Lead Lighting Artist – Hybrid , AAA Games

The Studio:
We are a video game development studio with offices in Guildford, UK andUtrecht, Netherlands. Sitting within the heart of thriving communities of game developers and publishers, we focus on quality and excellence, and our partners and players are always at the front of everything we do.

Games are not just about gameplay. We believe in the importance of balancing every single aspect of a game that you, as a player will interact with; what you see, how you play and how it makes you feel.

It couldn’t be a more exciting time to join us as we embark on a new unannounced project, pushing the boundaries of all aspects of the game to create a truly AAA experience.

The Role
As ourLead Lighting Artist, you’ll head up the Lighting team, working closely with our Studio Art Director, Environment Director, Technical Artists, and Engineers to craft visually stunning and technically optimized lighting across our AAA projects. Lighting is a critical component of our games, and it is essential to have someone who can direct and conduct a consistent vision for our environments taking the experience to the next level.

As ourLead Lighting Artist,you will:

• Lead and mentor the Lighting team to promote creativity and educate them in the science of lighting
• Design and implement high quality lighting setups that enhance mood, narrative and generate visceral gameplay experiences
• Use technical knowledge to maximise the potential of the rendering quality while keeping frame rates up.
• Partner with Technical Artists and Graphics Engineers on materials, shaders, shadows, anti-aliasing, and image quality enhancements
• Stay up to date on trends and methodologies in current and future graphics software develop early planning of lighting related processes
• Be aware of potential risks to the project and bring it to the attention of management
• Support the Studio Art Director, Technical Director and Lead Artist in any ad hoc tasks and duties

Requirements

What we’re looking to see on your CV:

• Experience as a Senior or Lead Lighting Artist within the games industry
• Have at least one shipped AAA title under your belt
• An impressive portfolio demonstrating your deep understanding of lighting, mood, and visual storytelling
• Experience of real-time dynamic and baked lighting, grading, lens flares, vignette and other post-FX all with an eye on image quality and performance.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• Strong working knowledge of Unreal Engine 5
• Experience in industry standard art tools such as required 3DS Max/Maya, Photoshop
• Photography experience shooting lighting reference, HDRI/IBL as needed
• Demonstrated leadership and a passion for nurturing and developing team talent

Benefits
What you can expect from us:

• International AAA game projects
• Access to cutting-edge hardware
• Flexible/hybrid working (we work 3 days per week on site)
• Great increasing holiday benefits including Christmas Shutdown
• Discretionary bonus scheme
• Private Healthcare Plan including dental and optical support, mental health, online GP
• Pension Plan
• Life Assurance
• Flu Jab Vouchers
• Regular Team Incentives and Social Events
• Brand new Guildford office
• Access to a well-stocked fridge and snack cupboard
• Opportunities to work with our Netherlands office