Principal Technical Artist, Environment - Unpublished R&D Product

As a Technical Artist, you will focus on supporting artists with art asset prototypes so they can realize their work in-game. You will work with artists across all departments from modeling to lighting, rigging to animation to ensure all assets work within the scope of the technical pipeline requirements. Working closely with each artistic department, you will standardize and improve development processes for the production of in-game assets, materials, shaders, and scalable development pipelines.

As a Principal Technical Artist on an unpublished R&D project, you will report to the Technical Art Director. You will be the bridge between art, design, and engineering to support technical animation needs for the upcoming project. You will also support artists on the team as they create assets by developing various assets and removing technical barriers and inefficiencies.

Responsibilities:

Partner closely with artists, engineering, and design teams to prototype, define, and develop content based on project needs
Research, implement and/or improve the state of art, graphics techniques and tools for use in upcoming R&D projects
Help developing content guidelines and workflows to ensure best practices
Optimize assets and content creation workflows through improved tooling
Quickly solve issues and unify vision with cross-functional peers.
Meet project deadlines in a timely manner without compromising artistic integrity
Consistently communicate with the team by giving and receiving feedback, directing next steps, and providing clear goals and outcomes to your team

Required Qualifications:

7+ years of professional experience as a technical artist in games or related industries
Experience making tools and automation for one or more packages like Maya, Houdini, Substance Painter, Substance Designer, ZBrush, Knald, Marmoset, Photoshop, etc.
A foundation in at least one ‘traditional’ category such as level design, environment art, animation or coding.
Extensive experience working with game engine scripting and materials, and real-time lighting and workflows
Highly proficient communication skills and capacity to act as an ambassador between art and engineering
Critical thinking skills, particularly as it pertains to translating artistic requirements to sustainable workflow design
Professional experience in Unreal and or Unity
Professional experience in mobile and or AAA development

Desired Qualifications:

Expertise in content creation and tool development in DCC tools, especially Maya, Photoshop, and Substance Designer/Painter
Experience with look dev, color theory, camera lenses, and lighting direction
Proficiency in Python programming

As a part of the application process, candidates will be expected to provide a portfolio or demo reel of their work and may be asked to complete an art test.

For this role, you'll find success through craft expertise, a collaborative spirit, and decision-making that prioritizes the delight of players. We will be looking at your past studies, experience, and your personal relationship with games. If you embody player empathy and care about the experiences of players, this could be the role for you!

Our Perks:

Riot focuses on work/life balance, shown by our open paid time off policy and other perks such as flexible work schedules. We offer medical, dental, and life insurance, parental leave for you, your spouse/domestic partner, and children, and a 401k with company match. Check out our benefits pages for more information.

At Riot Games, we put players first. That mission drives every decision in our quest to create games and experiences that make it better to be a player. Whether you’re working directly on a new player-facing experience or you’re supporting the company as a whole, everyone at Riot is part of our mission. And just like in our games, we’re better when we work together. Our goal is to create collaborative teams where you are empowered to bring your unique perspective everyday. If that sounds like the kind of place you want to work, we’re looking forward to your application.

It’s our policy to provide equal employment opportunity for all applicants and members of Riot Games, Inc. Riot Games makes reasonable accommodations for handicapped and disabled Rioters and does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, handicap, veteran status, marital status, criminal history, or any other category protected by applicable federal and state law. We consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with applicable federal, state and local law, including the California Fair Chance Act, the City of Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, and the Washington Fair Chance Act.

Per the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance, the following core duties may create a basis for disqualifying candidates with relevant criminal histories:

Safeguarding confidential and sensitive Company data
Communication with others, including Rioters and third parties such as vendors, and/or players, including minors
Accessing Company assets, secure digital systems, and networks
Ensuring a safe interactive environment for players and other Rioters

These duties are directly related to essential operations, safety, trust, and compliance obligations within our organization. Please note that job duties may evolve based on business needs and additional responsibilities may be assigned as necessary to maintain operational efficiency and security.