Senior External Development Lighting Artist (Unreal Engine)

TL;DR

Senior External Development Lighting Artist (Unreal Engine): Designing and managing high-end lighting environments and external partner workflows for AAA titles with an accent on visual consistency, atmospheric storytelling, and technical optimization. Focus on establishing lighting standards, optimizing for current-gen consoles, and collaborating with VFX and cinematic teams to ensure stylistic cohesion.

Location: Remote or Hybrid (Montreal, Canada)

Company

One of the leading independent AAA game development studios known for titles like Outriders and Gears of War.

What you will do

• Establish lighting standards and technical benchmarks for external partners via comprehensive documentation.
• Create compelling lighting setups that establish mood, drive narrative, and form a cohesive world.
• Collaborate with level designers, VFX, and cinematic teams to build atmospheric game environments and high-end cut-scenes.
• Design and implement light objects and technical assets such as IES textures and HDR maps.
• Analyze scenes for performance bottlenecks and optimize light sources for current-generation consoles.
• Innovate new lighting techniques for next-gen hardware in collaboration with tech art and engineering teams.

Requirements

• Demonstrated ability to manage communication pipelines across varying time zones and distributed external teams.
• Deep understanding of real-time lighting assets and modern global illumination workflows (baked and dynamic).
• Thorough understanding of performance limitations and memory budgets for current-generation consoles.
• Ability to create all necessary lighting content, including IES profiles, HDR maps, and material functions.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English.
• Must be based in or able to work in a hybrid capacity in Montreal, Canada.

Nice to have

• At least 5 years of video game industry experience in a related position.
• Experience working with Unreal Engine.
• Experience with shipped titles.

Culture & Benefits

• Benefit package 100% paid by the company, including full dental and health coverage.
• 4% RRSP matching, 100% vested from day one.
• 20 paid vacation days, 5 paid sick days, and a paid week off during winter holidays.
• Free virtual health and mental wellbeing sessions for members and dependents.
• Competitive salary and performance-based annual bonuses.
• Opportunities for personal development within a global creative environment.