Lead Technical Artist in England

Join CI Games and be part of shaping the future of gaming. As we embark on an ambitious strategic roadmap with major releases planned, we are seeking a talented and dedicated Lead Technical Artist to help us create ground-breaking experiences that captivate players worldwide. A career at CI Games is about being part of a team working on some of the most creatively rewarding and ambitious projects to be found in any entertainment medium. You would be welcomed to a dedicated and inclusive environment where you can learn and collaborate with some of the most talented people in the industry.

Key Responsibilities:

• Technical Vision & Strategy: Define and drive the studio's Technical Art vision, collaborating closely with the Head of Art and Technical Director to establish a cohesive visual and technical strategy. Research, prototype, and champion cutting-edge technologies, tools, and techniques to enhance visual quality and streamline production. Establish and enforce performance and memory budgets for all art assets, ensuring the game runs smoothly without compromising artistic quality.
• Pipeline & Workflow Leadership: Architect and oversee the entire art production pipeline in collaboration with the Artists, from asset creation in DCC software to final implementation in Unreal Engine. Set the studio-wide standards for content creation, including shaders, materials, lighting, and VFX, ensuring they are efficient, scalable, and artist-friendly. Drive the development of custom tools and workflows that empower the art team to achieve their creative goals with maximum efficiency.
• Team Leadership & Mentorship: Lead, mentor, and inspire the Technical Art team, fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement. Act as the primary bridge between the art and engineering departments, translating artistic needs into technical requirements and vice-versa. Grow the capabilities of the technical art discipline within the studio by identifying talent, providing career guidance, and setting clear goals.

Key Requirements:

• 5+ years of experience in Technical Art, with a proven track record in a lead role on 3D titles.
• Expert-level knowledge of modern game engines, particularly Unreal Engine, including its rendering pipeline, material editor, and profiling tools.
• A strong artistic eye and a deep understanding of art fundamentals, including composition, lighting, and colour theory.
• Demonstrated experience in designing and implementing art pipelines for characters, environments, and VFX.
• Proven leadership and mentorship skills, with the ability to build and guide a high-performing technical art team.
• Exceptional communication skills, with the ability to effectively bridge the gap between creative and technical teams.

Desirable:

• Proficiency with scripting languages (e.g., Python, C#) or programming languages (C++).
• Experience with procedural content generation workflows (e.g., Houdini).
• Deep expertise in a specialized area such as shader development, lighting, or performance optimization.
• A passion for the Action-RPG or Soulslike genres.

What we offer:

• Attractive remuneration and annual discretionary bonus.
• Generous benefits supporting your wellbeing.
• Opportunities for professional development within a supportive and collaborative team.
• Remote work with flexible schedules (core working hours 10am-4pm CET), allowing you to work alongside talented individuals from around the world.
• An opportunity to work with cutting-edge technologies and stay at the forefront of the gaming industry.
• A diverse and inclusive workplace that celebrates all backgrounds, regardless of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, or social status.
• Company events and wrap-up parties, access to all games released by CI Games and company merchandise.
• A chance to be part of something ground-breaking as we shape the future of gaming.

Recruitment Process:

Once our Talent Acquisition team receives your application, together with the hiring team, we will review your CV, portfolio and the answers you provided in the application form and if all the boxes are ticked, we are moving to the next stage. Initial call with Talent Acquisition Specialist - During this call you will learn about the company and we learn about you. We will talk about your experience & expectations with working in a fully remote environment and we will talk about your expertise. We will finish this call with some admin questions. There will be an opportunity for you to ask any questions as well. After the initial call, usually 1 or 2 interviews with the hiring team follows. These interviews will be a bit more technical and will go deeper into your experience, skills & knowledge. As you would have signed an NDA by now, you will also learn a bit more about the project you would work on. During these interviews we will also focus on finding out whether you are a good fit for our company culture and that we share the same values. We may or may not ask you to do the test - this is decided on an individual basis and you will receive instructions with the test. If everything goes well, the last step in the recruitment process is the offer presentation call with the Talent Acquisition Specialist and your future line manager to discuss the offer and next steps to get you successfully on board.

We are an equal opportunities employer, hiring and developing our best talent based on merit. Accessibility is at the heart of our games, and we are committed to not discriminating against people based on race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, or social status. Should you require adjustments or flexible arrangements to interview, or take up a role with us, please let us know in your application and we will accommodate to the best of our ability.