The role
As a Lead Technical Artist at Sharkmob, you will be at the forefront of merging art and technology, driving the creative and technical aspects of game development. You'll lead a team of technical artists and collaborate closely with artists, designers, and engineers to ensure that art assets are not only visually stunning but also optimized and seamlessly integrated into the game engine.
Responsibilities
Technical Art Leadership: Provide visionary leadership to the technical art team, setting the artistic and technical direction for the project. Inspire and mentor team members, fostering an environment of creativity, innovation, and excellence.
Art Pipeline Development: Lead the development and optimization of the art pipeline, ensuring efficient workflows for asset creation, integration, and optimization. Identify and implement tools and processes that improve art production efficiency.
Asset Optimization: Oversee the creation and implementation of asset optimization strategies, ensuring that art assets meet performance targets while maintaining visual quality. Collaborate with artists and engineers to find the right balance between performance and aesthetics.
Shader Development: Lead shader development efforts, creating complex and visually stunning materials to enhance the game's visual quality. Collaborate with the technical art team and engineers to develop custom shaders and materials.
Cross-Discipline Collaboration: Act as a bridge between the art, design, and engineering teams, facilitating effective communication and collaboration. Ensure that technical art solutions align with the artistic and gameplay vision.
Technical Problem Solving: Lead efforts to solve complex technical challenges related to art asset creation, integration, and rendering. Provide solutions for character deformation, lighting, special effects, and other art-related issues.
Artistic Excellence: Maintain a high standard of artistic quality, providing guidance to artists on techniques, visual consistency, and best practices. Work with the art director to ensure that the artistic vision is realized.
Documentation and Knowledge Sharing: Create and maintain comprehensive documentation for technical art processes, tools, and best practices. Encourage knowledge sharing within the technical art team and across the development organization.
Quality Assurance: Lead quality assurance efforts for art assets, ensuring that they function correctly within the game engine. Conduct regular reviews and optimizations to maintain optimal performance.
Requirements
Extensive Professional Experience: Minimum of 7-10 years of experience as a technical artist in the video game industry, with a strong portfolio showcasing leadership and contributions to published games.
Leadership and Mentorship: Proven experience in a lead or senior technical artist role, with exceptional leadership and mentorship skills. The ability to inspire and guide a team of technical artists.
Technical Proficiency: Expertise in art asset creation, optimization, and integration. Proficiency in industry-standard software such as Maya, 3ds Max, or Blender. Strong programming/scripting skills, with experience in languages like Python or HLSL.
Shader Expertise: Advanced knowledge of shader development, including the creation of custom shaders and materials. Familiarity with shader languages like HLSL or GLSL.
Problem-Solving Expertise: Demonstrated ability to tackle complex technical challenges related to art and graphics. A track record of finding innovative solutions to art-related issues.
Cross-Discipline Collaboration: Strong communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to work effectively with artists, designers, and engineers to achieve project goals.
Adaptability and Innovation: Willingness to adapt to changing project requirements and stay up-to-date with emerging technologies and trends in game development.
Portfolio: A portfolio showcasing your leadership and technical artwork, including examples of shaders, and successfully resolved technical art challenges.
Passion for Games: A deep passion for video games and a strong understanding of game design principles. A commitment to contributing to the creation of immersive and engaging gaming experiences.
Sharkmob London is a brand-new AAA studio in the heart of London, with aspirations to build one of the largest and most creatively ambitious development teams in the world. Just like the original Sharkmob studio in Malmö, Sharkmob London was founded by a team of industry veterans. As a part of Tencent Games we have the experience, backing, and ambition to build the games of the future!
At Sharkmob, we are committed to building an inclusive team that represents diverse backgrounds, perspectives and skillsets – because we believe that helps us create great games. We welcome all candidates that are aligned with our core values of shared ownership, smart decisions and last but not least – having fun!
Remuneration and benefits
Competitive salaries based on up-to-date data from external benchmarking providers & reviewed annually.
30 days annual leave, in addition to all UK Bank Holidays.
Hybrid work-from-home policy.
Discretionary annual performance-based bonus.
Private pension (10% total, up to 5% individual contribution matched by Sharkmob).
BUPA private Healthcare, Cigna dental cover, life insurance scheme and income protection policy.
£425 yearly preventative healthcare allowance.
Core studio hours 10:00-16:00 with 1 'wellness hour' to be used per week.
Daily breakfasts, snacks & refreshments at the studio.
VISA sponsorship (individual & dependents).
Relocation assistance for people outside the UK (1 month accommodation, flights/travel paid for, logistics/removal costs reimbursed).
Assistance for people relocating within the UK (reimbursement for expenses on travel into London for flat viewings and moving vans/couriers)
