Senior 3D Character Outsource Manager

Wildlight Entertainment is a brand-new, fully-funded entertainment studio comprised of talented creators from some of the biggest IPs in gaming, including Apex Legends, Call of Duty, and Titanfall. We are driven by our deep passion for making AAA games that leave a lasting impact on the world, and we match that drive with a commitment to quality in every aspect of our work. We foster a positive, supportive work environment built on mutual trust and open communication, where everyone has a voice and is treated with respect. With a bias for action and a belief in each other, we’re betting on ourselves to deliver truly unforgettable gaming experiences. 

We're a remote-first company, but we believe people should be able to work where they can be most productive. Currently, we can employ in the United States and Canada. We also have offices in Los Angeles and Seattle for those interested in hybrid or full-time office work.

As a Senior 3D Character Outsource Manager, you’ll be part of a talented and creative team driving the visual style of our game. In this role, you’ll oversee the outsourcing process for character assets, ensuring they meet our technical and artistic standards. You’ll collaborate closely with outsource partners, providing detailed feedback and guidance through paintovers, and references and aligning their work with our creative vision. This role requires both strong character artistry and management skills, combining strong craft expertise with a keen sense of aesthetics and art direction. As part of this team, you’ll be able to help progress our new IP and work with amazing people in a highly collaborative, creative and engaging environment.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the main point of contact between Wildlight and our outsourcing partners for character assets. Providing clear, actionable feedback through written notes, paintovers, and reviews to ensure art quality and direction are maintained.
• Prepare detailed outsourcing packages, including briefs, reference materials, and guidelines. While reviewing incoming assets to ensure they meet quality standards and align with technical requirements.
• Maintain and reinforce the art direction by working closely with the art director and leads. Providing hands-on artistic support when needed, including polishing or revising assets.
• Working closely with animators, and tech artists to ensure seamless integration of outsourced assets into the game engine.
• Working with the character lead and tech artists to help maintain and improve the pipeline, ensuring efficient workflows for delivering assets.
• Regularly review outsourced assets for technical and artistic accuracy, ensuring all characters meet production requirements.
• Guide outsourcing studios on best practices, art foundations, and techniques to uphold our aesthetic and technical standards.

Requirements

• 5+ years of experience as a Character Artist in the game industry, with at least 2 years working directly with outsourcing teams.
• Expertise in real-time character creation pipelines, including modeling, sculpting, texturing, and rendering. 
• Strong proficiency with industry-standard tools like Maya, ZBrush, Substance Painter, and Unreal/Unity engines.
• Strong sense of anatomy, form, proportions, and materials, with an exceptional eye for detail and aesthetics.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to clearly articulate artistic and technical feedback. Experience in creating briefs and reference documentation.
• Ability to troubleshoot and solve technical issues related to character assets, collaborating with technical artists to address challenges.
• Comfortable working with various team members, and balancing the needs of internal and external partners.
• A strong portfolio showcasing real-time character assets and paintover examples demonstrating your feedback process.

Nice to Haves

• Familiarity with rigging and character technical setup for game engines.
• A deep understanding of first person shooter game development processes.

Compensation: We believe that a team that builds together wins together. Because of that, our compensation packages consist of competitive industry standard base salaries, an annual bonus, and royalties. For this specific role, the base salary range is $130,000 to $170,000 (USD) with the final salary offered dependent on job-related skills, knowledge, experience, and internal equity.

Benefits: We are committed to creating a positive and inclusive work environment with a no-crunch culture and an unlimited PTO policy so people can take the time when they need and want it! Additionally, we offer comprehensive healthcare, dental & vision coverage for you and your family and paid parental leave.