Lead Artist

• Location: Saint-Mandé, France 
• Duration of work: Full-time 
• Remote or on-site: Flexible working organization to be discussed with the manager of the role, in accordance with the Ubisoft Work From Home policy - 3 days a week in our Saint-Mandé office. 

Company Description 
Ubisoft’s 19,000 team members, working across more than 30 countries around the world, are bound by a common mission to enrich players’ lives with original and memorable gaming experiences. Their dedication and talent have brought to life many acclaimed franchises such as Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, Watch Dogs, Just Dance, Rainbow Six, and many more to come. Ubisoft is an equal opportunity employer that believes diverse backgrounds and perspectives are key to creating worlds where both players and teams can thrive and express themselves. If you are excited about solving game-changing challenges, cutting edge technologies and pushing the boundaries of entertainment, we invite you to join our journey and help us create the unknown. 

Job summary
Lead & validate all art assets created or modified (2D & 3D), guardian of art assets quality + consistency with existing assets & art direction

Key responsibilities

• Work hand in hand with the Creative Director to achieve in the game their creative vision, intentions and expectations for the visual experience of the game
• Lead and be responsible for the creation of all visual assets (concept arts, 3D models, animations, 2D assets, etc), made by artists in the team or by outsourced vendors, oversee briefs and provide feedbacks
• Be the champion of the set art direction to relay it to other artists and ensure its consistency in assets creation
• Ensure that assets quality standards are met, ensure their consistency with preexisting content and predefined standards, and coordinate design criteria with other cells
• Lead and be responsible for the implementation of all visual assets, in collaboration with other dev team cells (content, level design, gameplay programming), and according to their set specifications
• Lead and guide the art assets team in their tasks, to ensure that the created and implemented assets answer the various constraints, and meet the Creative Director’s expectations
• Be responsible to create and maintain up to date assets documentation (concept arts and models screenshots compilations/database, quality specs & standards references and guidelines, processes …) and art direction documentation (style references, guidelines & standards, etc)
• Be responsible to optimize the assets library / object bank in the editor (folders hierarchy, filenames nomenclature conventions, etc) in a clear and logical way to facilitate usage and avoid waste (duplicates, deprecated versions, etc)
• Collaborate with other dev team cells (content design, system design, gameplay programming) to ensure optimal communication of design info and achieve the results expected by the game Directors
• Collaborate with marketing team (Marketing artists or Product Manager) to ensure consistency of art style in & out of game on static and video assets
• Manage the outsourcing of assets creation with vendors (work specs & briefs, quality criteria, review & feedback deliveries), in collaboration with the production team (for planning, scheduling, tracking)
• Set and share best practices in your area of expertise for design, creation, documentation, workflows, methodologies and tooling, striving to optimize assets quality, footprint, technical performance, and overall pipelines
• Constantly participate in finding solutions to fix buggy features and optimize assets, pushing for reworks when they are necessary to reach the expected quality.

Relevant experience, skills and knowledge

• Passionate about playing and making games
• In-depth knowledge of the game industry, and of different game genres across all platforms, ideally of the top games in the RPG and open world genre
• Strong understanding of the full development cycle of a game and a strong understanding of all its stages, from the conception to live phase
• Expert knowledge of 3D graphics creation tools and techniques (modelling, texturing, animation, VFX/particles – Maya, Blender, 3Dsmax, Zbrush, Substance Painter and Designer, Photoshop …)
• Strong artistic skills in modelling, UV unwrapping, texturing, and with a superior eye for composition, colour theory, artistic sensitivity and quality.
• Expert knowledge of Art production and 3D pipelines on AAA games (PBR, Shader and optimization, assets management…), and of the technical constraints relating to real-time, 3D game engines, and level editors.
• Knowledge of Python, MEL, MAX Script or a programming language (C++, C# etc.) -  Technical Artist experience a strong plus
• Significant experience (at least 5 years) working in a video game development team as an artist in a lead role (lead 3D, associate art director…) – experience with AAA games is a strong plus
• Experience in managing art assets outsourcing vendors is a plus
• Comfortable with a wide range of diverse artistic universes and styles, from photorealism to cartoon and stylized – but with a focus and preference for realistic and grounded styles
• You are creative, flexible and open to feedback and iterations, and a good team player
• Problem Solver: You excel at overcoming challenges, pushing the craft forward, and organizing effective workflows.
• Role Model: You set a high standard and expect the same from your team. Attention to detail, meticulous and organized working habits to ensure high quality in day-to-day work
• Fluent in English
• A solid knowledge of the universe of The Division IP (its world, stories, characters, key mechanics and game systems, etc), and a passion for believable game world grounded in reality, is a plus
• Experience with Unreal Engine is a plus.
• Knowledge of mobile platform development is a plus.

Ubisoft's perks (for a position based in Saint-Mandé)
💰 Profit Sharing, yearly company saving plan. 25 paid time off + 12 additional paid days off. 50% of your transportation pass is paid by the company, lunch vouchers (9€/day), healthcare for you and your family, and lots of Ubisoft additional perks. 
👶 Maternity leaves of 20 weeks, paternity/co-parental leaves of 7 weeks. 
📍 Our office is located in Saint Mandé, (Metro line 1, Saint Mandé station). Gym available in the building. Ability to work with a hybrid work arrangement according to the Ubisoft Work From Home policy.  

Recruitment process 
Recruitment process: to be defined later.
Hiring Manager: Jonathan Lavergne 

Additional Information 
Ubisoft offers the same job opportunities to all, without any distinction of gender, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, social status, disability, or age. Ubisoft ensures the development of an inclusive work environment which mirrors the diversity of our gamers’ community. 
The job reports to Ubisoft Mobile Games. 

Location: Saint-Mandé, France 
Duration of work: Full-time 
Remote or on-site: Flexible working organization to be discussed with the manager of the role, in accordance with the Ubisoft Work From Home policy - 3 days a week in our Saint-Mandé office. 

This role requires candidates to be based in the Paris area, and to be on-site in our Saint-Mandé office 3 days a week. This role is not eligible for relocation support.

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