Senior VFX Artist

Description

We are currently seeking two talented and enthusiastic Senior VFX artists to join our team in developing our next open-world game. As a VFX Artist, you will be responsible for creating, integrating, and optimizing particle visual effects, such as fire, smoke, weapon effects, explosion effects, and tire tracks. As a crucial member of the development team, you will collaborate closely with the Art Director and Design team to produce visually stunning effects that will elevate the gameplay experience and take the visual quality of the game to the next level, utilizing our proprietary engine. In addition, you will be expected to drive the quality benchmark for your discipline while managing your time to match the project’s goals.

To thrive within our team, proficiency in technical skills is essential, as is a willingness to learn, engage, and adapt to the engine and custom tools. Additionally, the ideal candidate is supportive to the project and actively contributes to the ongoing learning and development of the broader team and colleagues. 

To be considered for the position you need a comprehensive portfolio showcasing your artistic skills and examples of your work.

What you'll do

• • Create consistent high-quality real-time effects using particles that align with the game's artistic vision and gameplay requirements.
  • Work autonomously from concepts or other reference materials to realize the vision of the project.
  • Collaborate closely with the Art Director, Lead Artist and other disciplines to establish the visual goals of the project.
  • Implement and optimize visual effects for performance and memory usage, while maintaining visual fidelity.
  • Use visual reference of an effect, deconstruct it, and subsequently re-create it in a real-time game engine.
  • Develop and maintain documentation and contribute with best practices for the VFX pipeline and tools.
  • Provide support, guidance and feedback to your peers as well as other disciplines and outsourcing partners.
  • Oversee certain areas of a project and take responsibility for ongoing tasks and goals.
  • Mentor and serve as an example for less experienced colleagues

Who you are

• • In-depth, professional experience as a VFX Artist or similar role in the video games industry.
  • Strong proficiency in third-party software such as Photoshop, Maya, Adobe After Effects, and Houdini or Embergen.
  • Proficient knowledge of various VFX techniques, using different approaches; Simulations, Mesh Particles, Materials, and Ribbons.
  • High artistic ability to visualize and maintain the design and art vision, even with limited concept art and direction.
  • Capable of taking full responsibility throughout the VFX pipeline.
  • A great artistic eye and attention to detail.
  • Excellent problem-solving abilities, both technical and creative.
  • Effective communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to work in a multidisciplinary team.
  • Ability to manage your time, tasks and priorities, set realistic goals and meet deadlines.
  • Proficient verbal and written skills in English.

Please get in touch with me, Ben McKenna-Smith if this position sounds of interest. I am a consultant at mustard with a specialist approach to creative recruitment.

For more info on this role or to chat about other options call me on 01174200015 or the office on 0117 929 6060. You can also email me at ben.smith@mustardjobs.co.uk

More roles can be found at jobs.mustardjobs.co.uk and other snippets at www.mustardjobs.co.uk don't forget we are a recruitment agency and not the end hirer.

mustard is a creative recruitment consultancy and is committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace. We encourage individuals of all backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives to apply. Our recruitment process is free from discrimination and bias and we welcome the opportunity to work with you. If you require any accommodations during the application process, please let us know. We appreciate the unique skills and experiences each candidate brings, and we are dedicated to creating an environment where everyone feels valued and respected".

Job Title - Senior VFX Artist 
Salary - £35000
Location - Remote
Reporting to - Lead VFX Artist
Perm/Contract (If Needed) - 12 Month Fixed Term Contract - Into a Full time position
 
Role Summary:

We are looking for a highly skilled and motivated individual to play a central role in crafting visually stunning and immersive game VFX that will captivate player imaginations and enhance their gaming experience.
You will be a core team member responsible for bridging the art-engineering gap, researching and implementing efficient workflows; developing new systems and pipelines and assisting your team in producing artistically beautiful and performance minded games.
You will divide your time between producing a high level of technically focused work, and guiding more junior members of the team to help you and the studio produce the best games we can deliver. 
 
Responsibilities:

• Consistently deliver impressive visual effects that are dynamic and vibrant, and communicate essential gameplay information. You will also identify opportunities to reuse existing VFX, or improve on the library of assets already created.
• Consult closely with our Designers, Concept, and the Art Leads to ensure all gameplay features are supported and amplified by informative and exciting VFX. You will also work closely with our Animators to ensure any VFX syncs up with our animations and is correctly implemented in the engine. You will also collaborate with the Environment Art team to enhance the mood, appeal and sense of life and movement across environments in the game.
• Produce models, textures and sprite sheets for a wide range of requirements within VFX delivery. You will assist with advanced material creation and optimisation, post process effects, and lighting as required by the project.
• Conduct performance and memory profiling to pinpoint bottlenecks and opportunities for optimisation. Propose solutions and guidance to address performance concerns. You will mentor junior members in optimisation techniques.
• Develop, pitch and communicate ideas and concepts in a visual manner.
• You will stay at the forefront of industry trends, tools, and techniques in VFX and you will experiment with new technologies and advocate for innovative solutions to improve visual quality and pipeline efficiency.
• Delegate responsibility in a thoughtful way to develop junior team members knowledge and understanding of new technologies.

 Requirements:

• Demonstrable professional knowledge of the art and animation fundamentals that form the foundations of great VFX, including creation of original textures and assets for VFX use.
• Significant VFX experience in the games industry, with a portfolio of work demonstrating your ability to create a variety of modern, high quality real-time VFX for games.
• Experience working to and within an established VFX style.
• Familiarity with in-game lighting, material creation, and post effects. Familiarity with 3D workflows and texture creation would be desirable.
• Proven experience creating high quality VFX that run in real-time in Unreal Engine
• Familiarity and experience with Niagara and Cascade. Familiarity with tools such as Houdini is desirable.
• Proven skills in basic management tasks including cross-functional communication and scheduling of personal tasks,  reliable task estimation, and any delegated support structure.
• Full understanding and experience of the entire game production cycle and associated issues

 
Key Studio Benefits:
 

• Private healthcare
• Remote Working
• Additional time off over the Christmas period on top of standard holidays
• Bonus scheme
• Team outings and events
• Summer BBQ + Festive Party
• Award Winning Learning & Development Pathways
• Opportunity to work on a variation of projects

Please get in touch with me, Ben McKenna-Smith if this position sounds of interest. I am a consultant at mustard with a specialist approach to creative recruitment.

For more info on this role or to chat about other options call me on 07537144045 or the office on 0117 929 6060. You can also email me at ben.smith@mustardjobs.co.uk

More roles can be found at jobs.mustardjobs.co.uk and other snippets at www.mustardjobs.co.uk don't forget we are a recruitment agency and not the end hirer.

mustard is a creative recruitment consultancy and is committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace. We encourage individuals of all backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives to apply. Our recruitment process is free from discrimination and bias and we welcome the opportunity to work with you. If you require any accommodations during the application process, please let us know. We appreciate the unique skills and experiences each candidate brings, and we are dedicated to creating an environment where everyone feels valued and respected".

Do you have a passion for creating great, immersive experiences using the latest technology?

Pushing games and entertainment to the next level, these Unreal specialists are using cutting edge technology to create their own proprietary projects and high-profile co-collaboration projects. As a Remote first studio, there has never been a better time to join this ever-growing developer.

We are looking for a talented and motivated Senior Technical Artist to help lead and develop high quality Art for AAA Unreal Engine projects.

Responsibilities:

• Pipeline Development: Design, develop, and maintain a robust art pipeline for streamlined asset creation and integration into the engine. Create tools or scripts to automate tasks and increase the art team’s productivity.
• Performance Profiling: Conduct performance and memory profiling to pinpoint bottlenecks and opportunities for optimization. Propose solutions and guidance to address performance concerns.
• Asset Optimization: Improve performance and memory of game assets whilst preserving the visual fidelity of the game. Troubleshoot and resolve technical issues with assets that affect game performance. Guide junior team members in optimization techniques. 
• Shaders and Material Development: Work with artists and programmers to produce performant shaders/materials for a range of requirements. Produce content that perfectly complement the projects’ visual style and quality.
• Collaboration and Communication: Partner with artists, designers, and programmers to grasp their technical needs and deliver effective solutions. Clearly communicate technical concepts and solutions to non-technical team members so that we can stay aligned and on track with projects.
• Research and Innovation: Stay at the forefront of industry trends, tools, and techniques in technical art. Experiment with new technologies and advocate for innovative solutions to improve visual quality and pipeline efficiency. Delegate responsibility in a thoughtful way to develop junior team members knowledge and understanding of new technologies.

Requirements:

• 3+ years of experience as a Technical Artist in the video game industry, with a proven track record of contributing to successful game projects. 
• Proven experience as a L1 or L2 Technical Artist in the games development industry, with a strong portfolio demonstrating technical proficiency and artistic creativity.
• Proficiency in industry-standard 3D software (e.g., Maya, 3ds Max, Houdini, Blender) and game engines (e.g., Unity, Unreal Engine).
• A familiarity with a relevant programming or scripting languages such as C++, C#, Python or Blueprint, with experience in writing tools or automation scripts.
• An understanding and interest in real-time rendering, shader development, and optimization techniques.
• Experience in creating visual effects and/or VFX elements (sprite sheets, mesh particles) for games.
• Familiarity with version control systems (e.g., Git) and asset management tools.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to guide and provide useful feedback to junior team members.  
• Passion for gaming and a commitment to delivering visually stunning and immersive gaming experiences.

To be successful, you'll need to demonstrate the ability to think critically about the requirements of an animation within technical and production limitations. Creating high quality, inspiring animations within dynamically lit game environments showing pride in your work.

Please note: This studio is unable to offer visa sponsorship at this time.

In Return, you'll get a comprehensive benefits package and create groundbreaking games from the comfort of your own home. For a confidential chat and/or to apply for this role, please get in touch with Tom Winter.

Please get in touch with me, Ben McKenna-Smith if this position sounds of interest. I am a consultant at mustard with a specialist approach to creative recruitment.

For more info on this role or to chat about other options call me on 01174200015 or the office on 0117 929 6060. You can also email me at ben.smith@mustardjobs.co.uk

More roles can be found at jobs.mustardjobs.co.uk and other snippets at www.mustardjobs.co.uk don't forget we are a recruitment agency and not the end hirer.

mustard is a creative recruitment consultancy and is committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace. We encourage individuals of all backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives to apply. Our recruitment process is free from discrimination and bias and we welcome the opportunity to work with you. If you require any accommodations during the application process, please let us know. We appreciate the unique skills and experiences each candidate brings, and we are dedicated to creating an environment where everyone feels valued and respected".