Environment Art Lead

Overview

We are the developer of Halo, the blockbuster series of video games. As part of Xbox Game Studios, the Halo franchise encompasses games, television series, novels, comics, licensed collectibles, apparel and more. We are looking for talented new voices to join our team to build the next generation of games and experiences in our award-winning sci-fi universe. Do you want to closely collaborate with teams to drive inspiring, cohesive gameplay experiences? Are you interested in both celebrating and evolving Halo’s legacy to create a new generation of stories that millions of players love? If so, the Halo team would love to speak with you about becoming our next Environment Art Lead!

We are seeking an experienced and highly skilled Environment Art Lead to join our growing team.  In this role, you will be responsible for leading the environment art team and overseeing the creation of visually captivating and cutting edge game environments. This role will allow you to flex your creativity, sharpen your eye for design, and allow you to have broad impact across our studio.  You will work closely across multiple disciplinary groups to elevate the artistic vision of Halo, and ensure that it works harmoniously with design and gameplay.

Roles at our studio are flexible, and you can work from home up to two days a week in this role.

Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. As employees we come together with a growth mindset, innovate to empower others, and collaborate to realize our shared goals. Each day we build on our values of respect, integrity, and accountability to create a culture of inclusion where everyone can thrive at work and beyond.

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Responsibilities

• Manage the team’s content development and ensure content is aligned with high-level vision and visual targets.

• Collaborate across multi-disciplinary teams (art, design, engineering, production) to establish and maintain the artistic vision of Halo environments.

• Organize and drive creative discussions, brainstorms, and reviews.

• Identify areas of improvement and provide suggestions on how to address them.

• Ensure that environment content is being optimized while maintaining visual fidelity.

• Be forward facing and stay up-to-date with industry trends and modern environment art creation.

• Foster the growth of the environment art team through regular feedback and coaching.

• Provide guidance and collaborate with external partners.

• Provide individual contributor output as schedule allows.

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Qualifications

Required qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree or Certificate in Design, Fine Arts, Human Computer Interaction, Visual Communications or related art field AND 4+ years’ experience in art design or a related art field working on computer games or entertainment

• 2+ years people management experience (e.g., serving as a Lead Artist, Art Manager, Creative Director, etc.)

• OR equivalent experience

• 4+ years of experience in an environment art role.

• Experience in industry-standard software such as Maya, Blender, 3DS Max, Zbrush, Photoshop, and Substance Designer and Painter

Other Requirements:  

• Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements is required for this role. These requirements include, but are not limited to, the following specialized security screenings:

• Microsoft Cloud Background Check: This position will be required to pass the Microsoft Cloud background check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter.

Preferred qualifications:

• One or more shipped titles in a leadership/management role

• Experience working with Unreal Engine

• Knowledgeable on both hard surface and organic content construction

• Experience with  procedural workflows

Art M5 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $117,200 - $229,200 per year. There is a different range applicable to specific work locations, within the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, and the base pay range for this role in those locations is USD $153,600 - $250,200 per year.

Benefits/perks listed below may vary depending on the nature of your employment with Microsoft and the country where you work.

📌️ Industry leading healthcare

📌 Educational resources

📌 Discounts on products and services

📌 Savings and investments

📌 Maternity and paternity leave

📌 Generous time away

📌 Giving programs

📌 Opportunities to network and connect

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Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here: https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/us-corporate-pay

Microsoft will accept applications for the role until January 7, 2025.