Lead 3D Artist

Lead 3D Artist – Wakefield, Tileyard North

At Cast Iron Games, we build technically ambitious games in a calm, focused environment, where every team member has a voice. Based in Tileyard North, we collaborate with high‑quality partners on high‑quality projects, guided by clarity, consistency, and mutual respect.

As a Lead 3D Artist, you will set the visual quality bar across 3D art, guide asset creation from concept through to final in‑game implementation, and lead by example by creating high‑quality assets while supporting, mentoring, and coordinating the wider art team to ensure consistent, polished results. This hands‑on leadership role blends artistic excellence with clear communication and planning. You will work closely with other disciplines to balance visual ambition with technical constraints, ensuring assets are both beautiful and performant across platforms.

• Work directly with studio leadership to coordinate art resources, schedules, and priorities based on project needs.
• Provide direction to artists for aesthetic and technical considerations.
• Understand and work around existing art pipelines.
• Be hands‑on producing benchmark assets to the style and brief of the project.
• Help lead the production and creation of art assets for the projects.
• Communicate and deliver assets cooperatively and independently within a third‑party production environment.
• Have expertise with P , lighting, rendering, and material authoring.
• Collaborate with Production to prioritize work, identify issues, and elevate them, ensuring tasks have sufficient information.
• Review work to meet technical requirements and follow best practices for the highest quality.
• Be proactive in finding answers and clearly communicate issues and direction to the team.
• Own development of and deliver content while leading by example.
• Ensure the team maintains high‑quality artistic results and milestone delivery while encouraging effective communication and professionalism.
• Receive and provide critique in a professional manner.
• Manage and mentor career development of 3D artists at various skill levels.

• Proven game‑cycle experience as a Senior or Lead Artist.
• Shipped at least one title as a Senior or Lead Artist.
• Experience working with third‑party projects.
• Advanced understanding of 3D packages, Photoshop, Substance Designer/Painter, Zbrush, and Marmoset Toolbag.
• Excellent knowledge of unwrapping, modifying, and creating UVs.
• Passion for highly detailed 3D assets and texturing for game‑ready assets.
• Demonstrated excellent foundational skills, including composition, design, structure, silhouette, and colour theory.
• Excellent understanding of the hard‑surface art pipeline, dependencies, and overall scope of the project.
• Ability to work with detailed concept art or reference art materials.
• Excellent leadership and mentoring abilities, as well as interpersonal skills.
• Organised and practices good time‑management skills.
• Finds creative solutions for technically challenging tasks.
• Experience managing direct reports.
• Experience working in an Agile workflow.

• A people‑first studio with a clear focus on craft, clarity, and collaboration.
• A high‑trust team where experience is valued and voices are heard.
• A respectful, experienced team with a strong engineering culture.
• The opportunity to ship performance‑optimised, cross‑platform games you’re proud of.
• Projects that offer real variety – different game engines, new challenges, constant growth.
• Creative surroundings at Tileyard North, with a supportive creative community.
• Competitive salary, flexible hours and professional development support.
• Opportunities to lead with clarity, autonomy, and real impact.
• No crunch. No egos. Just good code, good people and good games.

• Flexible start time between 8:00am and 10:00am.
• 35 working hours per week with a 1‑hour lunch break (flexibly down to 30 minutes or up to 2 hours).
• 25 days annual leave + 8 days bank holiday.
• 1 day leave for your birthday and 1 day leave if you’re moving house.
• Length‑of‑service increases of 1 day per year up to a maximum of 8 additional days.
• Up to 8 days discretionary annual leave during the end‑of‑year…