Character Artist - Outsource

Naughty Dog•Santa Monica, CA

16h•$58 - $72•Hybrid

About The Position

For nearly 40 years, Naughty Dog has been crafting best-selling, critically acclaimed games that constantly push the boundaries of narrative, gameplay, and technology. Naughty Dog recently released The Last of Us Part II Remastered as well as a current generation remake of The Last of Us Part I for the PS5. We're also proud to say that The Last of Us Part I and Part II are now available for the first time on PC. Currently, we’re busy at the kennel working on Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, and we'd love to find talented individuals to join us! Naughty Dog games have long been lauded for their evocative, character-driven stories and attention to detail. We are committed to innovation within our games and as such have curated some of the top creative and technically innovative minds in the industry. We welcome diverse candidates and believe that a broad range of cultural and life experiences contribute to the overall well-being and success of the studio and the titles we craft together. We are seeking a skilled Character Artist with a passion for creating high-quality character assets for AAA titles. This role involves managing and guiding external vendors in delivering character art assets while working closely with internal teams to ensure consistency in artistic direction and technical quality. The ideal candidate is an experienced individual contributor who can take responsibility for their own work, proactively identify new tasks, and communicate effectively across teams to solve problems efficiently.

Requirements

2+ years of industry experience as a Character Artist with a solid understanding of outsourcing processes and experience working with external vendors
Strong artistic sensibility with an understanding of form, shape, color, and scale.
Proficient in high-res modeling, optimization, UV workflows, and digital sculpting using Maya and ZBrush
Demonstrates initiative in managing tasks, prioritizing work on a daily/weekly basis, and identifying new tasks to contribute to the overall success of the team
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to proactively communicate across teams and external partners on a variety of tasks
Full understanding of the art software's, tools, and pipeline for character art production, with the ability to guide external teams and troubleshoot technical issues.
Additionally an understanding of tracking software's such as Jira or Shotgrid
Takes responsibility for a group of tasks, ensuring they are completed to a high standard while proactively identifying and resolving issues

Responsibilities

Collaborate with Lead Character Artist & Art Team: Work closely with the Lead Character Artist, internal art, and design teams to assign and prepare tasks for external vendors, ensuring clarity and alignment with the project's creative and technical vision
Art Package Briefs: Develop comprehensive art package briefs, including detailed instructions, reference materials, and source assets to provide clear expectations for external partners
Feedback Gathering & Coordination: Act as the primary point of contact for gathering feedback from internal stakeholders on outsourced assets and coordinating revisions to ensure assets meet the highest quality standards
Vendor Communication & Feedback: Provide regular, detailed feedback to external vendors, ensuring assets are delivered on time, meet artistic specifications, and adhere to technical requirements
Vendor scheduling and task tracking: Working with the character lead, manage vendor asset schedules and jira tasks to ensure tasks are on schedule and metrics are captured
Legal Clearance Coordination: Collaborate with internal liaisons to ensure all assets meet legal clearance requirements before use in the game
Asset Integration: Assist with integrating character assets into the game engine as needed, ensuring proper optimization, functionality, and aesthetic consistency
Pipeline & Documentation: Contribute to the development and maintenance of outsourcing pipelines, processes, and documentation to streamline the workflow between internal teams and external vendors
Support Internal Teams: Assist internal art teams with asset production tasks as needed, helping to balance the workload and ensure efficient delivery of high-quality content
Ownership & Proactivity: Take full ownership of assigned tasks, proactively identify additional areas to contribute, and consistently demonstrate high quality, responsibility, and efficiency in your work
Problem-Solving: Identify potential issues in the asset production process, provide clear framing of problems, and propose 2-3 viable solutions for team discussion and resolution
Other Duties: Take on additional responsibilities, such as helping polish and finalize assets as assigned by the Lead Outsource Artist or Character Art Director, adapting to the evolving needs of the project