3D Art Manager

Summary

Join Jam City as a 3D Art Manager and contribute your expertise to the development of the next hit Disney mobile game. You will lead and mentor a 3D team, ensuring high-quality assets are created and delivered on time. This role requires a balance of hands-on production work and team leadership, fostering a creative and collaborative environment. The position is open to fully remote candidates who are willing to work PDT hours. A portfolio showcasing your work is required for consideration. The successful candidate will work with world-class IPs from Disney, Pixar, and Star Wars.

Requirements

• Be a true 3D generalist, with skills and advanced knowledge on all facets of 3D art, including modeling, interpretation of concepts, lookdev, texturing, rigging & skinning, lighting, node-based shader knowledge in both character and props
• Perfect understanding of composition, color, value, design principles and form as it relates to both classic art and gameplay visuals
• Complete mastery of Maya, Adobe Creative Suite, and Unity
• A proven track record for overseeing the creation of high quality 3D assets in a stylized art direction
• Experience working on at least one 3D mobile game
• Experience working with at least one top tier entertainment IP, including working with IP characters and following IP guidelines (a plus if that IP is Disney)
• 3+ years of experience managing a 3D team
• Experience working with third party vendors
• Must understand 3D pipeline and process as it relates to game development and have experience partnering with other game team disciplines such as engineering and design
• Clear and concise communicator, both written and verbal
• A general understanding of the mobile games industry
• Art Degree or similar working experience
• Excellent problem-solving ability and critical thinking
• No-ego personality. Our team has a strong culture of trust, cooperation, and collaboration
• Provide us with a link to an online portfolio, website, or a PDF showcasing your most recent examples of work

Responsibilities

• Formalize and maintain a 3D visual direction that supports and enhances the overarching product art direction - carry out that 3D visual direction through all asset development
• Provide feedback on 3D props and characters, from start to finish (model, textures and skin weights); ensure high quality and style matching assets are delivered
• Oversee the 3D asset creation pipeline and workflows
• Ensure that 3D asset creation can scale, including externally with 3rd party vendors
• Work alongside the concept team to provide feedback and maintain alignment during asset creation
• Scope work, set project deadlines, and deliver on time
• Work with project and studio stakeholders to meet internal production deadlines
• Actively gather requirements for each asset from Art, Animation, Design and Engineering
• Oversee creating documentation for best practices
• Manage a small internal team
• Have recurring 1:1s to provide leadership, mentorship, and growth opportunities
• Represent the 3D art team in game leads discussions
• Provide oversight, direction, and feedback on 3D art team work when needed
• Keep yourself and the team up-to-date on modern software, industry best practices
• Create an environment that encourages creativity and empowerment
• Contribute to studio-wide policies, best practices, and new learnings
• Create high quality 3D art assets with a focus on best practices in mobile casual games
• Collaborate with the Game Design, Art, and Tech leads to ensure 3D art consistency, correct functionality, and proper integration
• Continue to monitor and iterate to keep the game current

Preferred Qualifications

• Affinity for Disney/Pixar IP
• Drive to build and support a creative, world-class culture
• Deep and wide knowledge of other games, not just limited to mobile
• Ability to reference 3D assets, techniques, and other elements from other games
• Waterfall, Agile and Scrum process experience
• Serious passion for games—you are a gamer and have been for years
• Coding/Prototyping experience

Benefits

• Annual bonuses
• Short- and long-term incentives
• Program-specific awards
• Medical, dental, vision
• Parental leave
• Paid time off
• A 401(k) plan
• Life, disability, and accident insurance