Lead Artist

Define and lead the visual style, art direction, and quality across all assets — from 2D/3D characters and environments to UI, marketing, and brand identity. Guide a talented art team in Edmonton (hybrid) or remote across Canada.

Role Overview

As Lead Artist at Company, you will own the visual identity and artistic excellence of our games, products, and brand experiences. You’ll set the art vision, direct the art team (2D/3D illustrators, modelers, texture artists, concept artists), establish pipelines and style guides, and collaborate with creative directors, designers, programmers, and producers to deliver cohesive, high-impact visuals.

Key Responsibilities

  • Define overall art direction, style, mood, and visual language for projects
  • Direct and critique work from concept through final asset production
  • Establish and maintain art pipelines, workflows, and quality standards
  • Collaborate with leads (animation, design, tech) to ensure visual cohesion
  • Guide style guides, reference boards, and look development across teams
  • Participate in playtests, reviews, and iteration based on feedback & data
  • Mentor artists, conduct art reviews, and foster a high-performing creative culture

Must-Have Skills & Experience

  • 8–12+ years in art/creative roles with at least 2 shipped titles as lead/senior artist
  • Outstanding portfolio showing strong leadership in visual style and asset quality
  • Expertise in 2D/3D pipelines (Photoshop, ZBrush, Substance, Maya/Blender, Unreal/Unity)
  • Proven ability to lead art teams (5–15+ artists) and manage schedules
  • Deep understanding of composition, lighting, color theory, and brand consistency
  • Excellent communication, presentation, and stakeholder management skills
  • Experience with real-time art optimization (performance budgets, LODs, shaders)

Nice-to-Have / Bonus Points

  • Experience leading art in live-service, mobile, or cross-platform games
  • Strong knowledge of procedural tools (Houdini, Substance Designer) or AI-assisted workflows
  • Previous work in AR/VR, cinematic trailers, or marketing asset direction
  • Familiarity with outsourcing management and vendor pipelines
  • Technical art skills (shader creation, material authoring, engine integration)
  • Experience building art teams from scratch or scaling during growth
  • Understanding of accessibility & inclusive visual design
  • Interest in emerging visual tech (real-time ray tracing, neural rendering, generative AI)
  • Previous collaboration with external studios or agencies

Compensation & Benefits for this Role

Senior creative leadership package with vision ownership in Edmonton/remote Canada.

$140,000 – $190,000 CAD / year + bonus

(Base salary depending on experience + performance bonus + equity potential)

Role-Specific Perks

  • Top-tier art workstation (Mac Studio / high-end PC + multiple 5K/8K displays)
  • Full creative suite (Adobe CC, ZBrush, Substance, Maya/Blender, Unreal/Unity) covered
  • Creative & leadership budget (~$5,000–$7,000 CAD/year: conferences, workshops, inspiration travel, team events)
  • Direct influence on visual strategy & brand at executive level

Standard Benefits

  • Extended health, dental, vision + premium mental health coverage
  • RRSP matching up to 6–8%
  • Hybrid/remote flexibility (Edmonton HQ + Canada-wide remote)
  • 4+ weeks vacation + flexible personal/sabbatical options
  • Executive coaching & leadership development programs

Ready to Lead Our Visual Identity?

If you have a strong vision, love guiding talented artists, and want to shape how players see and feel our worlds — we want you as our Lead Artist.

Apply for Lead Artist

Include your art direction portfolio, style guides, team leadership examples, and shipped projects — we review every submission personally.