Job Description

People make games great. And at Survios, we know we can’t grow from an acclaimed VR studio to the world’s premier game developer and publisher without them. That’s why our most valuable investments aren’t in the next-generation technology we use to make our games or the swanky new HQ we’re building in Marina Del Rey, but in creating a hybrid workplace that seeks out talent across the globe, nurtures its people, and encourages fun. A workplace where every team member knows they’re respected and cared for. If you want to join a passionate team of developers driving toward the future of immersive gaming, we’d love to hear from you! Survios currently has an opening for a talented Technical Art Director to help push the quality and innovation to the next level with our talented Technical Art Team! 

Responsibilities:

• Spearhead the research and development of new art technologies and pipelines, working closely with artists, designers, engineers and more across multiple projects.
• Drive the creation, improvement, and enforcement of pipelines and processes across all elements of game development, with the goals of efficiency, performance, and aesthetics.
• Develop and train artists to be technically savvy, fostering technical understanding and discussion across all art disciplines.
• Be the first line of defense for the art team when a technical problem arises. 
• Work with the artists to ensure they achieve the artistic vision, while meeting performance goals and technical requirements.
• Work with the Engineering Team to ensure that the technology is in place to hit industry leading visuals.
• Work with the Design Team to ensure the pipeline is capable of achieving key design pillars.
• Serve as a mentor and coach for talent to grow in the Technical Art domain.

 Requirements:

• 5+ years of leading edge game art experience in a technical position and must have shipped more than one 3D title on current-gen consoles.
• Dedicated to promoting a positive technical art culture that champions new ideas to leadership, empowers artists to achieve their vision, while growing and maintaining a positive collaborative environment.
• Excellent leadership, communication, interpersonal, organizational, and documentation skills.
• Define and enforce standards and best practices for internal and outsourced art development, including the creation and curation of asset management tools and documentation.
• A strong understanding of modern 3D engines, Art pipelines, and the techniques and technology behind them.
• Ability to work well under pressure and with deadlines.
• Technical proficiency in understanding proprietary tools and technology.
• Creative problem solving skills.
• Strong understanding of game planning and development.
• A deep understanding of game art optimization.
• Must be familiar with one or more types of 3D software (Maya, 3DMax, Zbrush, Houdini, etc.) We are an Unreal / Maya studio.
• Passion for making and playing great games, with an awareness of current titles and industry trends.

Areas of Expertise:

A Technical Art Director should have a broad knowledge base, with working knowledge in many of the following areas, and a deep expertise in one or more, with a willingness to step into or delegate in any of of these areas:

• Character Pipelines (modeling, rigging, skinning, character re-use or customization systems, etc)
• Environment Pipelines (“tileset” or “modular kit” construction, tiling / blending materials, collision/occlusion/technical data, streaming management, etc)
• Scripting or Programming for tools and art systems (Python, Blueprint, JavaScript, C# or C++, MAXScript, MEL)
• Procedural Pipelines (Houdini, Substance, bespoke content systems)
• Shader / Lighting / FX / Rendering Pipelines 
• Physics including Ragdolls, Rigid Bodies, and Destructibles.
• Scaleable content pipelines to support cross-platform development (we develop for a wide range of VR hardware (Oculus Quest, PSVR, PC VR) and a wide range of flatscreen hardware (Nintendo Switch, PS4/Xbox One, PS5/Xbox Series X).

Pluses:

• Previous experience working with VR.
• Deep Experience in Unreal Engine.

About Us:

Survios is an award-winning game studio that takes a holistic approach to development, merging our hardware, software, and games expertise to create unbelievable immersive game experiences. As we expand our focus from VR-Only to create games across all PC and Console platforms, we’re dedicated to leveraging our passion, expertise, and creativity to develop and publish the next generation of groundbreaking and immersive video games.