35 hours a week (Flexi-time at 7 hours each day. Core hours are 10am-4pm.)

This role is offered onsite in our Liverpool Studio, England, hybrid or remote UK.

We are seeking a highly creative and experienced Art Director to join our passionate indie games studio. As Art Director, you will be responsible for leading the artistic vision of our exciting, new game projects, ensuring high-quality visual designs, and providing artistic direction to our team of talented artists. The ideal candidate will have strong background in game development, a keen eye for aesthetics, and the ability to inspire and guide a team to creative visually stunning and immersive game experiences.

• Lead Artistic Vision: Develop and communicate a compelling artistic vision for our game projects, aligning with the overall game design and narrative to creative a cohesive and immersive player experience.
• Team Leadership: Mentor a team of artists, providing clear direction, constructive feedback, and support to foster creativity, collaboration, and artistic excellence.
• Conceptualisation: Collaborate with game designers and writers to conceptualise and visualise game worlds, characters, environments, and visual effects that align with the game’s theme and gameplay mechanics.
• Art Style Development: Define and refine the game’s art style, ensuring consistency and quality across all visual elements, including characters, animations, environments, UI, and promotional materials.
• Asset Creation: Oversee the creation of 2D and 3D assets, textures, animations, and visual effects, ensuring they meet the artistic standards and technical requirements of the game.
• Quality Control: Conduct regular reviews and quality checks to maintain a high standard of visual quality throughout the development process, identifying and addressing areas for improvement.
• Collaboration: Collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams, including game designers, programmers, and key stakeholders, to integrate visual elements seamlessly into the gameplay experience. Building relationships with external clients and internal teams as required.
• Research & Innovation: Stay updated with industry trends, emerging technologies, and artistic techniques to incorporate innovative and cutting-edge visual elements into our games.
• Resource & Budget Allocation: Working closely with internal teams to allocate resources effectively whilst ensuring project remains on budget.

 

Any additional duties/ expectations as an employee of the company above and beyond specific job role  

• Proven experience as an Art Director in the game development industry, with a strong portfolio showcasing your artistic and creative skills.
• Proficiency in industry-standard software tools such as Photoshop, Illustrator, 3DS Max, Maya or equivalent.
• Working knowledge of Unreal Engine, preferably UE5.
• Strong understanding of game development pipelines and workflows, from concept to final implementation.
• Excellent leadership and communication skills, with the ability to inspire and motivate a creative team.
• Ability to adapt to various art styles and work within the constraints of different game genres. 
• Passion for games and a deep understanding of what makes a game visually appealing and engaging for players.
• Ability to come up with the best ways to work via research and implementing them in-house.
• Process driven to ensure no bottlenecks and art pipeline maintaining throughout our projects.

• Knowledge of different art styles, genres, and platforms in the gaming industry.
• Multiple game platform experience

• Fantastic team culture and working environment
• Zero crunch culture
• Flexible working hours
• 25 days holiday +Bank Holidays, rising with length of service each year
• Holiday buy back scheme
• Annual pay reviews
• Discretionary bonuses
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Contributory workplace pension scheme
• Referral bonus scheme
• Parental leave
• Company Events, including social events, industry events, charity events and more
• Continual training and development for all staff
• Paid parking
• Cycle to work scheme
• Christmas-New Year shutdown
• Annual, confidential financial wellbeing checks

To apply please forward your CV to [email protected] along with a portfolio highlighting your 3D and 2D artwork including software and game engine usage.

Skyhook Games are an equal opportunities employer and is committed to having a diverse workforce and inclusive environment. Reasonable adjustments will be made for candidates with a disability.