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Lead Concept Artist - Business Unit

Position Overview

Zynga is seeking a Lead Concept Artist to join one of our New Game Teams! We are looking for expert creative leaders who can help drive teams, encourage passion, and aid in the creation of new concepts and production art on a new in-development, major branded, mobile game title.

The Lead Concept Artist will work closely with the Art Director and Producers, crafting art assets which drive the visual identity of the game. This Artist will also build final in-game artwork and placeholder artwork, as well as help coordinate the production of other assets made by the art team.

This role includes directing a team of dedicated artists, as well as working alongside them as a contributor to the artwork of the game in a balanced fashion. Our creative team is a growing community of super hardworking, industry veteran artists, animators, and other specialists who help bring the vision of our games to life at Zynga - we want to see if you can to join us in our journey!

Main Responsibilities

• Giving feedback to other artists on the team while staying on top of one’s own assignment deadlines
• Build top-of-the-line game artwork at all stages of the pipeline, including early concept art, and final game artwork and assets
• Working closely with artwork from third-party vendors, providing feedback and mentorship when needed
• Communicating closely with the Art Director and working in tandem with them daily
• Acting as a core advisor to the overall creative vision of the game, alongside other creative field leads on the team
• Work closely with the Art Director in the ongoing establishment, execution, maintenance, and development of the game’s core art style and style guide
• Clear and smooth communication across to the other fields (Engineering, Production, etc.) to keep the team in alignment
• Leading, managing and developing a small team of dedicated concept artists
• Maintaining and Contributing to a healthy and happy team environment
• Providing mentorship to team members

Desired Skills and Experience

• 5 years of experience as a concept artist, with 2 years of experience leading others — please include your portfolio with relevant industry/personal work.
• Excellent eye for composition, color theory, design
• Strong rendering skills, and ability to adapt to different art styles
• Photoreal and Hyperreal painting and rendering skills highly valued for this role
• Flexible mastery of art for different subject matter (Characters, Environments, Props, UI) highly valued for this role
• Strong ability to render identifiable human likenesses (ie brand-specific actors and characters)
• Ability to visualize ideas from others quickly and clearly during conceptual phases in storyboards/mockups
• Ability to quickly identify problems and suggest solutions in pitches, art reviews and impromptu conversations
• Ability to give precise and timely feedback to artists of different levels, and to gauge level of support needed according to their skills
• Strong organizational skills, and ability to keep pace with management and production resources, tracking and documentation
• Ability to create and maintain effective process documentation
• Ability to smoothly and optimally train others in your craft and processes
• A capacity to come up with unique and creative ideas in your work
• BFA or equivalent degree
• Knowledge of Adobe Suite
• Photoshop

Additional skills —

• UI design experience
• Previous experience working with IP/likenesses
• Previous experience working in Fantasy genres, a plus
• 3D texture painting
• Interest in puzzle genre of mobile games
• Interest in RPG genre of mobile games
• The ability to integrate basic art into Unity, a plus
• Knowledge of Maya, a plus
• Understanding of animation principles and aesthetics of Mobile Games, a plus

What we offer you:

• Competitive salary, bonus plan, ESPP (Employee Stock Purchase Plan)
• 401K Company Match Contribution (US)
• RRSP Company Match Contribution (Canada)
• Extended Health coverage, dental, disability, critical illness, EAP, and life insurance (Canada)
• Medical, dental, vision, EAP, life insurance, and disability benefits (US)
• Virtual mental health and neurodiversity support programs
• Fitness benefits (offering varies by location)
• Financial wellness program with unlimited access to certified financial planners
• Discretionary Time Off policy for many employees
• Family planning support program
• Generous paid parental leave
• Subsidized Back-up child care
• Zynga happy hours and frequent employee events
• Flexible working hours on many teams
• Culture of diversity and inclusion including employee resource groups
• Work with cool people and impact millions of daily players

We are an equal opportunity employer and we are committed to building a diverse and talented workforce. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, religion, colour, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, medical condition, disability, or any other class or characteristic protected by applicable law. We welcome job-seekers, players, employees, and partners from all backgrounds to join us!

We will consider all qualified job-seekers with criminal histories in a manner consistent with applicable law.

We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with physical or mental disabilities in order to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us at AccommodationRequest@zynga.com to request an accommodation associated with your application for an open position.