VFX Director

Job Description:

• Establish and maintain the overall VFX artistic vision and quality bar for Studio Wildcard projects
• Lead and mentor a team of VFX artists, providing creative direction, feedback, and professional development
• Develop VFX style guides, visual standards, workflows, and production best practices
• Collaborate with Art, Engineering, Design, Animation, Cinematics, and Production teams to develop cohesive visual experiences
• Oversee gameplay VFX including environmental effects, abilities, weapons, creatures, destruction, weather, magic, explosions, and other interactive effects
• Ensure VFX assets meet performance, scalability, readability, and platform requirements
• Work with Technical Artists and Engineers to improve VFX tools, shaders, materials, particle systems, and pipelines
• Establish efficient review and iteration processes for VFX production
• Balance visual quality with gameplay readability and technical performance
• Participate in creative reviews and provide clear, actionable feedback to artists
• Help define staffing, scheduling, task prioritization, and resource requirements for VFX production
• Identify emerging VFX technologies and techniques to improve project quality and efficiency
• Maintain awareness of current real-time rendering, simulation, procedural, and cinematic VFX techniques
• Set a clear creative vision, build a strong artistic culture, mentor artists, champion experimentation, establish quality standards, and advocate for the VFX team during planning and technical development

Requirements:

• 7+ years of professional experience creating VFX for AAA games, film, animation, or comparable real-time entertainment
• Previous experience leading or directing a VFX team
• Strong understanding of real-time VFX production and Unreal 5+
• Demonstrated ability to establish and maintain a cohesive visual style across a large project
• Strong artistic understanding of color, composition, timing, motion, lighting, scale, and visual storytelling
• Experience with particle systems, shaders/materials, textures, animation, simulations, and procedural effects
• Strong understanding of performance optimization and real-time rendering constraints
• Excellent communication, leadership, and collaboration skills
• Ability to provide clear artistic feedback while maintaining a positive and creative team environment
• Experience working across multiple disciplines in a game-development environment
• A strong portfolio demonstrating high-quality VFX work
• Preferred: Experience with Unreal Engine and/or other modern real-time engines
• Preferred: Experience creating VFX for large open-world or multiplayer games
• Preferred: Experience with creature, environmental, elemental, weather, destruction, and combat VFX
• Preferred: Experience directing cinematic VFX and trailer work
• Preferred: Familiarity with Niagara, Houdini, Substance tools, or comparable procedural/VFX technologies
• Preferred: Experience building or improving VFX production pipelines and tools
• Preferred: Experience working with technical artists and graphics programmers
• Preferred: Passion for dinosaurs, creatures, survival games, science fiction, fantasy, or large-scale worlds
• Required application materials: Resume, portfolio, and cover letter
• Cover letter should include why you are interested in working for Studio Wildcard and what games you are currently playing
• Portfolio or reel demonstrating real-time gameplay VFX, combat or ability effects, environmental effects, creature or character effects, large-scale effects and simulations, shader/material work where applicable, and cinematic VFX where applicable