Lead FX Artist - Gaming

Onward Play is seeking a Lead FX Artist who will join one of our AAA game studio clients to create high quality in-game and cinematic visual FX. The FX Lead will help mentor and guide the FX team. In addition to creating FX content, the FX Lead will help set department standards, troubleshoot technical issues, and drive the FX departments tool development and pipelines.

Responsibilities:

• Lead and drive FX initiatives within the FX team and collaborate with other departments to develop and implement high quality and performant FX content
• Content creation of visual FX across all areas of the game which set the industry leading standard for the team and the project
• Has a leadership role within the Art department and works with their direct Supervisor to assess, recruit, and develop the FX team to support studio goals and initiatives
• Work with and mentor FX Artists to provide clear direction and set expectations for aesthetic and technical requirements
• Collaborate with the project Art Director to ensure a consistent style and quality level across all the various types of game FX assets
• Research and develop new FX solutions, both visually and technically
• Work with the Art Manager and Production department to deliver time estimates for FX creation and task tracking
• Work with the team to troubleshoot FX related issues in a timely manner and maintain implementations throughout production
• Work with graphics engineers to improve upon existing technologies and develop new ones that raise the bar of game FX, both visually and technically
• Create documentation, communicate requirements, and provide feedback to internal artists and outsourcing partners
• Track trends, the latest technology, the competition, and the newest tools to constantly refine techniques while maintaining a foundation in established FX art practices

• 10+ years’ experience as a professional FX artist in AAA games
• Portfolio of realistic, high quality real-time FX work
• Proficiency in fluid, particle, and rigid body simulations to create realistic FX in 3d packages including commercial and proprietary game engines
• Great communication and interpersonal skills
• Strong time management and organizational skills and an ability to prioritize work
• A deep comprehension of how real-time VFX influences performance and how to maintain visual standards while also supporting gameplay
• Strong leadership, mentoring, and teaching abilities
• Bachelor of art degree or equivalent industry experience and training

• Experience with a scripting or programming language
• Experience building and maintaining FX tools and Pipelines
• Experience with Agile and Waterfall development