Artworks Lead CG Supervisor - Electronic Arts
The Artworks Lead CG Supervisor leads a team of Technical Artists and CG Supervisors who are responsible for the technical delivery of all art assets to multiple clients, for multiple game titles. The Artworks Lead CG Supervisor works with the Artworks steering group to set direction for the department as a whole, and is a primary contributor to the technical initiatives and workflows adopted by the group.
The Lead CG Supervisor role is a full-time position within Artworks, the central content creation group at Electronic Arts Canada. Artworks develops visual content (characters, environments, props, FX, lighting, etc.) for all of the sports titles at the studio (FIFA, NHL, Fight Night, etc.). The group has a strong commitment to delivering large volumes of high quality art assets on time and on budget, and consistently strives for improvement in visuals, tools, processes, and workflow. The Artworks Lead CG Supervisor is responsible for guiding the pursuit of such improvements.
Candidates for the Lead CG Supervisor role can be from an Art, Design, Mathematics, Engineering or Science background; however, they must demonstrate a deep understanding of both art and technology in the computer games context. Having worked in both a game development team as well as in a central team is a bonus.
Responsibilities
Leadership, Vision, Roadmap
• Collaborate with Tiburon Artworks CG Supervisor on a unified and common technological vision for content authoring and its associated tools and pipelines—in collaboration and compatible with the Content Management Initiative group, Core Operations Leaders, Art Directors, Group TDs, etc.—aligned with the overall Studio and Label vision.
• Accountable for developing and improving site specific technologies and art workflows, and defining a roadmap for development that is linked to the unified Label vision—in collaboration and compatible with the Content Management Initiative group, Core Operations Leaders, Art Directors, Group TDs, etc.
• Lead the EAC Artworks technical art community and represent them in the Content Leadership Group and Artworks Steering Group.
• Participate in EAC Artworks team strategic and operational planning.
• Aware of global industry trends in content production and technology for major entertainment forms (e.g., video games, film, animation, etc.) and present to appropriate stakeholders on a regular, recurring basis.
Production
• Accountable for asset delivery to all game team partners on time and meeting budget (memory and performance).
• Accountable for all EAC Artworks technology and art workflows, local and distributed.
• Accountable for continuous asset build stability and provide mentorship to TA’s to help debug asset failures.
• Accountable for structure and all assets in Artworks repository.
• Accountable for documenting art workflows within EAC Artworks.
• Identify art workflow problems, and work with Technical Producers, SMEs, CG Sups and TAs to solve them.
• Identify and prioritize development needs, both internal to Artworks as well as those delivered to partner groups such as Core Tech, Configuration Management, and the game teams.
• Evaluate technology delivered to Artworks for technical completion, performance, quality and compliance.
• Accountable and responsible for integrating and reviewing technology (internal and external) in art workflows.
• Prototype cutting-edge approaches to art/content creation using internal or external frameworks in support of R&D efforts and new intellectual property.
Career Management, Mentorship
• Ensure that the responsibility set and skills of the technical artist role remains current and accurately reflects the direction of EA Sports games development, supported by training initiatives and recruitment/retention strategies.
• Responsible for Artworks Technical Art staffing (including overhead roles, TFT/contractors, and RFT hiring).
• Interact with artists/TAs on a daily basis to identify challenges and provide mentoring.
• Accountable for mentoring and coaching the Artworks technical community on technical skills.
• Provide performance feedback and career management, where applicable, for Artworks CG Supervisors and TAs.
Community
• Hold/chair CG Supervisor/SME/TA meetings and scrums, including scheduling, participation, driving agendas, and tracking action items.
• Liaison with TAs, CG Supervisors, and TDs to improve overall Label technical community.
• Liaison with studio peers to represent Artworks interests amongst the studio’s technical community.
• Author and present reports and proposals appropriate for an executive audience covering the department’s content workflows, processes, capabilities, and tools.
• Provide visibility, clarification, and status to technical community and Label steering group on central initiatives relevant to content production and workflows.
Skills and Experience
• At least 5-7 years games/animation/FX production experience.
• Comprehensive knowledge of CG fundamentals: modeling, texturing/shading/surfacing, rigging, animation, lighting, rendering, compositing.
• Strong understanding of game development frameworks and methodologies.
• Understanding of various gaming platform limitations with regard to visual assets.
• Expert understanding of at least one 3D package, preferably Maya.
• Advanced scripting experience with Python and/or Mel/Maya API.
• Ability to deconstruct and modify proprietary tools and pipelines.
• Excellent aptitude for troubleshooting CG issues.
• Ability to think creatively to resolve technical challenges and limitations.
• Strong understanding of good asset management practices.
• Excellent communication skills, with a willingness and confidence to provide a bridge between artists and software engineers.
• Experience mentoring a team of 10-20 artists, engineers, and/or technical artists.
• Ability to foster a strong community with an emphasis on high performance and guaranteed delivery.
• Experience with career managing direct reports.
To apply, visit: https://jobs.ea.com/jobs/jobposting.aspx?refresh=1&postid=a0z50000000vwrq