Technical Art Director

The Position
The Technical Art Director is responsible for the technical art quality from the start to end of a project. As someone with a strong understanding of visual quality and the technology, they assure we are using the right tools in the right way to maximize the project’s visual goals within the constraints of our proprietary open-world APEX engine. They are hands on with implementation and provide technical support to team members while guiding and assisting them in using the best practices possible for the tools and features in our engine.

The ideal candidate is half programmer, half artist with an understanding of the tools and workflows needed to make great art. They feel comfortable in a team environment and are able to contribute on many levels of technical art with an edge towards real time rendering features and procedural solutions.

They will work with the Directors and Leads to help implement, research, and evolve our technology along with the content pipelines required to achieve the maximum potential.

As an employee of Avalanche Studios, you will work in an environment where social skills are just as important as your professional skills. You will work with a team of talented and experienced game developers, who have worked on numerous best-selling and critically acclaimed titles.

- Mentor a team of skilled technical artists that support and help the Art teams with the development challenges of the project.
- Partner with the Art Director and Rendering Lead to drive and execute the project’s vision.
- Strategy to grow the engine and tools required to achieve the Art Direction and maximize the visual quality of our products.
- Define and document the graphic production pipeline (modeling, animation, characters, lighting, shaders, VFX, etc..) while maintaining them through production.
- Coordinate and act as an intermediary between the Tech Art, Art, and the Programming team, including validation of render and tool requests from the Art Team.
- Reinforce the technical constraints of the product, and reasoning, to the team
- Assure the consistency of art quality throughout the game from a technical perspective.
- Propose and support the right tools to accelerate certain procedural tasks related to visual quality.
- Offer support and spread knowledge to other projects within the Avalanche Studios Group Divisions as needed.

Requirements

- 10+ years’ experience and shipped titles as a Technical Art Director or Lead Technical Artist in the game industry, potentially including years from pre-rendered industries.
- Experience mentoring a team of artists, engineers, and/or technical artists.
- Strong knowledge of current rendering principles and shaders in a real-time environment.
- Strong understanding of HDR content and rendering pipelines
- Comprehensive knowledge of CG fundamentals: modeling, textures/shaders, rigging, animation, lighting, rendering, compositing. Comprehensive knowledge of CG content creation software such as Maya, Substance, and Marvelous
- Excellent aptitude for troubleshooting technical issues associated with lighting, shaders, performance, tools and pipelines.
- Expert knowledge of Python and the Qt Framework
- Competency with architecting and developing tools and pipelines for artists
- Ability to communicate effectively with artists, designers, engineers, and other members of the development team.

Nice to haves

- Experience with pre-rendered pipelines
- Knowledge and experience using C++
- Experience in creating and optimising real-time shaders
- Experience with Houdini and procedural pipelines
- A foundation in traditional art

Employee promise

We provide goals, instead of instructions, and the opportunity to do the best work of your career.

Our Values

At Avalanche Studios Group, we believe in worlds beyond limits, we are committed to developing a diverse and inclusive workplace. We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. Everyone at Avalanche Studios Group has a shared responsibility to create an open and inclusive work environment where everyone is treated equally and with respect. Being part of our world is not contingent on where you’re from, your gender, or sexual orientation. It’s all about your passion and creativity.

How to Apply

We will only consider applications that consist of both a cover letter and a CV. In your cover letter you should include why you want to work at Avalanche Studios Group. For this role you need to be able to work full-time in our Stockholm office.

To apply for this position please register below. Apply as soon as possible as we review applications continuously. All further information is provided under non-disclosure agreement only.