Lead 3D Artist

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. We’re a young and growing studio, but our team is made up of experienced developers who’ve worked across AAA and independent titles. Together, we’re building a supportive, balanced environment where great work happens without crunch.

As a Lead 3D Artist at Cast Iron Games, you’ll be responsible for setting the visual quality bar across 3D art, guiding asset creation from concept through to final in-game implementation. You’ll lead by example - creating high-quality assets while supporting, mentoring, and coordinating the wider art team to ensure consistent, polished results. This is a hands-on leadership role that blends artistic excellence with clear communication and planning. You’ll work closely with other disciplines to balance visual ambition with technical constraints, ensuring assets are both beautiful and performant across platforms.

Responsibilities

• Work directly with studio leadership in coordinating 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 with producing benchmark assets to style and brief of project.
• Help lead the production and creation of art assets for the projects.
• Communicate and deliver assets cooperatively and independently within a 3rd Party production environment.
• Has expertise with PBR, lighting, rendering, and material authoring.
• Collaborate with Production to prioritize work, identify issues, and escalate them to production, ensuring tasks have sufficient information.
• Review work to meet the technical requirements and follow best practices for the highest quality.
• Be proactive in finding answers and able to clearly communicate issues and direction to the team.
• Capable of owning development of, and delivering, 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.
• Able to manage and mentor career development of 3D Artists at various skill levels.

What We’re Looking For

• Proven game cycle experience as a Senior or Lead Artist.
• Shipped at least one title as a Senior or Lead Artist.
• Experience in working with 3rd Party projects.
• Advanced understanding of 3D packages, Photoshop, Substance Designer/Painter, Zbrush and Marmoset Toolbag.
• Excellent knowledge with unwrapping, modifying, and creating UVs.
• Passion for highly detailed 3D assets and texturing for game-ready assets.
• Demonstrates 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.
• Demonstrates an 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.
• Experienced in managing direct reports.
• Experienced working in an Agile workflow.

Why Cast Iron Games

• 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.

What to Expect / Key Benefits

• Start your day any time between 8:00am and 10:00am.
• 35 working hours per week with a 1-hour lunch break (with the opportunity to flex 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 are 1 day per year of service up to a maximum of 8 additional days.
• Up to 8 days discretionary annual leave during our end of year break.
• Potential for annual performance bonus.
• Free breakfast options, juice, hot drinks and fruit.
• Employee referral bonus (up to £2000!).
• Group Life Assurance – 4 x annual salary payable to nominated beneficiaries through an expression of wishes form.
• Income Protection – covers you up for up to 50% of monthly salary for 2 years (after a 26 week deferred period, i.e. when SSP runs out).
• Critical Illness Cover – lump sum of 1 x annual salary on diagnosis of a critical illness.
• Cycle to Work Scheme.