Senior Outsourcing Character Concept Artist (Contract)

ArenaNet

1d•$50 - $75•Remote

About The Position

ArenaNet is seeking a Senior Outsourcing Character Concept Artist to help bring Guild Wars 3 to life. The role works closely with the Outsourcing Art Team to review character concept art from external partners, provide feedback aligned with the project’s artistic vision and quality standards, and make edits to prepare files for integration. The successful candidate brings a strong artistic eye, attention to detail, knowledge of character design and modern game art pipelines, and effective communication skills in a collaborative setting. This is a remote-friendly contract role lasting at least one year. ArenaNet is currently prioritizing candidates local to Bellevue, Washington, who are open to occasional onsite collaboration. The role is hourly and eligible for overtime pay when applicable. Benefits are provided through a third-party employer.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Art, Game Art, Illustration, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
At least 5 years of professional experience in game development pipelines.
Experience reviewing concept art, providing actionable feedback, and collaborating with external art vendors or internal art teams.
Strong art-quality judgment, attention to detail, and ability to identify inconsistencies.
Proficiency in Adobe Photoshop.
Strong written, verbal, and visual communication skills.
Highly organized, with ability to follow established processes and instructions.
Self-motivated and collaborative, with a positive attitude and team-oriented mindset.
Strong understanding of art fundamentals, including anatomy, form, proportion, color, and composition.
Strong concept art background and/or strong 2D skills in character, creature, and environment art.

Nice To Haves

Experience with Jira.
Experience with Maya, ZBrush, and Substance Painter.
Passion for games and game development.

Responsibilities

Translate design briefs into clear vendor art briefs, with visual references, callouts, and supporting materials.
Understand cross-disciplinary technical requirements and constraints, and guide vendors toward creative solutions that meet them.
Provide clear, actionable art feedback aligned with art direction, character design goals, and story and lore while allowing room for vendor creativity.
Prioritize critical changes over subjective preferences, especially when reconciling input from multiple teams and stakeholders.
Make feedback decisions mindful of deadlines, project scope, time, and resources.
Communicate clearly with external vendors, including across language and cultural differences, while preserving important artistic and technical details.
Communicate promptly and professionally with internal teams to align expectations and decisions across disciplines, stakeholders, and external partners.
Manage multiple projects and ongoing conversations while tracking feedback, decisions, priorities, and follow-ups.
Support vendors by creating templates, preparing proxy files, gathering references, and providing other workflow materials.
Maintain organized, accurate, current, and accessible asset files and documentation, including briefs, references, feedback, source materials, and vendor deliverables.
Review character concept art assets from external partners, provide feedback, and make appropriate edits to prepare files for integration.