Manager, 3D Character Art - Teamfight Tactics

Riot Games was established in 2006 by entrepreneurial gamers who believe that player-focused game development can result in great games. In 2009, Riot released its debut title League of Legends to critical and player acclaim. As the most played PC game in the world, over 100 million play every month. Players form the foundation of our community and it’s for them that we continue to evolve and improve the League of Legends experience. 

We’re looking for humble but ambitious, razor-sharp professionals who can teach us a thing or two. We promise to return the favor. Like us, you take play seriously; you’re passionate about games. We embrace those who see things differently, aren’t afraid to experiment, and who have a healthy disregard for constraints.

That's where you come in.

As an 3D Character Lead in the Singapore Studio Teamfight Tactics Cosmetic team, you will channel your knowledge of color and light to explore and produce the best player value for Teamfight Tactics players. 

You’ll guide the exploration and execution of the 3D discipline across Character and Environment content. In addition to providing clear direction, you’ll implement the sleek, dynamic and dramatic visual effects that add atmosphere and depth to the gameplay. Through your expertise, you’ll mentor and level-up the craft and game developer skills of your 3D team. You will work with the Associate Art Director to implement a 3D style that fits within the art pillars and punctuates the game design. You will implement the effects and set the high quality bar. 

You’ll expand and support a high-performing external team and give them guidance and knowledge. You will set high expectations, push for growth for both each individual artist and the entire team, and streamline the production efficiency. You will use your broad knowledge of art, craft, technique, and people management, to set clear goals for your team and make sure the process of delivering those goals is as smooth as possible for your team and their stakeholders. You will ensure your team stays motivated and empowered to take ownership of creativity, you will coach your team to be a triple A team. 

You will work closely with Product Leads, Delivery Leads, Stakeholders, and the Associate Art Director to stay aligned on vision and priorities. Quickly mediate and resolve craft disagreements and misalignments. Prioritize the craft’s health and support, above personally contributing to art production. Run and manage healthy and productive craft review sessions. Work closely with the others 3D Leads on Teamfight Tactics Cosmetic to together cultivate a great cohseive culture and ensure a consistent quality and style. 

Responsibilities 

• As a 3D lead on the team, you will oversee and be accountable for the quality of the work the team delivers and set the bar for excellence. 
• Provide craft direction for your team.
• Provide as-needed support of all aspects of 3D production process; from set-up through production and troubleshooting 
• You will balance visual satisfaction and gameplay clarity. 
• Provide hands on craft support to the product where needed 
• Support the Associate Art Director on emergent tasks where needed. 
• You will build a world-class team by sourcing AAA 3D artists in China and developing and growing their craft skills and soft skills through training and feedback 
• Build and maintain a healthy 3D team. Set clear vision, provide consistent feedback, and build trust. 
• You will establish and maintain a highly engaged, creative, and motivated culture to unleash artists’ potential. 
• You will drive and improve the rituals in your team to support high-quality craft delivery and enable efficient growth of your team. 
• You will collaborate with Rioters in Singapore and worldwide to make sure product goals are fulfilled, and working practices are appropriate. 
• You will be vigilantly finding creative and effective solutions to eliminate complex problems. 

Required Qualifications 

• 5+ years professional experience in the video games industry in 3D. 
• 2+ years of management experience of leading/mentoring teams and individuals. 
• Advanced skills in 3D/2D Software - Maya, 3DS Max, Photoshop 
• Experience creating high-quality, stylized 3D models and textures. 
• Expertise in handpainted stylized. 
• Shipped titles as a Senior or Lead 3D Artist 
• High proficiency in 3D production development, including fundamentals such as timing, shape language, composition, design, shader and color theory 
• A clear understanding of the Teamfight Tactics art style 

Desired Qualifications: 

• AAA Feature/Game experience 
• Teamfight Tactics community connections/knowledge 
• Experience giving direction and delivering clear, constructive feedback to vendors 
• Past leadership or management experience 
• Development experience creating materials and PBR assets within modern game engines (Unreal, Unity, etc) 
• Broad experience of collaborating with other art disciplines, working production end to end 
• Well-versed in 3D work design for themed and cosmetic content across a variety of game titles, with the ability to form and articulate thoughtful creative insights. 
• Tools experience: have worked in several tools, pipelines, and game engines 
• Fluent in Mandarin Chinese and English, with the ability to communicate effectively in multilingual, cross-cultural treatments 
• Experience managing distributed teams across time zones and in remote work environments 

Our Perks 

• Full relocation support 
• Full health insurance for you, your spouse, and children 
• Open paid time off 
• Retirement benefits with company matching 
• Life insurance, parental leave, plus short-term and long-term disability 
• Play Fund so you can broaden and deepen your knowledge of our players and community through games 
• We will double down on your donations of time and money to non-profits