Associate Art Director

Climax is one of the leading creative lights of independent games development with an outstanding line of top published titles. It truly is an exciting and inspiring place to work and you'll be based out of our Edinburgh studio based in the heart of the city overlooking the historic castle. You take your creativity seriously and games should be what get you fired up and passionate. At Climax we embrace those who see things in a different way and aren’t afraid to try out new things and push themselves out of their comfort zones.

We are seeking a fully onsite Associate Art Director. The opportunity could also appeal to a motivated Lead Artist looking for their next challenge. Our ideal candidate would consider themselves both creative and technical and enjoy working in a multi-disciplinary environment.

• Experience working as a Lead or an Associate Art Director for several years.
• A proven track record of leading an art team in creating top tier mainstream AAA console games.
• Be willing to take ownership and drive forward art style in their areas of responsibility.
• Be able to draw and sketch ideas on the fly when creating new game ideas with the studio designers.
• Demonstrate an excellent knowledge of a wide variety of art styles and their implementation from initial pitch to full game production.
• A broad knowledge of the various art tools in use, preferably Maya, Blender, Photoshop, Zbrush and Substance.
• Experience in using 3rd party game engines.
• Have a solid understanding of all disciplines.
• Plenty of experience dealing with clients and publishers and have demonstrable verbal communication skills.
• Must have an absolute passion for games.
• Demonstrable communication and presentation skills that sell the vision to fellow team members, product management and external clients.

• Able to curate and critique the art for multiple projects running simultaneously.
• Brainstorming and developing art styles, helping to illustrate game designs and pitches - often with hands on drawing.
• Taking ownership of the art style of the game.
• Delivering the highest quality art possible.
• Working directly with the other directors and studio head on a day to day basis.
• Presenting art style to clients/publishers.
• Working closely with studio production staff to produce estimates and schedules.
• Reviewing milestones with other directors for sign off before submissions.
• Managing the art team, ensuring the right staff are assigned to each project and fit into the resource plan.
• Working closely with the lead artists.
• Being aware of new software and work practices and their relevance to the art produced at Climax.
• Promoting Climax in local universities and around the world.
• Recruiting new artists and performance managing existing staff.

• Excellent holiday package.
• Regular social events.
• A friendly, focused, ambitious and relaxed working environment.
• Ongoing training and development, with career progression.
• Group Private Medical Insurance provided by BUPA.
• Group Life Insurance.
• Employee Assistance Programme.
• Private Dental Insurance.
• Group Income Protection.
• Company Pension Scheme.
• Cycle To Work Scheme.
• Eye-Care Vouchers.

• In-house clubs and socials. From board games, tennis, football to D&D nights, there are lots of opportunities to socialise.
• Regular Socials including Project Wrap Parties, team and studio events, Christmas and annual Summer parties and some great charity fundraising events.

Keywords Studios is dedicated to following a well-established Equal Opportunities Policy. We endeavour to create a workplace which provides for equal opportunities for all employees and potential employees.