About the role
Role Overview
As a Technical Art Lead, you will lead and support defining the technical art needs across the different creative and technical teams on a game product. You will partner with the Art Director and other discipline leads to inform on best practices and pipelines, workflow, and asset production so artists can work efficiently and without technical hurdles in production. Additionally, you will work with fellow Managers of Technical Art and Technical Art Directors across the studio to ensure healthy and consistent best practices and support across the discipline.
As a Technical Art Lead, Rigging on the VALORANT Agents Team, you will work closely with the Art Director and other discipline leads to architect, innovate, and uphold the technical quality of the game’s content generation pipeline. By working closely with animation, modeling, VFX, and concept team members, you will guide the team in building the right tools and workflows to optimize our animation content processes to bring new worlds and characters to life. You report directly to the Art Director.
Responsibilities
- Partner with other Art Leads within the Agents Team to understand and help fulfill the broader vision of each Agent.
- Build, serve, and manage a high-performing team of other technical artists.
- Rig characters, creatures, and props, working closely with animators to achieve engaging in game performance.
- Be an active member of the Agents Team leads group and advise on Tech Art related issues.
- Direct team towards building the right rigging and animation tools that support animators and other artists through production tasks and workflow challenges.
- Provide technical support to artists working from our art workflows, collecting data to further improve the tools they are using.
- Proactively promote collaboration between art teams to level up content synergy and consistency.
- Spread knowledge of the team’s processes and help teams expand their technical know-how.
- Consistently give and take constructive feedback, direct next steps, and communicate clear goals and outcomes to your team.
Required Qualifications
- 5+ years of professional experience as a rigging technical artist in games or related industries.
- 1+ years of professional experience in a management role.
- Strong knowledge of figure and facial anatomy, with prior rigging experience on a shipped title.
- Expertise in Unreal Engine 5 and its various animation systems.
- Expertise in industry-standard content creation tools, particularly Maya.
- Highly proficient communication skills and capacity to act as an ambassador between various art disciplines and software engineering.
- Proficient Python programmer.
Desired Qualifications
- Proficiency in tool and content pipeline design and development.
- Fluency in modern scripting languages and related UI frameworks, such as Python & PyQt/PySide.
Application Requirements
- Provide a portfolio of your high-quality technical art work, including stylized artwork.
- Completion of an art test may be required as part of the application process.
Compensation and Benefits
- Base salary range: $185,200.00 - $258,000.00 USD (Los Angeles only).
- Additional compensation: Incentive compensation and equity.
- Benefits: 401k with company match, medical, dental, vision, and life insurance.
- Disability: Short and long-term disability.
- Time off: Open paid time off (PTO) policy.
- Additional: Flexible work schedules and parental leave for you, your spouse/domestic partner, and children.
Additional Information
- The company prioritizes work/life balance, player empathy, and a collaborative spirit.
- All qualified applicants will be considered for employment, including those with criminal histories, in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local laws.
- Core duties that may create a basis for disqualifying candidates with relevant criminal histories include:
- 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.