Art & Animation Director

IllFonic

. Define and maintain cohesive, high-fidelity visual styles and artistic direction across all game assets and disciplines .

Posted 9/29/2026full-timeRemote • United StatesLead💰 $110,000 - $160,000 per yearWebsite

Core Competencies

Role fit

Core Competencies

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Demonstrates extensive experience in leading multidisciplinary art teams and managing high-fidelity visual styles across game assets. Proficient in optimizing art production pipelines and mentoring artists to achieve creative and technical excellence.

Highest-signal resume keywords

10+ Years In Video Game Art ProductionExpert Understanding Of 3D ModelingExperience With ZBrush, Maya, 3ds MaxProven Track Record Leading Multidisciplinary TeamsStrong Portfolio/ArtStation

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills

3D ModelingSculptingTexturingAnimationLightingReal-Time Engine WorkflowsArt Pipeline OptimizationVisual Benchmark CreationCharacter DesignEnvironment Design

Soft Skills

Collaborative LeadershipMentoringExcellent Communication

Tools & Technologies

ZBrushMaya3ds MaxSubstance PainterPhotoshopUnreal Engine

Industry Keywords

Art DirectionGame AssetsVisual FidelityOutsourcingVFXTech AnimationUI/UXConcept ArtPersistent WorldLive-Service Visual Content

Tech Stack

Tools & technologies

Unreal Engine

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Define and maintain cohesive, high-fidelity visual styles and artistic direction across all game assets and disciplines
Provide high-level creative direction and leadership across Environment, Tech Art, Outsourcing, VFX, Tech Animation, Animation, Lighting, Characters, UI/UX, and Concept Art teams
Partner with the Chief Creative Officer, Design Leads, and Engineering to unify creative vision with gameplay and technical goals
Manage, mentor, and guide art leads and individual artists
Evaluate and optimize art production pipelines and workflows to improve efficiency, performance, and asset quality
Oversee external art outsourcing partners and asset leads to ensure visual consistency and high visual fidelity
Establish art benchmarks, visual target renders, and style guides for internal and external development
Review and critique real-time lighting, shaders, environments, character models, animations, and visual effects in engine
Participate in hiring, staffing plan reviews, and resource allocation across Art and Animation departments

Requirements

What you’ll need

10+ years of professional experience in video game art production, with 5+ years in Art Director roles
Multiple shipped console and PC titles as an Art Director
Proven track record leading multidisciplinary teams of artists across characters, environments, lighting, animation, and VFX
Expert understanding of 3D modeling, sculpting, texturing, animation, lighting, and real-time engine workflows
Experience with ZBrush, Maya, 3ds Max, Substance Painter, Photoshop, and Unreal Engine
Demonstrated expertise in building and streamlining art pipelines for high-fidelity real-time rendering
Experience directing persistent world or live-service visual content and world building
Strong portfolio/ArtStation demonstrating exceptional visual benchmark creation, character/environment design, and creative vision
Collaborative leadership in cross-functional team environments
Passion for mentoring and developing artist talent
Resourceful, hands-on approach to artistic and technical pipeline challenges
Excellent communication skills for inspiring artists and aligning multidisciplinary stakeholders