Associate Art Director - League Cosmetics

Riot Games•Los Angeles, CA

22h•$185,200 - $258,000

About The Position

The Associate Art Director drives art direction for Cosmetics on League of Legends, working closely with the Senior Art Director as the day-to-day steward of artistic quality and coherence for this area. The role defines compelling thematics and premium cosmetic experiences that meet League’s quality bar and resonate with a global player base, balancing artistic ambition with production realities. The position partners with art-craft discipline leads, Production, marketing, and co-development studios to deliver cohesive content at scale. It maintains stakeholder alignment, creates product creative briefs and other artifacts, and builds artistic frameworks, review gates, style guides, and toolkits that support consistent quality and independent execution across a distributed development environment. The Associate Art Director also supports the art department’s managerial structure by guiding and leading art craft teams, mentoring talent, supporting hiring and performance management through Craft and Art Leads and Art Managers, and helping manage team growth, career development, compensation, and morale. The role coordinates department rituals and gatherings and fosters high standards, psychological safety, and creative ownership.

Requirements

8+ years of experience in game art, including at least 3+ years in an art leadership role such as Associate Art Director, Art Lead, or equivalent.
Proven track record as an artistic leader and vision holder for content pipelines in games.
Experience working with multiple disciplines to deliver on a goal.
Experience partnering with production to plan roadmaps and allocate resources without compromising artistic quality.
Strong ability to communicate artistic vision clearly through pitches and artifacts.
Experience developing and scaling cosmetic or live-service content pipelines.
Provide a portfolio of high-quality game art, including stylized artwork, when submitting an application.

Nice To Haves

Deep understanding of the League of Legends IP, its skin catalogue, and Alternate Universes.
Experience working with external partners or co-development studios.
Experience creating high-quality stylized art, such as 2D concepts, 3D character art, animation, or VFX.
Applicants may be asked to complete an art test.

Responsibilities

Partner with the League of Legends Senior Art Director to establish, communicate, and execute the artistic vision for the Cosmetics pillar, serving as the primary artistic decision-maker for the area.
Develop and scale cosmetics for live-service content pipelines.
Define and drive resonant thematics for cosmetic content at scale, ensuring high-quality execution from concept through release.
Provide guidance and leadership across multiple art craft teams, mentor talent, build the leadership bench, and ensure craft excellence.
Oversee a healthy art team, including pace, size, growth, staffing, hiring, and performance management through Craft and Art Leads and Art Managers; support career growth, compensation, and morale of direct reports.
Partner with co-development studios to ensure aligned, cohesive output across distributed development environments.
Coordinate weekly rituals, reviews, and gatherings for the art department to maintain organizational focus and rhythm.
Establish review gates, style guides, and artistic toolkits to ensure consistent quality and independent execution within the pillar.
Create and maintain artifacts that inform, align, and empower disciplines working in creative spaces.
Collaborate with marketing to deliver a unified experience between content and marketing.
Mentor and grow art team talent, fostering high standards, psychological safety, and strong creative ownership.