Lead Lighting Artist

About the role

Join our talented development team to help shape the visual atmosphere and artistic direction of our games. In this role, you’ll collaborate with a passionate group of game developers and lead a dedicated team of lighting artists to craft visually stunning real-time lighting that supports immersive storytelling—bringing the richly imagined world of BioShock to life.

Responsibilities

• Manage, mentor, and inspire a team of lighting artists, driving quality, productivity, and professional growth while setting clear expectations and accountability.
• Partner closely with the Art Director and department leads to establish, maintain, and elevate the visual style and quality standards for lighting.
• Develop and optimize efficient lighting workflows, research cutting-edge techniques, and resolve technical roadblocks.
• Work with the Core Tech Team to ensure technical specifications and runtime optimizations are met for real-time rendering engines.
• Partner with production to define realistic timelines, track progress, manage project priorities, and maintain alignment with strategic goals.

At Cloud Chamber, we are champions of high standards, pushing for progress and embracing change. We will work closely and constructively across design, art, engineering, animation, and audio teams to realize our creative ambitions. Together, we will stay current on technological advancements and identify solutions to overcome developmental obstacles to deliver a world-class AAA experience.

Requirements

• 7+ years of experience in real-time lighting and final rendering, with a track record of serving as a Lead Artist on at least one shipped AAA title.
• In-depth practical knowledge of Unreal Engine 5, Lumen lighting tools, UE Sequencer, and Physically Based Rendering (PBR).
• Demonstrated experience lighting for in-game cinematics and optimizing high-quality lighting within runtime performance constraints.
• Proven track record of successfully managing, recruiting, mentoring, and retaining top-tier artistic talent.

Skills

• A reliable, positive force multiplier, actively seeking opportunities to integrate work across disciplines and contribute to a healthy, supportive team environment.
• Solid communicator with excellent written and verbal communication skills, able to articulate complex ideas clearly, package information for diverse audiences, and deliver difficult feedback with empathy and professionalism.
• Experienced in working in cross-disciplinary teams with strong communication skills.
• Persistent and self-motivated with a proactive mindset.
• Able to maintain effectiveness and quality under pressure, ambiguity, and fast-changing priorities.
• An active listener able to build and maintain trust-based relationships across all levels of the organization, understand differing perspectives, and navigate organizational complexity with tact and emotional intelligence.
• Highly open to feedback and direction, possessing a desire to learn new skills, and capable of producing quick, quality revisions based on new insights or constraints.
• Strong ownership of tasks, striving to drive work forward autonomously while maintaining a critical eye for detail and organization, ensuring high standards of quality.
• Dedicated to upholding Cloud Chamber's core values, contributing to a positive and respectful company culture while striving for excellence in all endeavors.

About Us

At Cloud Chamber we strive to make BioShock games that move people: evocative, immersive, and meaningful experiences that stay with you long after you’ve rolled credits. Great games are born from great collaborations, supported by a culture that brings out the best in our teams. We work openly, learn through play, take ownership, push ourselves to be better, and deliver for our players.

Pay

The pay range for this position in California at the start of employment is expected to be between $150,400 and $222,580 USD per year. Base pay offered may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and other objective business considerations.

Benefits

• Bonus and/or equity awards.
• Eligibility to participate in our 401(K) plan and Employee Stock Purchase Program.
• Medical, dental, vision, and basic life insurance coverage.
• 14 paid holidays per calendar year.
• Paid vacation time per calendar year (ranging from 15 to 25 days) or eligibility to participate in the Company's discretionary time off program.
• Up to 10 paid sick days per calendar year.
• Paid parental and compassionate leave.
• Wellbeing programs for mental health and other wellness support.
• Family planning support through Maven.
• Commuter benefits.
• Reimbursements for fitness-related expenses.