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- Tasks: Lead the art direction for a gritty sci-fi strategy game and mentor a small team.
- Company: Join an early-stage studio with a passion for indie game development.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, flexible start, and remote-first work culture.
- Other info: Fast-paced environment with creative freedom and growth opportunities.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on a unique game project and shape its visual identity.
- Qualifications: Proven experience in leading art teams and shipping projects.
The predicted salary is between 70000 - 70000 £ per year.
An early-stage studio is building a top-down strategy/RTS-adjacent game with two complementary layers: a hard-surface, industrial UI/management layer and large-scale planetary environments viewed from a satellite/top-down perspective. The visual tone is realistic, gritty sci-fi with a slight 1970s retro/dystopian sensibility. You’ll join a small growing studio and be the first hire for the Art Team as a hands-on Art Director.
Key responsibilities:
- Define and own the visual language across environments, vehicles, props, and UI, ensuring strong top-down readability at medium/far camera distances.
- Lead, hire and mentor a small internal art team; have full input on all art hires.
- Be hands on, produce concept and production assets alongside your team, ensuring a consistently high quality.
- Create practical pipelines and workflows for modular asset assembly, procedural or generated content, and rapid iteration.
- Collaborate with design and engineering to translate gameplay systems into clear visual systems and prioritize deliverables for prototypes and production.
Must-have:
- Senior lead with proven experience shipping or leading early stage projects from prototyping through to production.
- Portfolio demonstrating hard-surface sci-fi environments, props, and assets optimized for medium/far/top-down views.
- Hands-on skills in modelling/texturing/asset assembly; able to deliver production-ready art quickly.
- Strong leadership, hiring, communication and prioritisation skills for fast-moving small teams.
Nice-to-have:
- RTS/strategy or similar game experience.
- Unity engine familiarity and common DCC toolchain experience.
The role is remote-first with occasional in-person meetups, we prefer UK/Europe for timezone alignment but will consider exceptional candidates elsewhere. We’re looking for people who love indie/early-stage development and want to ship quickly.
Art Director employer: Datascope Recruitment
Contact Detail:
Datascope Recruitment Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Art Director
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to industry contacts, join relevant online communities, and attend virtual events. The more people you know, the better your chances of landing that Art Director gig.
✨Tip Number 2
Show off your portfolio! Make sure it highlights your best work in hard-surface sci-fi environments and top-down views. Tailor it to showcase your skills that align with the job description.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for interviews by practising your pitch. Be ready to discuss your leadership style, how you handle fast-paced environments, and your vision for the art direction of the project.
✨Tip Number 4
Apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen. Plus, we love seeing candidates who take the initiative to connect directly with us.
We think you need these skills to ace Art Director
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Off Your Portfolio: Make sure to include a link to your portfolio that highlights your best work, especially those gritty sci-fi environments and assets. We want to see your hands-on skills in action, so pick pieces that demonstrate your ability to create production-ready art quickly.
Tailor Your Application: When applying, customise your application to reflect the job description. Highlight your experience with early-stage projects and your leadership skills. We love seeing how you can fit into our small, fast-paced team!
Be Yourself: Don’t be afraid to let your personality shine through in your written application. We’re looking for someone who’s passionate about indie development and can bring their unique flair to our studio. Show us why you’re the perfect fit!
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way for us to keep track of your application and ensures you don’t miss any important updates. Plus, we love seeing applications come in through our own channels!
How to prepare for a job interview at Datascope Recruitment
✨Showcase Your Portfolio
Make sure to bring your A-game when it comes to your portfolio. Highlight your best work that aligns with the gritty sci-fi aesthetic they're after, especially focusing on hard-surface environments and assets optimised for top-down views. Be ready to discuss your creative process and how you tackled challenges in your previous projects.
✨Demonstrate Leadership Skills
Since this role involves leading a small art team, be prepared to share examples of your leadership experience. Talk about how you've mentored others, made hiring decisions, or fostered collaboration in past projects. They want to see that you can inspire and guide a team while maintaining high-quality output.
✨Understand Their Vision
Do your homework on the studio and their project. Familiarise yourself with their vision for the game and think about how you can contribute to that. Bring ideas to the table about visual language and workflows that could enhance their development process. Showing that you’re aligned with their goals will set you apart.
✨Be Hands-On and Practical
This is a hands-on role, so be ready to discuss your technical skills in modelling, texturing, and asset assembly. They’ll appreciate candidates who can deliver production-ready art quickly. Consider preparing a mini demo or discussing a recent project where you had to iterate rapidly to meet deadlines.