Senior Visual Effects (VFX) Artist

Company Description

People Can Fly is one of the leading independent AAA game development studios. Our international team consists of hundreds of talented individuals working from offices in Poland, the UK, Ireland, the US, and Canada, as well as remotely across the globe.

Founded in 2002, we made our mark on the shooter genre with titles such as Painkiller, Bulletstorm, Gears of War: Judgment, and Outriders. As one of the most experienced Unreal Engine studios in the industry, we continue to expand on our expertise and push the boundaries of what’s possible in game development.

Our creative teams are currently working on several exciting titles: Gears of War: E-Day developed in collaboration with Microsoft; Project Echo for KRAFTON; and Lost Rift, an original IP we are developing in-house under our self-publishing model. We are also exploring new platforms and experiences with VR and other unannounced projects.

With over 20 years of experience, PCF continues to explore new horizons. We aim to combine our expertise with the creativity of the best and most forward-thinking talent in the industry, building the next generation of action games for players worldwide.

If you join us on this journey, you’ll have the chance to perfect your craft, expand your knowledge, and work alongside industry leaders to create unique, unforgettable experiences for gamers everywhere.

Job Description

We are looking for a Senior VFX Artist to join us on an exciting project! You will bring your skills and expertise to help with the following tasks and duties.

Responsibilities:

Create/implement particle and shader FX; integrate seamlessly into gameplay/cinematics; mentor and provide feedback; ensure FX run within performance budgets; use visual scripting to drive FX logic.

• Maintain artistic direction and quality
• Produce high quality VFX creation suitable technically and artistically with the project's universe and visual direction.
• Collaborate on setting artistic vision with the Art Director, as well as maintaining the quality standards across the entire development pipeline.
• Translate concept art and any other available game design documents into prototype and implement it as real-time VFX in game.
• Oversee and facilitate the creation of ambient environment effects that enhance mood, tell a story, and make the world feel alive.

Production/Deadline:

• Produce work within specifications and maintain workflow pipelines within given deadlines.
• Work closely with the production team on tasks assignment and schedule to meet deadlines, also ensuring healthy work-life balance by setting clear expectations and scope of work.
• Supervision of bug fixing and describing R&D case studies in knowledge base.
• Understand and employ established asset organizational structures and naming conventions to ensure cohesion within the VFX pipeline.

Feedback:

• Provide day-to-day feedback improvement to visual quality.
• Working with the team to find solutions and creatively solve problems.
• Oversee and facilitate the creation of gameplay effects that make the world feel exciting, and that give the player necessary gameplay feedback.

Collaboration/Communication:

• Knowledge sharing and mentoring peers.
• Collaborate with Tech Art and drive R&D initiatives, to explore new techniques and implement improvements to pipelines and workflows.
• Work with developers in multiple disciplines and ensure that work gets integrated into the build.
• Collaborates and communicates effectively across departments with other Leads, Directors, and project stakeholders to ensure efficiency and minimize miscommunication.
• Work with designers to create effects for scripted events and story moments.
• Work with the lighting department to create atmosphere, a sense of depth in the scene, and to reinforce the color palette.
• Conduct consistent performance and compensation reviews of staff members.
• Conduct recruitment projects with HR collaboration.

Qualifications

• Proven VFX Artist experience; stylized FX knowledge; shader-building skills; particle systems experience (Niagara, VFX Graph, Houdini); Maya or equivalent; strong communication; proactive problem-solving.
• Expected to interface frequently with client stakeholders, aligning FX work with animation, combat design, and engineering. Must be proactive in surfacing risks around performance, readability, and consistency across legacy-converted assets.
• Requires strong grounding in stylized real-time VFX, shader authoring, and visual scripting (Blueprint-like systems). Comfort balancing art direction with technical constraints is essential.
• Strong communication is required: able to liaise with design, animation, lighting, and engineering without hand-holding, validating effects directly in game builds.
• Needs to thrive in client’s tool-driven environment, where automation, reusability, and scalability are expected. Must adapt legacy FX assets into modern PBR/shader pipelines without losing the intent of the original.
• Acts as a mentor: helps guide partners and junior FX artists in balancing artistic vision with runtime efficiency.
• Should be an avid player of melee action games, understanding how FX timing, readability, and style influence combat feel.
• VFX artists need to be performance-aware and gameplay-driven, not purely stylistic.
• Must be comfortable building FX shaders, scripting FX logic, and debugging complex real-time FX.
• Capable of supporting automation in FX pipelines (e.g., Houdini procedural systems, batch conversion of legacy particle libraries).
• Able to bridge legacy particle/flipbook FX into modern GPU-driven workflows (VFX Graph, in-house systems).

Preferred:

• AAA shipped title(s); experience with game engines; ability to draw FX textures and flipbook animations.

Additional Information

What we offer:

• Benefit package 100% paid by PCF. The insurance company reimburses 100% of claims (Up to $1000 per service a year, as well as individual family coverage).
• Full Dental coverage, including major dental.
• 4% RRSP matching before tax deductions, 100% vested on day 1.
• Paid week off during Winter Holidays.
• 20 paid vacation days and 5 paid sick days.
• Free virtual health and mental well-being sessions are included in the plan for members and their dependents.
• Personal development opportunities and ability to work in a global environment.
• Work in a creative team with people full of passion for what they do.