Environment Art Supervisor - Expression of Interest

ILM builds immersive experiences for Virtual and Augmented Reality and other emerging platforms.  Our mission is to tell stories in new ways that leverage real-time graphics on ultra high-end hardware.  We combine techniques from film VFX production with techniques from the video game industry to produce real-time experiences of the highest fidelity.

We are looking for a real-time Environment Art Supervisor to lead a team of Environment Artists in creating visually stunning and technically performant characters that support the storytelling, animation and interactivity that make our experiences feel truly immersive.

This role is considered Hybrid, which means the employee will work 2-3 days onsite at our San Francisco office and occasionally from home.

What You'll Do

• Manage a team of Environment Artists to accomplish ILM’s mission. Develop and hone the team’s skills to continuously raise the quality bar.

• Set the discipline’s standard for artistic and technical excellence, efficiency and performance by creating exemplary environment art assets that meet project requirements, and providing training and guidance to artists.  

• Work  closely with artistic directors, cross-functional peers  and project leadership to develop and drive the look of our experiences to support story, art direction and interactivity objectives. Be accountable for the team’s capability to translate concept artwork into high fidelity,  dynamic environments that are performant in-engine and enhance the player experience. 

• Oversee the optimization of assets to achieve optimal scene performance in the 3D engine.

• Collaborate with Talent Managers to inform talent planning, provide guidance on casting assignments, and offer feedback to contribute to artist growth, skill development, and career goals. Partner with Talent Management and Recruiting on staffing needs and contribute to the evaluation of potential third-party production partners, working with new vendors to define and implement effective workflows.

• Work with Producers in the planning stages of proposed projects to advise on the scope of the work and make recommendations accordingly.

• Establish process and workflow for the discipline, and collaborate with other discipline supervisors to establish cross-functional workflow with other disciplines.  

• Establish standards for managing how art direction and detailed feedback are given to external art vendors, and own quality control of incoming assets.   

• Through continuing hands-on creation of environment art on projects, maintain deep knowledge and user experience on workflow and tools.  Innovate discipline workflow and keep up to date on new tools/applications/trends in the industry.

• Set the cultural tone & reinforce positive behavior within your group. Work with studio leadership  to define and continually refine and shape the team culture.

• Define the discipline’s ‘Lead Artist’ project role per project.  Help project leads solve scope, workflow, etc. issues throughout the project as needed.

• Speak on behalf of the discipline in technology development discussions to ensure that new development aligns with the discipline’s strategy and workflow.

What We're Looking For

• Undergraduate or graduate degree in game development, digital art, computer graphics, game design, or related field or equivalent experience.

• Minimum of 10 years experience in game development designing, modeling, and texturing 3D assets on multiple shipped AAA titles.

• Minimum of 3 shipped titles as a Senior level artist or higher.

• Proficiency in major 2D (Photoshop) and 3D computer graphics software applications (Maya/3Ds Max, Zbrush/Mudbox, etc.)

• Experience with Substance Designer/Painter, Mari, WorldMachine, Quixel

• Demonstrated success leading a team of artists on projects

• Extensive experience working with Unreal 3 or 4, including terrain / landscape editing, level streaming set-up and implementation.

• Exceptional understanding of form, shape, structure, and silhouette in regard to modeling.

• Excellent eye for light, shade, color, and detail in creating texture maps of different material types

• Strong paint skills, multi-layered materials and effective texture layout.

• Mastery of PBR workflow, materials and lighting.

• Ability to switch between a wide range of styles.

• Experience with source control via Perforce or equivalent.

• Collaborative, team-player attitude: open & receptive to new ideas, constructive criticism, artistic direction and changes.

• Passion for real-time graphics and emerging platforms (VR, AR, etc).

• Experience managing outsourced work

Nice to Have

• Knowledge of 2.5D projections and associated pipelines

• Experience working with photogrammetry

• Experience with Unity, FrostEd, Hammer, Radiant or other level editing tools

• Able to create stylized concept art and illustration

• An appreciation for source control

* A portfolio / reel submission - including a detailed breakdown of your work in each section - is required with all applications.

The hiring range for this position in San Francisco, CA is $142,900 to $187,500 per year. The base pay actually offered will take into account internal equity and also may vary depending on the candidate’s geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors. A bonus and/or long-term incentive units may be provided as part of the compensation package, in addition to the full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the level and position offered.