Lead Material Artist - Infinity Ward

Job Title:

Lead Material Artist - Infinity Ward

Requisition ID:

R022936

Job Description:

Founded in 2002, Infinity Ward is the original studio behind the Call of Duty® franchise. The titles developed by Infinity Ward have won more than 200 "Game of the Year" awards and 100 "Editor's Choice" awards, among many other industry accolades. Some of our previous titles include: Call of Duty®: Ghosts, Call of Duty®: Infinite Warfare and most recently, Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare II. 

A critically acclaimed studio, Infinity Ward is proud to have one of the most passionate and dedicated development teams in the industry.  We love to have as much fun as the games we create, and it shows in our relaxed, yet diligent, workplace environment.  We believe that making the best games relies on having the best people, so we like to look after ours. We enjoy having fun with top-notch events that everyone gets involved with.

Infinity Ward is wholly owned by Activision. To learn more about our studio, please visit us at https://www.infinityward.com/, on Facebook at  https://www.facebook.com/InfinityWard/, and @InfinityWard on Twitter.

Hiring in Los Angeles, CA; Austin, Texas; Barcelona, Spain; Krakow, Poland; and Mexico City (Relocation required)

Your Mission

As a Lead Material Artist at Infinity Ward, you will oversee the creation of the Materials and Textures that add depth, detail, and dimension to our environments. You will oversee and support a team of diverse and hard-working Material artists that help shape and define a wide range of environments. 

You are an expert communicator, collaborator, and ambassador for the team. You will collaborate with Level Artists, Leads and Directors to create photoreal environmental materials that adhere to the quality standards and tone of the Call of Duty Franchise. Aiming for the utmost realism in execution while maintaining PBR standards and working within technical guidelines.  

As a skilled artist, you understand the material process with its many technical and artistic constraints. You can mentor your team, proactively find solutions, and deliver significant feedback to both internal and external developers with confidence. 

Priorities can often change in a fast-paced environment like ours, so this role includes, but is not limited to, the following responsibilities:   

• Works closely with Leads and Directors to maintain style and tone across all environments. 
• Responsible for the quality and efficiency of material and texture content generated by their team. 
• Prioritizes and assigns tasks and initiatives to their team to ensure best possible results, while aligning with Directors, Production and OS managers. 
• Works closely with the Tools, Engine, and Tech art counterparts to develop new workflows or improve upon existing tools and technologies to streamline team efficiency. 
• Helps drive the planning and pre-production efforts of each assigned environment when necessary. 
• Responsible for the management and mentorship of all Artists on their team 
• Responsible for preparing and delivering candid positive and constructive performance feedback for direct reports on a regular basis. 
• Create documentation of processes for others to follow as needed. 
• Provides feedback to both internal and external artists regarding quality and technical execution. 
• Proactively helps to troubleshoot and fix problemed content.  

Player Profile

Experience

• 6+ years industry experience creating tillable world materials
• At least one shipped AAA title, from beginning to a finished product Knowledge & Skills
• Expert understanding of Physically Based Rendering (PBR) workflow 
• Strong foundational Art skills. Understanding of composition, form, color and light in relation to world materials 
• Advanced skill in their software. Substance Designer, Substance Painter, Adobe Photoshop and Zbrush, Blender or similar software
• Strong knowledge of a 3D modeling software (Maya, Max, etc.) 
• Familiar with modern level editor workflows.  Similar to UE4, Unity, etc. 
• Self-motivated, independent, and has shown ability to self-manage and meet deadlines 
• Photogrammetry experience

Key Attributes

• Takes Direction Well and can confidently give clear concise direction
• Willingness to improve and learn new skills 
• Able to work under pressure and meet production deadlines 

Extra Points

• Photography background
• First Person Shooter experience

Our World

Activision Blizzard, Inc., is one of the world's largest and most successful interactive entertainment companies and is at the intersection of media, technology and entertainment. We are home to some of the most beloved entertainment franchises including Call of Duty®, World of Warcraft®, Overwatch®, Diablo®, Candy Crush™ and Bubble Witch™. Our combined entertainment network delights hundreds of millions of monthly active users in 196 countries, making us the largest gaming network on the planet!

Our ability to build immersive and innovate worlds is only enhanced by diverse teams working in an inclusive environment.  We aspire to have a culture where everyone can thrive in order to connect and engage the world through epic entertainment. We provide a suite of benefits that promote physical, emotional and financial well-being for ‘Every World’ - we’ve got our employees covered!

Activision Blizzard is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, protected veteran status, or any other basis protected by applicable law and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability.

Rewards

We provide a suite of benefits that promote physical, emotional and financial well-being for ‘Every World’ - we’ve got our employees covered!  Subject to eligibility requirements, the Company offers comprehensive benefits including:

• Medical, dental, vision, health savings account or health reimbursement account, healthcare spending accounts, dependent care spending accounts, life and AD&D insurance, disability insurance;
• 401(k) with Company match, tuition reimbursement, charitable donation matching;
• Paid holidays and vacation, paid sick time, floating holidays, compassion and bereavement leaves, parental leave;
• Mental health & wellbeing programs, fitness programs, free and discounted games, and a variety of other voluntary benefit programs like supplemental life & disability, legal service, ID protection, rental insurance, and others;
• If the Company requires that you move geographic locations for the job, then you may also be eligible for relocation assistance.

Eligibility to participate in these benefits may vary for part time and temporary full-time employees and interns with the Company.  You can learn more by visiting https://www.benefitsforeveryworld.com/.

In the U.S., the standard base pay range for this role is $97,200.00 - $179,900.00 Annual. These values reflect the expected base pay range of new hires across all U.S. locations. Ultimately, your specific range and offer will be based on several factors, including relevant experience, performance, and work location. Your Talent Professional can share this role’s range details for your local geography during the hiring process. In addition to a competitive base pay, employees in this role may be eligible for incentive compensation. Incentive compensation is not guaranteed. While we strive to provide competitive offers to successful candidates, new hire compensation is negotiable.