Lead Character Artist (Unreal Engine 5)

Location: Royal Leamington Spa, United Kingdom

Company

hirify.global develops high-quality video games.

What you will do

• Lead and support the Character Art team, setting quality standards and providing feedback, mentoring, and artistic direction.
• Create and review real-time character art, balancing hands-on production with leadership responsibilities.
• Collaborate with Art, Technical Art, Animation, Concept, Engineering, Production, and other disciplines.
• Develop efficient character pipelines, tools, and workflows while improving quality and productivity.
• Plan character production, including estimation, prioritisation, and resource requirements.
• Direct internal and external artists and help resolve production challenges.

Requirements

• Expert knowledge of the complete character art pipeline, including sculpting, modelling, texturing, materials, optimisation, and final in-engine implementation.
• Proven Character Artist experience in AAA or high-quality game development, including a Lead or equivalent leadership role.
• At least one shipped title with significant responsibility for Character Art.
• Portfolio demonstrating recent, high-quality real-time character work and strong knowledge of anatomy, proportion, form, silhouette, and composition.
• Strong proficiency with Maya, 3ds Max, Blender, ZBrush, Substance 3D Painter, and Photoshop.
• Leadership, mentoring, communication, collaboration, planning, and cross-discipline problem-solving skills.

Nice to have

• Strong experience with Unreal Engine 5 and MetaHuman technologies.
• Experience with modular, customisable, or digital human character pipelines.
• Understanding of advanced character rendering, including skin, hair, eyes, materials, shaders, and character deformation.

Culture & Benefits

• 25 days of annual holiday plus one day for a birthday.
• Studio shutdown between Christmas and New Year.
• Discretionary bonus scheme.
• Private pension, healthcare, dental care, and optical treatments.
• Health, well-being, and mental health support.