Lead VFX Artist - Novato, California, United States

As a Lead VFX Artist at Cloud Chamber you'll join a group of talented developers to drive the creation, implementation, and optimization of cutting-edge visual effects for BioShock 4. In this role you will lead and mentor a team of VFX artists and manage their creative mandates. ...

Job description

As a Lead VFX Artist at Cloud Chamber you'll join a group of talented developers to drive the creation, implementation, and optimization of cutting-edge visual effects for BioShock 4. In this role you will lead and mentor a team of VFX artists and manage their creative mandates. Your main objective in this role is to set the technical benchmark for VFX quality, drive pipeline development, and inspire your team to help bring our richly imagined world to life.

What You'll Do:

• Design, prototype, and implement real-time visual effects (environmental, gameplay, cinematic, character-based, destruction, etc.) using Unreal Engine 5 and Niagara.
• Help refine the artistic style and quality bar for VFX, ensuring alignment with the game's creative vision.
• Develop, document, and maintain efficient VFX pipelines, including asset workflows, optimization guidelines, and integration standards.
• Partner with Tech Art and Engineering to troubleshoot, profile, and optimize effects across multiple platforms.
• Establish best practices for asset creation, shader usage, GPU/CPU performance, and memory footprint.
• Lead, mentor, and provide feedback to a team of VFX artists, fostering growth and high-quality output.
• Work closely with other departments (Environment, Animation, Lighting, Audio, Design) to integrate VFX seamlessly into the gameplay experience.
• Act as the primary point of contact for all VFX-related topics, guiding cross-disciplinary discussions.

What We'll Do Together:

You will be a key part of the shared creative journey at Cloud Chamber by leading the charge to develop and maintain the VFX pipeline and technical vision. Your expertise and mentorship will directly empower our VFX team, ensuring we deliver optimized, high-fidelity effects that shape the player's experience and define the unique atmosphere of BioShock 4.

What You've Done:

• A minimum of 8+ years in game development, with at least 3+ years in a Senior or Lead capacity with 1 or more AAA console or PC titles shipped from concept to launch, recognized for high visual fidelity or complex technical effects.
• Bachelor's Degree in Art, or equivalent work experience.
• 5+ years of professional VFX experience in the video game industry, with at least 1 shipped AAA title as a senior or lead artist.
• Expert knowledge of Unreal Engine 5 (Niagara, Material Editor, Sequencer, Blueprint integration).
• Strong understanding of real-time pipelines, including asset workflows, performance budgets, and optimization techniques.
• Solid grasp of timing, motion, and visual storytelling principles to craft effects that enhance player immersion.
• Experience with particle simulation, and dynamic materials.

Who You Are:

• Able to balance artistic quality with technical performance across multiple platforms.
• Experienced in working in cross-disciplinary teams with strong communication skills.
• Passion for pushing the boundaries of real-time visual effects.
• A proven leader with excellent management and mentoring skills and a track record of successfully guiding high functioning teams.
• A solid communicator with excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to articulate complex ideas clearly, package information for diverse audiences, and deliver difficult feedback with empathy and professionalism.
• A reliable, positive force multiplier, actively seeking opportunities to integrate work across disciplines and contribute to a healthy, supportive team environment.
• Demonstrates persistence, self-motivation, and a proactive mindset, maintaining effectiveness and quality under pressure, ambiguity, and fast-changing priorities.
• Build and maintain trust-based relationships across all levels of the organization, showing an ability to listen actively, understand differing perspectives, and navigate organizational complexity with tact and emotional intelligence.
• Highly open to feedback and direction, possessing a desire to learn new skills, and capable of producing quick, quality revisions based on new insights or constraints.
• A strong ownership of tasks, drives work forward autonomously, and maintains a critical eye for detail and organization to ensure high standards of quality.

Who We Are:

At Cloud Chamber we strive to make BioShock games that move people: evocative, immersive, and meaningful experiences that stay with you long after you've rolled credits. Great games are born from great collaborations, supported by a culture that brings out the best in our teams. We work openly, learn through play, take ownership, push ourselves to be better, and deliver for our players.

#LI-Hybrid

The pay range for this position in California at the start of employment is expected to be between $133,900 and $198,160 per Year. However, base pay offered is based on market location, and may vary further depending on individualized factors for job candidates, such as job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and other objective business considerations. Subject to those same considerations, the total compensation package for this position may also include other elements, including a bonus and/or equity awards and eligibility to participate in our 401(K) plan and Employee Stock Purchase Program. Regular, full-time employees are also eligible for a range of benefits at the Company, including: medical, dental, vision, and basic life insurance coverage; 14 paid holidays per calendar year; paid vacation time per calendar year (ranging from 15 to 25 days) or eligibility to participate in the Company's discretionary time off program; up to 10 paid sick days per calendar year; paid parental and compassionate leave; wellbeing programs for mental health and other wellness support; family planning support through Maven; commuter benefits; and reimbursements for fitness-related expenses.

For candidates located in Quebec:

• Proficiency in French is required.
• Proficiency in English is required to effectively collaborate with teams based in the United States.

As an equal opportunity employer, we are committed to ensuring that qualified individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, perform their essential job functions, and receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us if you need reasonable accommodation.

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