Lead Technical Artist

Job Description

Why Raven?

Here at Raven, we pride ourselves on our unique vision for the industry that continues to inspire us after more than 30 years. We developed a team that cares about one another, our games, and our players. We treat each other with respect. We bring no egos. We focus on what is best for the game. We hire stunning peers. We own our mistakes. As we enter the next exciting chapter of our story, we are looking for people to grow with us. If you want to work with a world-class team, on exciting new projects, then apply today! We look forward to hearing from you.

Your Mission

Your mission is to inspire, mentor, and lead a team of high-caliber technical artists in developing responsive art tools and user-friendly workflow solutions for the blockbuster Call of Duty franchise. You will be a trusted gatekeeper for performance, efficiency, and quality. You will provide your team with guidance, goals, opportunities, and resources. Our Lead Technical Artists are role-models that not only manage the team through challenge and change, but also build up individuals into highly engaged, efficient, and effective teammates. Above all, we are looking for an innovative and dedicated leader to help tell our story.

You Will…
• Collaborate with Artists, Designers, and Engineers to improve and expand upon content creation pipelines and tool sets.
• Be a proactive self-starter that can independently implement high-level direction.
• Oversee project-level tech art development and drive initiatives to standardize solutions across the organization.
• Be a trusted gatekeeper for performance, efficiency, and quality.
• Define team goals, action plans, and schedules for the project.
• Provide your team with consistent guidance, goals, opportunities, and resources.
• Lead, task, mentor and conduct one-to-one meetings with your Technical Artists.
• Empower artists and engineers to thrive on and welcome constructive feedback.
• Champion best practices and advocate towards streamlining tools and processes.
• Collaborate with other teams to ensure art requirements and plans are understood.
• Contribute creative and original ideas towards all aspects of game production and development.

You Bring…

Minimum Requirements:
• 8+ total years in the games industry working in an art capacity, with at least 3 shipped title in the AAA console / PC space.
• 2+ years and at least 1 shipped title as a Lead Technical Artist.
• Ability to lead by example echoed through a professional and egoless personality.
• Strong scripting or programming knowledge (Python, JavaScript, C#, C++, MEL)
• Possesses in-depth understanding of game engines, pipelines, and processes.
• Proven experience in several of the following: lighting, shading, VFX, environments, characters, physically based rendering (PBR), and content management & optimization.
• Good understanding of creating art assets in multiple major 3D and 2D packages (Maya or Houdini, and Photoshop or Substance) for console hardware (Xbox, PS, PC).
• Impressive communication and strong problem-solving skills.
• Proven ability to thrive in an exciting and quickly developing environment.
• Solid understanding of game art with ability to clearly discuss modern trends.

Extra Points:
• Passion for the Call of Duty franchise.
• Experience with Maya OpenAPI, MaxScript, wxPython, PyQt, and P4Python.
• Experience with integrated solutions such as RealityCapture, Simplygon, Substance, etc.
• Strong traditional art foundation.
• History of playing a variety of game genres both digital and physical.

About Raven

Founded in 1990, Raven Software is the developer of numerous award-winning games including Hexen, Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance and most recently, a major contributor to the blockbuster Call of Duty® franchise. We are based in Middleton, Wisconsin, a suburb of Madison, annually ranked on numerous lists as one of the top places to live and work.

We each bring a unique set of experiences from dozens of cultural backgrounds. Our shared values unify our direction and decisions, helping us touch the lives of more than a billion people each day.

About Activision

Activision Blizzard, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI), is one of the world's largest and most successful interactive entertainment companies and is at the intersection of media, technology and entertainment. We are home to some of the most beloved entertainment franchises including Call of Duty®, World of Warcraft®, Overwatch®, Diablo®, Candy Crush™ and Bubble Witch™. Our combined entertainment network delights hundreds of millions of monthly active users in 196 countries, making us the largest gaming network on the planet!
Our ability to build immersive and innovate worlds is only enhanced by diverse teams working in an inclusive environment. We aspire to have a culture where everyone can thrive in order to connect and engage the world through epic entertainment. We provide a suite of benefits that promote physical, emotional and financial well-being for 'Every World' - we've got our employees covered.

Jobcode: Reference SBJ-rzqe63-18-216-114-23-42 in your application.