce its carbon footprint and mobilize its communities as part of its Play Green commitment.

All information will be treated confidentially in accordance with the Employment Equity Act.

Consult this guide which aims to support you in your application, and discover our actions to encourage more diversity and inclusion.