Character Design Lead guiding a team in producing 3D character designs for animation. Collaborating with Art Directors and ensuring quality in the visual direction.
About the role
- Senior VFX Artist creating real-time visual effects for games at GameSim. Leading projects and enhancing VFX quality while collaborating with artists and designers.
Responsibilities
- Create custom real-time visual effects and implement them in engine (UE5, Unity, or proprietary).
- Create all necessary textures and materials; maintain clean, readable graphs and parameterization.
- Utilize additional software tools like Photoshop, Blender, Houdini, or Maya as needed.
- Understand complex material setups, blueprints, or scripting hooks; troubleshoot issues and partner with Tech Art/Engineering.
- Own optimization fundamentals: budgets, overdraw, particle counts, memory/perf constraints, and console targets.
- Set quality bar, provide clear reviews/paintovers, and guide VFX execution for small pods or strike teams.
- Proactively identify risks (missing hooks, perf spikes, unclear direction), propose solutions, and escalate early.
- Collaborate closely with Designers, Concept Artists, and the Art Director; partner with Tech Art/Engineering as needed.
- Support client-facing communication when required: clarify requirements, share WIP, and align on “definition of done.”
- Assign tasks, set short-term priorities, and maintain a healthy backlog.
Requirements
- Minimum **8-years of professional game industry experience** with at least one shipped title.
- Proven end-to-end real-time VFX workflow experience working in-engine implementation in **Unreal Engine 4 or 5 **and Niagara.
- Strong particle animation fundamentals and shape language (readability, timing, impact).
- Strong material and texture creation skills in Photoshop and/or Substance Designer.**Demonstrated optimization knowledge (particle counts, overdraw budgets, performance constraints).
- Leadership-level communication: clear written and verbal updates, actionable feedback, strong collaboration habits.
- Experience mentoring or leading other artists (formal lead role not required, but leadership behaviors are).
- Can work Central (CT) core hours with possible overlap hours with Pacific (PT) or Eastern (ET).
- Work options are flexible: remote / hybrid / onsite.
- Nice-to-have
- Houdini experience.
- Substance Designer experience.
- EmberGen experience.
- Unity experience.
- Scripting or coding skills (C#, Python, etc.).
- 2D or 3D animation skills.
- Versatility across stylized and realistic work; foliage/atmospherics experience.
- Experience establishing VFX standards/pipeline (templates, naming, libraries, scalability rules).
Benefits
- Opportunity to work on different projects
- 3 weeks of paid leave
- Benefits package including medical, dental and vision
- Sick Leave
- Disability Coverage
- Performance bonus
- Corporate holidays
- 401(k) Retirement Plan with company matching
- Professional Development
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