Art Director

Please note that this is a hybrid position based in Brighton, requiring 3 days onsite each week, with the option for remote work on the remaining days.

Part of the Rocket Science Group, Atomic Theory comprises a multinational team of seasoned AAA veterans with roots extending from Blizzard, PUBG, Epic, and Unity as well as superstars from other industries bringing their expertise of project management, software development and more! We have a track record of delivering player-centric, AAA-quality experiences, and we're unwavering in our commitment to performance, accessibility, and the meticulous attention to the engineering tools and frameworks that underpin exceptional gameplay.

But Atomic Theory is also more than just a studio; for us, it's a sanctuary, a place where our diverse experiences can intersect and combine to carry our solutions to the next level. We're dedicated to aiding studios and publishers in navigating the toughest challenges across today's game development landscape. With offices in the US and UK, we thrive at the opportunity to Get Sh!t Done on a global scale.

ABOUT THE ROLE:

We are looking for an experienced Art Director to join our team in Brighton or Cardiff, UK. The right person will be open and flexible, able to work in wide-ranging asset creation and management problem spaces with various projects and team sizes.

The ideal candidate will work closely with other developers and our client partners to ensure asset quality and consistency across a given project. As much of our work involves existing teams with various asset development strategies, the Art Director will be responsible for ensuring the parts come together to form a cohesive artistic vision. At its core, this includes ensuring timely and efficient communication and successfully delivering milestones.

WHAT YOU’LL DO:

• Creative Leadership and Strategy: Help improve, expand, and communicate art capabilities, at both the project and studio level.

• Art Integration: Ensure that visuals work in alignment with good design practices and client expectations.

• Iteration & Feedback: Participate in creative reviews, incorporate feedback quickly, and proactively identify opportunities for polish and improvement.

• Cross-Discipline Collaboration: Work closely with design, art, and engineering leads to align creative vision, unblocking obstacles and balancing artistic goals with production realities.

• Pipeline Development: Advise on and maintain efficient asset workflows, ensuring that processes are optimised for quality and speed.
  
  

WHAT WE VALUE:

• Design & Art Mastery: Deep understanding of visual principles, combined with strong knowledge of art asset creation pipelines, style guides, and implementation workflows.

• Drive for Excellence: A commitment to meticulous attention to detail, ensuring every visual element is crafted with precision to achieve an appealing, cohesive aesthetic.

• Player-Centric Mindset: Empathy for players’ needs and behaviours, with a passion for delivering seamless, intuitive, and visually engaging experiences.

• Collaboration: Strong communication and facilitation skills, with a track record of building trust and working effectively across multidisciplinary teams.

• Operational Resilience: The ability to navigate complex or less-than-ideal project environments, streamlining communication and optimising impact to set projects up for success.
  
  

WHAT YOU'LL BRING:

• 4+ yrs professional Art Management, 2D/3D Art Lead, or other similar experience

• Proven track record of shipping more than one game through to release, bonus for releases on current-gen consoles (e.g., Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, Switch 2)

• Extensive experience on teams of multi-discipline artists. Including management of art pipelines, external vendors & more.

• Mastery of at least one of the common asset creation technologies, working knowledge of others (e.g. Blender, Maya, Adobe Suite).

• Working knowledge of common game engine technologies (e.g., Unreal, Unity, Godot)

• Exceptional attention to detail, organisational, oral/written communication and interpersonal skills

• Experience working with external creative stakeholders to deliver on expected vision and quality.

• Capacity and passion for working on different types of projects and titles with varied needs, styles, and expectations.

• Familiarity with, and ability to deliver quality work under, budget and timeline constraints.

• A passion for continuous improvement and upskilling in leadership, technical, and creative domains.

• A willingness to experiment with AI assisted workflows where they genuinely improve speed or exploration.

WHAT WE CAN OFFER:

Competitive Salary and Benefits Package: Your health and wellbeing is important to us, so we offer a variety of benefits including:

• Private Pension via Salary Sacrifice

• Optional Private Medical, Dental, and Vision Coverage

• Annual Leave, plus Bank Holidays and Winter Break Office Closure

• Annual Research Credit: We always encourage personal growth, so we provide all of our team members with an annual credit to further enhance your skills!

• Professional Development: We offer biannual reviews, as well as opportunities to collaborate across disciplines, internal tech talks, and the chance to learn from specialists with backgrounds from across the games and software development industries.

• Work-Life Balance: We really believe that home life comes first and we promote a flexible working environment. And as an added bonus: We don’t crunch!

• Family Friendly: We understand the importance of family, which is why we offer 6 weeks full of Maternity, Paternity, and Adoption Leave to support you during this exciting time!

• Office Perks: In addition to everything above, we also provide:

  • Weekly Team Lunches

  • Snacks, Including the Good (Yorkshire) Tea

  • Fully Equipped Team Lounge, Including our Favourite Consoles and Games

  • And, most importantly, a supportive and creative working environment made up of talented and friendly people, as well as the opportunity to work on some pretty cool games and projects – if we do say so ourselves!

A FRIENDLY NOTE FROM THE RECRUITMENT TEAM:

Let us do the work for you: Even if your profile isn’t an exact match for all of the qualifications listed above, we still want you to apply. Our team members come from a variety of different industries, not all of which are immediately relevant to game or software development, and we welcome all candidates of similarly varied backgrounds, communities, and identities.

Rocket Science is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing a worry-free workplace void of discrimination or harassment. Rocket Scientists are expected to foster and champion an environment in which everyone has the opportunity to feel included and is afforded the respect and dignity they deserve.

Rocket Science does not accept unsolicited résumés from recruiters, employment agencies, or staffing firms.

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