Art Director

We are looking to hire an Art Director to join the team here at Starbreeze to refine and lead the artistic vision of the PAYDAY franchise. This role will require you to inspire others, both as a leader and as an artist. You will report to our Studio Art Director.

As a key production member, you’ll serve as a motivational catalyst and conduit of communication for all departments. As an artist and visionary, your concepts, guidance and support will define the look and ensure that all teams are creating a cohesive game experience.

You should have experience developing AA+ games in an Art Director role. With a deep understanding of art pipelines and look development, you will be adept at facilitating cross-team development and collaboration.

Please note that this role must be based full-time from our Stockholm studio.

Responsibilities:

• Continue to develop the creative vision, including style, tone and visual language across all facets of the PAYDAY franchise;

• Create concepts and other benchmark assets that inspire, and set the bar for production;

• Use your knowledge and experience of character and environment design to enable the team to create high quality art by coaching, mentoring and teaching through doing;

• Use your leadership skills and experience to lead the art team, and mentor and develop staff of all levels;

• Collaborate with functional Leads to facilitate and manage alignment between our departments and project needs;

• Compile or produce reference material which shapes the visual narrative and guides content teams in it’s execution;

• Make presentations regarding art direction, process, goals and results;

• Organize with other craft Leads and Directors reviewing and validating in-game assets to guarantee consistency and quality;

• Manage overall progress of our project’s development, assuring that all disciplines support each other.

Requirements:

• Proven experience working as an Art Director on AA+ games and/or live service;

• A strong art portfolio, with proven experience in character and environment design;

• Knowledge of 3D modeling and sculpting pipelines, with a willingness to teach through doing;

• Proven capacity to visualize and evolve existing brands, and successfully delivering them from concept to execution;

• Strong inter-departmental communication skills with a deep understanding of how all disciplines collaborate on a production pipeline (narrative, programming, design, animation, etc);

• Broad-mindedness, you’re open to new ideas following established art direction;

• Excellent written, verbal and visual communication skills in English;

• An experienced people leader and follower, who understands the competencies of your team, what they and you need to excel, and how to inspire great performance.

About Starbreeze

At Starbreeze, we believe games are more than just entertainment—they’re a way to bring people together. From the pulse-pounding, cooperative heists of PAYDAY to our upcoming Dungeons & Dragons adventure, we create experiences that thrive on teamwork, strategy, and the thrill of emergent gameplay. Our mission is to build vibrant games that offer infinite replayability, allowing players to forge their own stories and adventures together.

Every Starbreeze employee helps shape this vision. Whether you’re crafting intricate game worlds or developing the systems that bring players together, your creativity and passion will drive the future of cooperative gaming. Join us in our journey to create innovative, immersive experiences that unite players and redefine what gaming can achieve.

Starbreeze values diversity and inclusion, and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We welcome you as who you are, no matter where you are from or what games you play. If there are preparations or accommodations that we can make to help ensure that you have a comfortable and positive interview experience, please let us know.

What more do we offer? Well, we're glad you asked:

• Flexible working hours, with core hours of 09:30-15:30 CET, to allow you to structure your day in a way that best suits you;
• 30 paid vacation days per year, plus an extra 5 paid days off, plus 1 paid moving day - all on top of public holidays, of course!
• A generous occupational pension via Nordnet, typically ~50% above the collective agreement standard;
• Private healthcare, life, and accident insurance;
• A wellness allowance of 5000 SEK per year towards your wellness; whether that's a gym membership, tennis lessons, yoga classes, or whatever else you do for you!
• Bike leasing through Lease a Bike, with the cost deduced tax free from your gross salary;
• In office massage sessions monthly, free for all employees;
• A variety of fun events in office, from regular breakfasts and fika sessions, to our weekly DnD club;
• And let's not forget our new office itself - in the centre of Stockholm near a variety of excellent restaurants, gyms, and bars for those Friday after-works!

Sound good? Then we can’t wait to see your CV and look forward to meeting you. We recommend that you apply as soon as possible as selection and interviews are held continuously. Please submit your CV and cover letter in English.

Recruitment agencies may not submit CVs through this website or directly to hiring managers. Starbreeze Entertainment does not accept unsolicited recruitment agency CVs, and will not pay fees to any third-party agency or company that does not have a signed agreement with us.