Lead VFX Artist

📋 Description

• Lead a team while cultivating a motivating environment that maximizes project outcomes and supports team members' professional growth.

• Uphold artistic direction and maintain quality standards.

• Create visually striking effects that align with both the technical and artistic aspects of the project’s universe and visual style.

• Collaborate with the Art Director to develop the artistic vision and ensure quality across the development pipeline.

• Convert concept art and game design documentation into prototypes, implementing them as real-time visual effects in the game.

• Manage and facilitate the development of ambient environmental effects that enrich the mood, narrate a story, and animate the game world.

• Produce work that adheres to specifications and maintain workflows within set deadlines.

• Collaborate closely with the production team on task assignments and scheduling to meet deadlines while promoting a healthy work-life balance by clearly defining expectations and scope.

• Oversee bug fixes and document R&D case studies in the knowledge base.

• Understand and apply established organizational structures and naming conventions to ensure cohesion within the VFX pipeline.

• Provide daily feedback to enhance visual quality.

• Collaborate with the team to creatively solve problems and find solutions.

• Supervise and facilitate the creation of gameplay effects that engage players and convey essential game information.

• Share expertise and mentor colleagues.

• Work with technical artists and lead R&D efforts to investigate new techniques and implement enhancements to pipelines and workflows.

• Collaborate with developers from various disciplines to ensure seamless integration into the build.

• Communicate effectively with other leads, directors, and project stakeholders across departments to ensure operational efficiency and reduce communication errors.

• Collaborate with designers to create effects for scripted events and narrative moments.

• Partner with the lighting team to establish atmosphere, depth in scenes, and reinforce the color palette.

• Conduct regular performance and compensation evaluations for team members.

• Lead recruitment initiatives in partnership with HR.

• Oversee the onboarding process for new hires.

• Produce high-fidelity effects for cinematics and marketing materials.

• Innovate techniques for next-generation platforms and collaborate with engineers and technicians to develop VFX toolsets.

• Analyze scenes for performance issues and ensure the efficient creation of all effects.

• Utilize a range of tools to create in-game effects, including traditional particle systems, pixel and vertex shaders for animated materials, baked physics simulations, and stock animations.

⛳️ Requirements

• Over 7 years of experience in console or PC game development, including more than 5 years with Unreal Engine, along with prior leadership experience.

• A robust portfolio demonstrating high-quality real-time special effects at AAA standards.

• Strong proficiency in industry-standard modeling and sculpting software (Maya, 3ds Max, ZBrush, Photoshop, or equivalents).

• In-depth understanding of animation principles.

• A discerning eye and acute sensitivity to the movement of real-world objects and visual effects.

• Good comprehension of the limitations of real-time visual effects.

• Ability to artistically interpret concept art and push creative boundaries beyond the initial concepts.

• Strong grasp of core artistic principles (form, texture, value, and color) and anatomical knowledge of bipedal and quadrupedal forms.

• Solid understanding of real-time VFX limitations.

• Significant experience with various techniques and tools for creating visual effects (standard particle systems, fluid simulations, physics simulations, etc.).

• Strong skills in creating all necessary art assets for visual effects (textures, geometry, flipbooks, normal map data, vector field textures, etc.).

• Extensive experience with UE5 tools for visual effects creation (or similar engines).

• Strong background in developing complex pixel shaders and vertex shaders.

• Proficient scripting skills (visual scripting or other) and mathematical knowledge in the context of visual effects.

• Highly adaptable.

• Ability to evolve and refine artistic styles, techniques, and workflows with minimal guidance.

• Strong mentoring, coaching, and leadership capabilities.

• Ability to collaborate with department heads and across different departments to address artistic and technical challenges.

• Excellent spoken and written communication skills in English.

🏝️ Benefits

• A comprehensive benefits package fully funded by People Can Fly (PCF).

• Insurance provider covers claims 100% (up to $1,000 in services annually, in addition to family or individual coverage).

• Extensive dental coverage, including dental care services.

• Employer RRSP match of 4% before tax deductions, fully vested from day one.

• One week of paid time off during the winter holidays.

• 20 days of paid vacation and 5 paid sick days.

• Free virtual health and mental wellness care sessions included in the plan for members and their dependents.

• Opportunities for personal development and the chance to work in a global environment.

• The opportunity to work within a creative team of passionate individuals.