Expert Lighting Artist (Gaming)

Location: Hybrid position based in the Toronto studio, with a combination of in-studio and remote workdays; permanent remote work is not available.

Salary: 149,400–193,400 CAD annual base pay for new hires in Ontario, Canada, plus potential discretionary incentive compensation.

Company

hirify.global’s Sledgehammer Games develops first-person-shooter titles, including games in the Call of Duty franchise, and is wholly owned by Microsoft.

What you will do

• Create gameplay and in-game cinematic lighting under the direction of the Art Director.
• Build sky dome and cloud assets while meeting runtime and disk-budget requirements.
• Collaborate with Character, VFX, Environment Art, rendering engineering, leads, and directors.
• Identify production risks, communicate issues, and improve the lighting pipeline.
• Develop lighting workflows and best practices while advancing industry-standard techniques.
• Mentor lighting artists and contribute to a creative, trusted, and high-quality team environment.

Requirements

• At least 12 years of experience in a gaming-industry lighting role.
• Strong working knowledge of Maya and Photoshop or equivalent tools.
• In-depth knowledge of physically based lighting, advanced lighting fundamentals, color space, exposure, reflections, color grading, and post effects.
• Experience with Unreal, Unity, or proprietary game engines, plus industry-standard rendering concepts and processes.
• Experience with PBR and HDR lighting and familiarity with ray tracing or path tracing systems.
• Proven ability to lead and inspire teams, with the ability to use AI as a development tool.

Nice to have

• Experience with scripting or programming languages.
• Experience with Houdini.
• Knowledge of photography principles and image correction techniques.
• Experience playing Call of Duty or similar first-person-shooter games.

Culture & Benefits

• Work in a collaborative environment with teams across the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, and other locations.
• Receive routine one-to-one meetings, weekly team meetings, and an in-depth training period.
• Access comprehensive health, dental, and vision coverage, subject to eligibility.
• Additional benefits may include supplemental life and critical illness coverage and legal services.
• Relocation assistance may be available when the company requires a geographic move for the role.