Studio Art Director

LAI Games is an arcade experience company that connects people with games. Our vision is to reinvent the arcade industry by creating an arcade experience ecosystem that consists of physical arcade games, consumer and location-based VR games and experiences, and other exciting arcade-based titles. Our team members have the opportunity to contribute across a broad range of unique and innovative projects that connect, engage and delight players across physical and virtual worlds.

Our Studio Art Director is the motivational foundation of the Art team and helps define the visual design and direction of our games. They oversee the quality and content of our art and design production and ensure all visual elements are credible and in line with each game’s vision. They also act as both a manager and a mentor, fostering a team culture of collaboration, inclusivity, and empowerment, and strive to develop processes and solutions that are conducive and help support a sustainable work life for their team.

Key Responsibilities:

- Direct multiple art disciplines across various project teams
- Provide art direction and feedback to team of artists and external vendors
- Supervise, train, mentor and support the development of Artists
- Coach and motivate team members to perform at their best, ensuring they receives regular reviews and one-on-one meetings
- Manage performance within the team in a way that encourages autonomy, mastery, and purpose
- Create visual touchstone assets that inspire and set visual direction for others (concepts, models, paint-overs, etc )
- Maintain current and working knowledge on industry/market trends and make recommendations as appropriate
- Partner with the Head of Product to own and define assigned aspects of the project as directed
- Contribute to developing art pipelines for our projects with specific creative and technological needs in collaboration with the software engineering team
- Participate in daily meetings to ensure art deliverables are on track
- Anticipate, identify, and present problem areas and develop preventative solutions for the team
- Partner with producers/project managers to ensure schedules and plans meet business and project needs
- Partner with senior management to ensure our art team is healthy and strong
- Work closely with game design to ensure art enhances the player experience
- Demonstrate exemplary positive leadership and act as spokesperson for the studio’s values, exemplifying reliability, accountability, and professionalism in all work-related interactions
- Lead by example, creating a strong sense of purpose and teamwork, promoting a culture of excellence, creativity and inclusivity

Required Skills and Experience:

- 7 years’ experience crafting video game art
- 3 years’ experience as a lead artist or art director
- A proven ability to visually solve problems in collaboration with the broader game team including other developers
- Excellent written and verbal communication. Comfortable interacting and presenting to all levels of the company
- Excellent attention to detail and strong desire to iterate and improve on processes
- Demonstrate fundamentals of leadership, including clear and proactive communication, meeting moderation, and oversight of large cross-disciplinary initiatives
- Ability to manage multiple, competing tasks and be self-directed to meet deadlines in a quickly evolving environment with little to no supervision
- Positive attitude and ability to receive and provide objective and constructive feedback
- Ability to coach, manage, mitigate, and prioritize through stressful situations for you and your team

What do we offer:

- Performance bonus scheme
- Annual personal technology fund of $1,000 to buy games, toys, and tech
- Annual Timezone Powercard so you can enjoy all the latest arcade games
- Training and education programs
- Private medical, dental, and life insurance coverage
- Flexible working hours
- Monthly self-directed personal development days
- Finish work early every Friday afternoon for social drinks and games
- Work in a dynamic, creative arcade/workspace
- Team events - being a part of the out-of-home entertainment industry, we like to have frequent team events and enjoy what the industry has to offer

LAI Games is a global company committed to growing our employees along with the business. We’ve worked hard to foster an intensely collaborative and creative environment, a diverse and inclusive employee culture, and training and opportunities for professional growth.