Senior Environment Artist

Cold Iron Studios is in search of a Senior Environment Artist to bolster our team in the development of a new sci-fi third-person action game. We are committed to delivering a visually compelling experience, underpinned by thoughtful narrative design and innovative gameplay.
This position is fully remote and open to applicants across the country.
The Senior Environment Artist will be integral in crafting immersive game environments. Your expertise in the use of light, shadow, atmosphere, and grading will be key in adding depth and texture to our game worlds. Leveraging Unreal Engine, you will be expected to overcome hardware limitations to create consistent, quality visuals for all players.
In addition, as a senior member of our esteemed team, your expertise will serve as a guiding force, illuminating the path for your fellow teammates. Your role will extend beyond technical mastery, as you inspire and mentor them, fostering a culture of continuous growth to create a culture of excellence.

Responsibilities:

• Create mood and atmosphere through real-time lighting that aligns with the game's art direction and gameplay needs.
• Develop lighting systems, color grading, and other post-process setups to enhance the visual quality.
• Collaborate with technical artists and engineers to establish the lighting pipeline, define tools and workflows, and set lighting standards.
• Translate lighting references, concepts, and art styles into gameplay lighting.
• Troubleshoot lighting challenges, optimize visual performance, and ensure completion of lighting goals.
• Act as a mentor to fellow team members, raising the quality bar and sharing your game developer knowledge.

Requirements:

• Demonstrated understanding of how light, shadow, and color create environmental tone and mood.
• Proficiency in real-time lighting principles.
• Creative and technically proficient approach to lighting environments based on personal vision and conceptual illustrations.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to collaborate with various departments, including art, tech art, and design.
• Minimum of 3 years of video game development experience, lighting a variety of game environments.
• Portfolio or demo reel showcasing a keen eye for detail and the ability to create diverse tones and moods using light, shadow, and color.
• Thorough understanding of real-time lighting techniques, including dynamic lights, sub-surface scattering, HDR solutions.
• Self-motivation, great communication, and the ability to work well within a team.
• Experience in optimizing for a shipped AAA title
  

Would Love to See

• Experience with outsourcing
• Unreal experience (Unreal 4 or 5)
• Advanced understanding of shaders

Education

No requirement.

 Salary Range

$110,000-$140,000

Location

This position is fully remote and open to applicants across the country.

Please Note

Applicants without a portfolio will not be considered

At Cold Iron Studios, we're dedicated to creating narrative-driven, impactful games. We recognize that diversity brings richness to our work, and we welcome applicants from all backgrounds. This position offers a significant opportunity to shape the visual identity of our games and make a substantial contribution to our studio's success.

We invite you to apply and take part in crafting unforgettable gaming experiences.
Exceptional employee benefits, Remote work; 18 days PTO first year in addition to 11 paid holidays plus company-wide shutdown between Christmas and New Year’s Day; Robust Medical, Dental, Vision insurance coverage for entire family; Company matched 401k vested immediately; Flex Spending Accounts, annual stipend to help cover work from home expenses, ultra-creative environment.