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Character Lead

As a lead Artist at Lakshya Digital a Keywords Studios, you will be responsible to Provide leadership to the art team working on a project.Drives the successful execution of projects by ensuring clarity on client’s requirements, pushing team to create competitive bids, establishing an efficient workflow for the project, conducting effective and efficient review of the artists’ work etc.Directs the creation of art by the team. Guides the work of artists through regular interaction and by providing regular and timely feedback.Works in conjunction with the PM to ensure that the team executes the project within budget, meets the committed deadlines and delivers assets of the requisite quality. Identifies project risks and their mitigation strategies.Solves project problems.Ensures clear communication within the team, and between the team and the client.

RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Client Management

a. Ensures that the team understands the client requirements completely. Drives the team to ask probing questions that will help establish complete clarity about the client’s requirements.

b. Leads the team in the creation of effort estimates – and bids - that are realistic and competitive.

c. Drives the team to follow the client’s directions and specifications as closely as possible.

d. Ensures that the project team adopts a robust Artistic and Technical Review process so as to deliver error free assets to the client.

e. Works closely with the senior artists/ artists to capture queries related to the project assets and pipeline for the clarification with the client quickly, to gain a complete and correct

understanding, before the work is estimated or scheduled.

f. Ensures that questions, explanations and delivery notes being sent to client are clearly articulated and easy to understand.

g. Works with the PM team to identify project risks and help create a mitigation plan.

h. Ensures that the team attends to client’s feedback promptly and efficiently.

2. Project Execution

a. Establishes a production workflow for a project that can help the team to deliver good quality work in an efficient way, without subjecting the team to long work hours and unnecessary stress.

b. Establishes an effective work review process for the project, including effective quality checkpoints, to ensure that the projects quality goals are met.

c. Creates a daily work completion plan with the artist so that the artist has a clear idea of how much work they need to complete on a day-to-day basis.

d. Drives the production team to work as per this plan and to deliver work within the planned deadline, with no loss of productivity

e. If required, assists in the modeling and texturing polish of assets, or in the post creation compilation of assets.

f. Identifies key roles within the art production process, and allocates these roles to appropriate artists in the team (such as designating Senior Artists as sub-leads on a project). Clearly communicates to team members their responsibilities.

g. Works closely with the team to proactively identify potential issues and resolve before they are escalated.

h. Conducts expert artistic reviews and limited technical review of assets (only for those aspects, if any, which cannot be checked by QC through their checklists). Provides clear directions to artists on what they need to do to fix any problems / issue that may exist in the asset, or to improve its quality.

i. Helps the team understand the client’s directions and feedback.

j. Ensures that the Project Team meetings are held daily and key points – such as client feedback, projects challenges and work allocations – are discussed in the meeting.

k. Ensures that the team asks questions at appropriate times.

l. Ensures that the team consistently and correctly creates, updates and uses all key documents such as Feedback Tracker, Query Tracker etc.

m. Takes the lead in solving project problems related to asset quality, artist productivity, workflow,artists’ workload etc.

n. Ensures that the team adopts and uses organizations processes and best practices.

o. Supports the PM in establishing discipline in the project team.

3. Team Management

a. Tracks and maintains records of progress for the artists to ensure that they complete the work on their assets within the budgeted effort. Provides support to artists who may be struggling to do so. Notes and highlights any special contribution by the artists during the project.

b. Regularly communicates with the Art team and PM team to share feedback from client and the direction of the project. Works closely with the team to arrive at solutions to address client feedback or concerns.

c. Provides regular and authentic feedback to the artists and their reporting managers, with a view to develop their art and delivery skills. Monitors their skill enhancements and regularly update their skill levels for the PM team for appropriate work allocation.

d. Listens to the team’s suggestions and empowers team in order to develop them without compromising on the quality or timelines of the project.

e. When artists don’t have adequate work on a project, ensure that they are fruitfully engaged either in self-development, creation of portfolio assets etc. …

f. Demonstrates leadership skills to communicate and lead the team to a course of action which may be difficult or unpopular, but which may be necessary for the achievement of project goals.

Requirements

A. Skills, Knowledge and Experience

1. Expert knowledge of 3D game asset creation process. Hands-on knowledge of how to effectively model and texture 3D assets under production conditions (within deadlines,conforming to client’s requirements etc.)

2. Good knowledge of industry standard software such as Maya, 3D Studio Max, Z Brush and Photoshop as well as game engines such as Unreal and Unity.

3. Skilled at modeling and texturing Characters or Environments.

4. Ability to effectively estimate, plan and supervise game art asset creation work.

5. At least two years of experience in a 3D game or game art services company in a Lead or Associate Art Lead role.

B. Behaviors and Abilities

1. Leadership

a. In the face of ambiguity, acts decisively, after weighting the pros and cons of the different courses available, and also consulting other experts / seniors.

b. Sets a personal example for the team through their conduct and professional behavior –treating people well, coming to work on time, not wasting time etc.

c. Seeks and understands the objective of changes and actively support organizational efforts to increase effectiveness and efficiency.

d. Shares his ideas, suggestions and views honestly and openly with the management and team to create a positive organization culture and team work.

e. Owns the performance and development of the art team and identify areas to develop.Work with Management to provide avenues for development.

f. Mentors reportees with maturity, fairness and focus.

2. Self Management

a. In the face of a difficult or stressful situation, does not lose his / her cool. Works to keep the stress level and inter-personal friction within the team down.

b. Works hard to establish himself / herself with the team, the client and seniors as being reliable, responsible and trustworthy. Willingly does his / her share of the work, openly takes responsibility for their mistakes and lives up to their commitments.

c. Constantly updates own skills.

d. Keeps self-updated on new tools and techniques related to game art creation.

3. Communication

a. Has strong communication skills and can effectively communicate directions, plans and explanations to the team verbally. Ensures that such communication is well thought out and structured.

b. Expresses himself/herself clearly in business writing. Is able to write queries and explanations for the client, and directions for the team, in correct English and in an easily understandable form.

c. Ensures that all communication and deliveries going out from the project team are complete and error-free in every way.

d. Shares timely and authentic feedback in a direct and appropriate manner in order to develop the Art team. Is comfortable sharing areas of improvement.