Senior VFX Artist

Jam City Carlsbad is seeking a passionate and highly skilled Senior Visual Effects Artist to elevate our Puzzle Division. You will collaborate with artists, game designers, and engineers to develop visual effects that enhance gameplay, provide satisfying player experiences, and improve the overall quality of our games. Your work will contribute to the visual appeal and success of our titles, directly strengthening player engagement with a player-first approach.

• Lead the creation of stunning visual effects for our games, focusing on enhancing gameplay experiences, cinematic moments, and marketing initiatives.
• Model, rig, shade, and animate FX meshes in Maya and Unity, tailored specifically for our brands.
• Develop sprite sheets and texture atlases using After Effects, optimized for real-time effects pipelines in Unity.
• Utilize Unity to create 2D and 3D particle simulations that bring the world of Cookie Jam and other titles to life.
• Collaborate with designers and artists to understand game requirements, iterating on real-time visual effects that offer optimal player feedback and contribute to an engaging gameplay loop.
• Work closely with the creative team to establish visual effect styles that align with the overall creative vision of our games, ensuring consistency and visual harmony.
• Support and optimize the technical development of the effects pipeline, ensuring it remains effective, scalable, and aligned with the needs of match-3 puzzle games.
• Partner with User Experience designers to develop animated UI elements alongside visual effects, creating a seamless and satisfying gameplay experience.
• Continuously research, analyze, optimize, and troubleshoot effects for both quality and performance, ensuring the highest standards are met.
• Collaborate with producers to create plans, milestones, and goals that align with broader team initiatives and project timelines.
• Provide constructive feedback to both internal teams and outsourcing partners to ensure the highest quality visual effects.

• 5+ years of experience as a VFX artist in the games industry, with a strong emphasis on experience within Unity.
• Exceptional problem-solving skills with the ability to develop innovative solutions for complex visual effects challenges.
• A keen visual eye, capable of identifying and producing high-quality visual experiences utilizing motion, color, timing, and lighting, particularly suited for the casual and vibrant aesthetic of match-3 puzzle games.
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to effectively collaborate with cross-functional teams.
• A versatile skill set that encompasses art, animation, design, and technical ability, ensuring the delivery of visually stunning effects.
• Mastery of Adobe Creative Suite, Maya, and other relevant visual effects software.
• A solid understanding of shader development to create impressive visual effects that enhance 3D game environments.
• Experience in establishing and maintaining a cohesive visual effects style that aligns with the game’s overall aesthetic.
• A deep understanding of what makes a compelling player experience, with a portfolio that reflects a strong track record of creating engaging visual effects.

• Programming and scripting experience is a plus, providing additional flexibility and control over the effects pipeline.
• A strong foundation in traditional art, including figure drawing and painting, which informs your creative approach to visual effects.
• Experience working with files from Spine for 2D animation in Unity, enhancing the visual dynamism of our games.
• Prior experience in setting up and refining a technical visual effects pipeline.
• Experience leading a team, mentoring junior artists, and driving the creative vision forward.

In compliance with local law, we are disclosing the compensation for this role.  The range listed is just one component of Jam City's total compensation package for employees, which may also include annual bonuses, short- and long-term incentives, and program-specific awards. The disclosed range estimate has not been adjusted for the applicable geographic differential associated with the location at which the position may be filled.  Starting pay for the successful applicant will depend on a variety of job-related factors, which may include education, training, experience, certifications, location, business needs, or market demands. This range is based on a full-time position. This range may be modified in the future. In addition, Jam City provides a variety of benefits to employees, including but not limited to medical, dental, vision, parental leave, paid time off, a 401(k) plan, life, disability, and accident insurance.  Pay Range: $94,000 — $123,000 salary per year.