Technical Artist at Blackbird Interactive creating compelling game content for a beloved franchise. Collaborating with designers, artists, and programmers to optimize game performance in a remote - first environment.
About the role
- Lead VFX Artist overseeing high-quality visual effects production for AAA titles at People Can Fly. Collaborating with global teams while using Unreal Engine to create engaging gaming experiences.
Responsibilities
- Lead a team and foster a motivating atmosphere within the team to achieve the best possible results for the project and for team members’ professional development.
- Maintain artistic direction and quality standards.
- Produce high-quality visual effects that are both technically and artistically appropriate for the project’s universe and visual direction.
- Collaborate in establishing the artistic vision with the Art Director and uphold quality standards across the development pipeline.
- Translate concept art and other game design documentation into prototypes and implement them as real-time visual effects in the game.
- Oversee and facilitate the creation of ambient environmental effects that enhance mood, tell a story, and bring the world to life.
- Deliver work that meets specifications and maintain workflows within allotted deadlines.
- Work closely with the production team on task assignment and scheduling to meet deadlines while ensuring healthy work–life balance by clearly defining expectations and scope of work.
- Oversee bug fixes and document R&D case studies in the knowledge base.
- Understand and use established organizational structures and naming conventions to ensure cohesion within the VFX pipeline.
- Provide daily feedback to improve visual quality.
- Work with the team to find solutions and resolve problems creatively.
- Supervise and facilitate the creation of gameplay effects that make the world exciting and provide players with necessary game information.
- Share knowledge and mentor peers.
- Collaborate with technical art and lead R&D initiatives to explore new techniques and implement improvements to pipelines and workflows.
- Work with developers across disciplines and ensure that work is integrated into the build.
- Collaborate and communicate effectively across departments with other leads, directors, and project stakeholders to ensure efficiency and minimize communication errors.
- Work with designers to create effects for scripted events and story moments.
- Work with the lighting team to create atmosphere, a sense of depth in scenes, and to reinforce the color palette.
- Conduct consistent performance and compensation evaluations for staff members.
- Lead recruitment projects in collaboration with HR.
- Ensure onboarding of new hires.
- Create high-fidelity effects for cinematics and marketing materials.
- Innovate new techniques for next-generation platforms and collaborate with engineers and technicians to develop VFX toolsets.
- Analyze scenes for performance issues and ensure all effects are created as efficiently as possible.
- Use all available tools to create in-game effects (traditional particle systems, pixel and vertex shaders for animated materials, baked physics simulations, stock animations, etc.).
Requirements
- More than 7 years of experience in console or PC game development, including more than 5 years of experience with the Unreal Engine, and prior experience in a leadership role.
- A strong portfolio showcasing examples of real-time special effects at AAA quality.
- Excellent knowledge of industry-standard modeling and sculpting software (Maya, 3ds Max, ZBrush, Photoshop or equivalents).
- Excellent understanding of animation principles.
- A critical eye and strong sensitivity to the movement of real-world objects and visual effects.
- Good understanding of the constraints of real-time visual effects.
- Ability to interpret concept art artistically and push creativity beyond the initial idea.
- Excellent understanding of core artistic principles (form, texture, value and color) and anatomical knowledge of bipedal and quadrupedal forms.
- Strong understanding of real-time VFX constraints.
- Solid experience with a variety of techniques and tools for creating visual effects (standard particle systems, fluid simulations, physics simulations, etc.).
- Strong skills in creating all art sources required for visual effects (textures, geometry, flipbooks, normal map data, vector field textures, etc.).
- Strong experience with UE5 tools for creating visual effects (or other similar engines).
- Strong experience creating complex pixel shaders and vertex shaders.
- Strong scripting skills (visual scripting or other) and mathematics in the context of visual effects.
- Adaptable.
- Ability to adapt and develop an artistic style, techniques, and workflows with minimal guidance.
- Strong mentoring, coaching, and leadership skills.
- Ability to collaborate with department heads and different departments to solve artistic and technical challenges.
- Excellent spoken and written English communication skills.
Benefits
- A benefits package 100% paid by People Can Fly (PCF).
- Insurance provider reimburses claims 100% (up to $1,000 of services per year, in addition to family or individual coverage).
- Comprehensive dental coverage, including dental care.
- Employer RRSP match of 4% before tax deductions, 100% 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 possibility to work in a global environment.
- The opportunity to work within a creative team of people who are passionate about what they do.
Job title
Job type
Experience level
Salary
Not specified
Degree requirement
Tech skills
Location requirements
Report this job
Found something wrong with the page? Please let us know by submitting a report below.
Animator developing character, creature, weapon, and prop animations for AAA sci - fi action title. Collaborating closely with art leadership and cross - discipline teams.
Senior Technical Animator bridging art and technology at Behaviour Interactive. Optimize tools and pipelines for character animation in a AAA Unreal Engine game.
Senior Motion Designer crafting motion graphics that enhance storytelling for marketing campaigns at Fortis Games. Collaborating with various teams to create high - quality videos that engage audiences.
Character Design Lead guiding a team in producing 3D character designs for animation. Collaborating with Art Directors and ensuring quality in the visual direction.
3D Animator responsible for creating high - quality character animation for a premium feature film project. Collaborating closely with team to enhance scenes and meet production standards.
3D Animator creating character animations for Dead by Daylight game. Collaborating with teams to translate mocap data into believable character movements.
Animator creating powerful, realistic character performances for Dead by Daylight. Collaborating with animation, design, and technical teams to enhance gameplay and storytelling.
Senior VFX Artist creating visual effects that elevate gameplay experience for AAA video games. Collaborating with teams to ensure creative alignment and technical execution.
Junior 3D Modeling & Geomatics Specialist helping to transform spatial data into digital models for telecommunication projects. Collaborating with teams to support critical infrastructure initiatives.