Character Artist (External Development)

About Dambuster Studios: Originally founded in 1999 as Free Radical Design, the company values passion, quality, and teamwork, fostering a diverse and inclusive culture. The only requirement is that candidates work from the UK, with relocation support available if the role requires frequent on-site presence. Role overview: The position is a fixed-term contract until March 2028 for a Character Artist to join the External Development team. Responsibilities include supporting and guiding external partners in creating high-quality character assets such as characters, clothing, hair, and accessories; maintaining visual quality and consistency by reviewing content and providing feedback; supporting integration of externally developed content; and contributing to AAA titles in a fast-paced environment. Responsibilities: — Provide clear technical and aesthetic feedback to external artists, maintaining a consistent high-quality bar for the game. — Collaborate with internal teams to align external content with the project vision. — Coordinate with internal artists and production teams to ensure smooth collaboration with external partners. — Prepare and maintain art briefs, asset packs, and documentation to guide external development teams. — Contribute to art style guides, development pipelines, and best practices, working with wider art and engineering teams to resolve risks and improve workflows. — Participate in art reviews, ensuring clear and actionable feedback is communicated to external teams. — Partner with concept artists and art direction to ensure reference material provided to external teams is clear, detailed, and production ready. — Apply established visual benchmarks to guide external partners in meeting the studio’s quality expectations. — Create and iterate on high-quality character models, materials, clothing, hair, and accessories as required to support production and external development needs. Requirements: — Excellent spoken, written, and visual communication skills to clearly explain complex tasks, instructions, and technical issues to external partners. — Strong ability to work from detailed concept art and reference materials when supporting external teams. — Highly organised with the ability to manage multiple tasks, adhere to asset organisation standards, and follow established pipelines. — Proficient understanding of art development workflows including high-to-low poly modelling, lighting, and PBR material authoring, applying best practices to minimise visual issues and bugs. — Understanding of game engine tools, pipelines, and technical limitations (memory, GPU, CPU performance). — Strong problem-solving skills to anticipate challenges, overcome setbacks, and identify effective solutions. — Willingness to travel when required to support external development. Conditions: — Core hours 9.30am – 4pm with flexible remaining hours. — Relocation support to Nottingham, UK if required. — Holiday allowance increasing with service up to 30 days plus statutory public holidays. — Inclusion in annual pay review after 12 months. — Company pension contribution increasing with service. — Private Medical Insurance via AXA Health including dental and optical cover. — Life Assurance Scheme via Zurich (x3 salary cover). — Company enhanced full pay for maternity leave for first 26 weeks. — Clear career progression within the studio. — Studio funded learning and development opportunities. — Modern game development environment with latest technologies. — Vibrant city centre location with good transport links. — Travel Loan Scheme for Nottingham-based employees. — Fully subsidised gym membership. — Quarterly company funded cross-team events. — Free weekly office treats. — Employee referral bonus scheme. — Cycle to work scheme.