Lead VFX Artist

4 Months ago • 10 Years +

VFX

Job Description

The Lead VFX Artist will lead a team of VFX artists, creating high-quality real-time visual effects such as explosions, fire, and weather elements. They will mentor artists, collaborate with other disciplines, and drive innovation in VFX workflows. The role involves ensuring performance, preparing briefs for outsourced work, and partnering with directors for planning and estimation. This position requires expertise in real-time and baked simulations, VFX tools, PBR concepts, and performance optimization. They will need excellent communication and presentation skills, with experience delivering high-impact work. The role requires the candidate to be in the Boston office and work in a hybrid or full-time capacity.

Must Have:

10+ years of experience in the gaming industry, with a focus on real-time VFX creation.
Proven leadership experience, with a track record of mentoring and developing talent.
Expertise in both real-time and baked simulations.
Strong knowledge of VFX tools and pipelines (Houdini, Max, Maya, etc.).
Solid understanding of PBR concepts, real-time rendering techniques, shaders, and lighting.
Deep knowledge of performance and optimization for real-time VFX.
Experience working independently to identify, own, and deliver high-impact work.
Strong knowledge of SideFX Houdini
Excellent communication, collaboration, and presentation skills.

Perks:

Company paid medical healthcare (dental vision & mental).
Paid Leave — 20 days of holiday for every team member per year (26 days after two years).
No dress-code — we like to keep it casual.
401K with employer matching.
Gym Membership Reimbursement.
Flexible working hours.
Trainings, lectures and courses — internal workshops, knowledge-sharing initiatives, online tutorials, and e-learning classes are all available. There’s always something to learn!
Merch — gifts for newborn rebels and regular chances to nab some cool swag!
A welcome pack filled with goodies — to help you feel right at home once you join the team.
Dog-friendly office — dog owner? Bring your pooch with you and look after them while working! There’s always a furry friend or two to meet at the studio.

Add these skills to join the top 1% applicants for this job

real-time-vfx

team-management

communication

leadership

rendering

oops

talent-acquisition

lighting-shading

houdini

maya

Company Description

To create revolutionary, story-driven RPGs which go straight to the hearts of gamers — this is our mission. Want to dive deeper into our company’s culture? Explore our social media and check out our YouTube channel where we share behind-the-scenes insights and stories direct from our team members!

Job Description

CD PROJEKT RED is looking for a Lead VFX Artist to join our studio in Boston to work on Cyberpunk 2, the follow-up to Cyberpunk 2077 and the next major video game in the Cyberpunk franchise. This candidate will bring their years of expertise, stellar leadership skills, meticulous attention to detail, and passion for creating world class assets to help drive the next generation of high fidelity VFX in games.

Responsibilities

Manage a team of high performing VFX artists.
Create high-quality, real-time visual effects: explosions, fire, smoke, clouds, weapons FX, debris, and weather elements.
Mentor VFX artists, fostering a culture of creativity, trust, and technical excellence.
Collaborate across multiple disciplines to support gameplay, cinematics, and environments with best-in-class VFX.
Drive innovation and research new workflows, tools, and techniques to push the boundaries of real-time VFX.
Ensure VFX content produced by the team is performant and within technical budgets.
Write and prepare briefs for outsourced work, provide feedback, and maintain quality standards.
Partner with Directors and Production to strategically plan and estimate work, ensuring alignment with project goals and timelines.

Qualifications

10+ years of experience in the gaming industry, with a focus on real-time VFX creation.
Proven leadership experience, with a track record of mentoring and developing talent.
Expertise in both real-time and baked simulations.
Strong knowledge of VFX tools and pipelines (Houdini, Max, Maya, etc.).
Solid understanding of PBR concepts, real-time rendering techniques, shaders, and lighting.
Deep knowledge of performance and optimization for real-time VFX.
Experience working independently to identify, own, and deliver high-impact work.
Strong knowledge of SideFX Houdini
Excellent communication, collaboration, and presentation skills.
A strong portfolio that demonstrates mastery in VFX creation for games.

Additional Information

This job requires working in Boston, US.
Working mode: in-office in a hybrid or full-time capacity.

Health & Well-being

Company paid medical healthcare (dental vision & mental).
Paid Leave — 20 days of holiday for every team member per year (26 days after two years).
No dress-code — we like to keep it casual.
401K with employer matching.
Gym Membership Reimbursement.

Perks & Professional Growth

Flexible working hours.
Trainings, lectures and courses — internal workshops, knowledge-sharing initiatives, online tutorials, and e-learning classes are all available. There’s always something to learn!
Merch — gifts for newborn rebels and regular chances to nab some cool swag!
A welcome pack filled with goodies — to help you feel right at home once you join the team.

Life in the Office

Dog-friendly office — dog owner? Bring your pooch with you and look after them while working! There’s always a furry friend or two to meet at the studio.
Truly international working environment — a chance to meet and work with a diverse selection of people from all around the world.

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