Lead Artist

Job Description:

Hours of work: 35 hours a week (Flexi-time at 7 hours each day. Core hours are 10am-4pm.)

Job Description/ Purpose:

We are seeking a highly skilled and motivated Lead Artist /Principal Artist to help bring LMS2 to life – the exciting sequel to Lawn Mowing Simulator, our much loved original title. You will work closely with the Art Director and join our game development team as we improve the visual fidelity of the franchise.

As the Lead Artist, you will balance your time between producing high-quality realistic environments & assets and guiding a team of artists to deliver likewise, to meet both aesthetic and technical requirements.

A working knowledge of the process of animation and how to get the best from it would be advantageous.

This is a hands-on role for an experienced artist who can work independently and be able to juggle leading a small cohort. You will assist with the allocation and grading of work to ensure high visual quality, artistic consistency and milestones are met.

You must have solid experience working within Unity and have seen at least one game development project through to release.

Key responsibilities and accountabilities:

Key duties which include:

· Optimising and ensuring delivery of high-quality work

· Ensuring artwork follows the agreed realistic project style

· Identifying relevant reference materials that can be used within projects

· Taking direction from Art Director, clients and peers and proactively make changes as needed

· Creating high-quality, production-ready art assets as required

· Ensuring believable and high-quality artwork is created

· Working with management and peers to ensure that artwork is completed on time

· Creating and updating documents on art production processes/workflows

· Amending workflow documentation so that they work within context

· Leading teams to ensure quality work is produced and deadlines are met

· Guiding and mentoring other team members

· Helping to drive the art vision and production for the game

· Allocating tasks and providing feedback to other artists within team

· Contributing to senior team feedback

· Attending meetings as required with senior management

· Contributing to meetings and working with other teams to ensure deadlines are met

· Ensuring best results in a given amount of time and advising on pipelines

· Where necessary, communicating feedback from senior management to juniors

· Benchmarking and creation of assets as required

Additional Duties

Any additional duties/ expectations as an employee of the company above and beyond specific job role

Requirements:

• Demonstrable experience within a Senior, Principal or Lead Artist role
• Experience in leading and providing feedback to team in a similar role
• A strong eye for detail and excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• A strong understanding and passion for games and their development
• Coordination and direction of asset creation across projects
• Working knowledge of Unity to implement and iterate on art assets, ensuring they function correctly in-game
• Ability to direct the team to achieve project goals
• Ability to identify risks for team and project and provide contingency solutions and mitigation plans as needed
• Experience with providing and verifying estimates and assisting in the building of art schedules for project plan
• Ability to assess and implement new technologies alongside Art Director
• Assessing where development time can be saved from experience
• Needs a pragmatic view towards technology and can see the opportunity of using it as timesaving tools

Benefits:

· Fantastic team culture and working environment

· Zero crunch culture

· Flexible working hours

· 25 days holiday +Bank Holidays, rising with length of service each year

· Holiday buy back scheme

· Annual pay reviews

· Discretionary bonuses

· Contributory workplace pension scheme

· Referral bonus scheme

· Parental leave

· Company Events, including social events, industry events, charity events and more

· Continual training and development for all staff

· Paid parking

· Cycle to work scheme

· Christmas-New Year shutdown

Skyhook Games are an equal opportunities employer and is committed to having a diverse workforce and inclusive environment. Reasonable adjustments will be made for candidates with a disability.

Job Type: Full-time