Art Director

Schell Games is a highly talented group of artists, programmers, producers, and game designers led by game industry veteran Jesse Schell.  We're the largest full-service education and entertainment game development company in the United States.  Since 2002, we've worked with world-class clients and partners to create interactive experiences that engage and inspire players of all ages across all platforms.  Presently, we are focused on virtual reality, augmented reality, location-based experiences, and social games.

Do you like to work on innovative projects in a motivating, friendly atmosphere? Would you agree that games can engage and inspire?

If you answered "YES!" to both questions, you might be a fit for our studio!  

ART DIRECTOR POSITION

Our artists honor the unique aesthetic vision of each project and work to make all aspects of the experience beautiful. The team is comprised of 2D/conceptual artists, 3D modelers, technical and effects artists, and animators.  We are seeking a talented Art Director to work on projects ranging from online worlds and handheld games to virtual reality experiences and themed interactive attractions.  

Our ideal candidate will be responsible for the overall visual look of game development projects and supervising the efforts of the assigned Art Teams. The Art Director carries the vision to ensure fidelity and consistency from internal concept artists, character artists, environment artists, animators, FX artists, and UI designers with the responsibility to deliver the most visually compelling game in service of the overall game experience.

Art Directors at our studio manage art schedules, milestone deliverables, and stakeholder expectations, as well as set standard procedures for project art creation and pipelines.  The ability to communicate and work closely with separate disciplines while giving a unified direction is a must.  In addition, we're looking for someone who is excited about mentoring game artists who are at the early stages of their careers.  We’re looking for someone excited about cross­-disciplined collaboration and making great games with us! 

AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY:

• Partnering with the project Director, Producers, Technical Director and other team leads to address all issues related to artistic needs, including: defining the stylistic vision, establishing and maintaining aesthetic standards, influencing the technical direction of the project to best support the artistic goals, and contributing accurate scheduling information to production department
• Planning and directing tasks across multiple milestones/duration of the project; working on longer-range projects, estimates, scoping, and planning; approving the planning of project milestones with the team via Agile/SCRUM methodology
• Directing high-level art pipeline, meaningfully contributing to decisions, and maintaining development and optimization guidelines through the project with Directors
• Individual Management of some subset of individual artists, including monthly 1:1 discussions, evaluation, and performance reviews
• Advocating for both the Art Department and processes within the team - serving as a key contact at a project lead level and between teams; representing and communicating Art Department's successes, challenges, and point of view concerning project direction/production
• Working closely with the Project Director to establish, interpret, and support the game design; creating the visual language that directly enhances the core design and offers artistic solutions to design problems
• Overseeing the visual development of the project, encouraging input from team members and specialties but making final decisions on the visual quality, style, and mood of assets
• Supporting the Studio Art VP to build and manage a high-performing team, outline succession planning, manage risk and identify growth opportunities across art disciplines 
• Communicating the artistic design and development of the project to the art team (internal) and client (external) through verbal discussions, art specifications, and style guides, including environmental design, character design, prop design, graphic design, lighting, special effects, and reference material
• Mentoring across all levels of the Art team and team members outside discipline on quality, process and best practice with direct correlation to project goals

DESIRED SKILLS & EXPERIENCE:

• Minimum of 5 years of industry experience with a successful track record as an Art Director or Art Manager
• A portfolio demonstrating outstanding work in-game visual development
• Prior experience building, leading, and mentoring highly creative teams
• Excellent team communication and motivational skills
• Good understanding of 3D computer graphics, gaming platforms, and industry trends
• Organization, asset tracking, and high-level art pipeline development experience

EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND: 

• BFA preferred 

Our studio is committed to providing an equitable and inclusive work environment that ensures that all applicants and team members are treated with dignity and respect.  We will not tolerate any type of discrimination or harassment directed at any applicant or employee because of their gender, race, religion, age, disability, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, veteran, family or parental status or any other protected group characteristic.  This equal opportunity and nondiscrimination policy applies to all aspects of employment including recruitment, hiring, promotions, discipline, terminations, wage and salary administration, benefits, and training.

Prohibiting discrimination and harassment is only one part of the equation. “Diversity makes us strong” is more than just something we say.  We value diversity in all forms because it is essential to our success, and we want every member of our team to feel their best creative self.  Our development environment and social culture are based on welcoming, respecting, and celebrating differences among our team members and our players.  We rely on each person to add their own unique skills and perspective to our culture.  Every member of our team is responsible for making the studio as inclusive and equitable as possible.

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Candidate selected for this position will be subject to standard employment verification and criminal background check upon offer of contingent employment.