The Lead Environment Artist is responsible for overseeing the delivery and quality of all environment work across a project. This includes building key assets, reviewing team output, collaborating with other departments, and supporting workflow improvements.
Requirements
Duties
- Hero Environment Creation: Build detailed, shot-ready environments using modular and custom elements
- Team Management: Guide environment artists in asset delivery, scene build and task planning. Act as the go-to contact for team progress and troubleshooting. Balancing hands-on work with oversight responsibilities
- Quality Control: Review scenes and assets to ensure they meet technical and visual standards
- Scheduling: Coordinate with production to prioritise tasks and manage team bandwidth
- Scene Ownership: Deliver key hero builds or complex layout-ready environments
- Cross-Department Support: Work with layout, lighting, and comp to troubleshoot environment issues
- Pipeline & Tools: Collaborate with pipeline or R&D teams to improve build and layout tools
- Mentorship: Provide feedback, share best practices and support team growth
- Communication: Represent the environment team in reviews and discussions
- Deliver consistent, scalable environments across the show
- Support team performance, problem-solving, and growth
- Improve workflows and maintain high visual standards
Skills, attributes and experience:
- Strong leadership and communication skills across departments
- Advanced knowledge of environment creation and assembly in VFX pipelines
- Expert-level skills in Maya, Houdini, Substance, Mari and scene organisation
- Proven track record of delivering high-quality environments across large sequences
- Experience of using on-set data such as photogrammetry and lidar
- Experience in USD layout and scene referencing systems
- Familiarity with real-time or hybrid layout workflows
- Knowledge of camera projection and DMP techniques
- Ability to scope, spec, or test new environment tools
- Python/MEL scripting or tool-building experience
- Strong time management, ability to prioritize, meet deadlines and escalate delays in a timely manner
- Adaptable to change with the ability to stay focused and maintain a positive attitude
- Driven to make things better with flexibility to change course when needed
- Positive energy, focusing on results and having a positive impact on those around you
- Self awareness and an ability to resolve and diffuse problems treating others with kindness and respect
- Strong collaboration skills and the ability to work well with others
- 8+ years in VFX or a related field
