The Lead Character Artist at Arctic7 is responsible for leading the Characters Team in the development of AAA characters in accordance with the overall vision of the game. The Lead Character Artist must have a great artistic vision, good technical knowledge of the subject and be creative in order to be involved in all processes related to the creation and quality of the game characters at all stages of production. 

Having this role, you will:  

• Work closely with Art Director to ensure the visual target is always exceeded and stylistically consistent. 
• Set the tone for character creation using advanced techniques, including Substance Designer and Painter.  
• Provide strong leadership and thoughtful direction for the Characters team.  
• Review assets to make certain that they satisfy their intended design and are ready for rigging and animation.  
• Provide creative and technical direction to character artists.  
• Mentor Character Artists by providing creative and technical training, guidance, and feedback.  
• Manage the task backlogs, bugs, and risks in an effective manner, to ensure the smooth running of the department throughout the project. 
• Coordinate with Technical Art team to develop necessary solutions for best production speed and quality.  
• Oversee the creation and maintenance of all relevant documentation for the project, including naming, folder structures & terminology for all characters production.  
• Create (Sculpt, Model, UV, texture and create materials) AAA quality characters and creatures.  
• Create and maintain a transparent and reliable schedule that is well coordinated with production.  
• Participate in reviewing and interviewing potential candidates.  
• Work with the Outsource Producer on scope, manage, and run the Outsourcers plan for Character Art needs if required. This will include:   
• Assemble benchmark internal asset packs and documentation.  
• Control quality and provide clear and regular feedback.  

We expect:  

• Strong Portfolio with examples of characters in different art styles.  
• Extensive experience in Characters Art production within a Leadership position:   
• At least 3 years of experience acquired in the video game industry.  
• Participated in the production of at least one successful/AAA project on PC and/or consoles.  
• Exceptional visual and technical understanding of 3D modeling and texturing of characters and creatures. 
• High proficiency of a major 3D software (Maya/3DS max/Blender), Z-Brush, Substance Designer/Painter, Photoshop and Marvelous Designer.  
• Excellent High and Low poly modeling skills, as well as demonstrable skill with texture and material creation within a PBR pipeline. 
• Strong knowledge of human and animal anatomy, materials and garb. 
• Solid grasp of color theory and lighting techniques for quality presentation and the best player experience.  
• Ability to rapidly master proprietary tools and development pipelines. 
• Ability to be resourceful and come up with creative solutions. 
• Ability to be receptive to art direction and critique from project art leads. 
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to effectively coordinate with producers, programmers, designers, as well as artists.  
• Strong organizational, supervisory and mentoring skills.  
• Good English skills, both writing and speaking.  

Nice to have, but not required: 

• A passion for playing and developing exceptional games. 
• Good foundation in traditional art.  
• Experience in using mainstream engines (Unity, Unreal Engine 4/5).  
• Blueprint experience in Unreal Engine. 
• Knowledge of photogrammetry techniques.  
• Knowledge of rig creation and skinning of verts.  
• Character and prop concepting skills.  
• Scripting experience in MEL or MaxScript Python. 

Working mode (optional):

• Remote: working from home, from any Europe location that is within 3 hours of the UTC +1 time zone.
• Office: working primarily from Podgorica, Montenegro [company provides relocation support].