Senior/expert technical artist - characters (m/w/nb)

Company Description

Ubisoft is a global leader in gaming with teams across the world creating original and memorable gaming experiences, from Assassin’s Creed, Rainbow Six to Just Dance and more. We believe diverse perspectives help both players and teams thrive. If you’re passionate about innovation and pushing entertainment boundaries, join our journey and help us create the unknown!

Ubisoft's pioneering studio, Paris studio was responsible for the publisher's first successes following its creation in 1992. Today, it is at the helm of such must-have licenses as Just Dance, Ghost Recon and Mario + The Rabbids. Ubisoft Paris has also built a solid reputation as a partner of choice in cross-studio collaborations such as Watch Dogs, Skull & Bones, Beyond Good & Evil 2 and Star Wars. Building on this experience, the studio continues to push the boundaries of creativity by working on some very promising yet unannounced projects.

With 750 talents of 35 nationalities, Ubisoft Paris is today the largest studio in France and one of the most experienced in the industry. Young talents can benefit from the strong presence of senior profiles in the creative, technical or artistic fields. Everyone is driven by the same passion: to push the limits of what is possible and to offer new experiences to our players.

Ready to join the adventure? Join us at the Paris Studio!

Job Description

As a Senior or Expert Technical Character Artist working on an unannounced project, you will play a key role in the visual and technical development of characters within a highly ambitious AAA universe. At the intersection of art and programming, you will help define the final look of characters, design robust technical solutions, and develop tools and pipelines that enable the art teams to reach ambitious visual standards for the next generation of games.

More specifically, your responsibilities will include:


* Contributing to all aspects of technical character setup, from engine integration to real-time performance tuning
* Designing, writing, and maintaining character shaders, including skin, fabrics, wetness, and dirt effects
* Developing and evolving advanced shading features and rendering effects in alignment with the artistic direction
* Actively participating in the development of tools and pipelines for character creation, with a strong focus on stability, performance, and efficiency
* Identifying and proposing workflow optimizations to improve the productivity of the character pipeline
* Collaborating closely with programmers, animators, character artists, and other Technical Artists
* Supporting content teams in debugging technical issues related to tools, assets, or performance
* Documenting and maintaining clean, scalable technical solutions and code, designed with long-term sustainability in mind


Qualifications

We are looking for a Senior or Expert Technical Artist with significant experience in game production, ideally on AAA projects, and the following skill set:


* Strong expertise in creating, integrating, and optimizing 3D characters within a game engine
* Excellent command of real-time shaders and rendering principles applied to characters
* Strong Python scripting skills, particularly for Houdini, Maya, or 3ds Max
* Solid understanding of character art pipelines and their technical constraints
* Proficiency with Substance Designer, Substance Painter, Maya, 3ds Max, and Blender
* Proven experience in character rigging, including close collaboration with animation and deformation systems
* Ability to analyze, solve, and debug complex technical problems autonomously
* A strong artistic sensibility and keen attention to visual quality and final polish
* Excellent communication skills, with a collaborative and proactive mindset
* Ideally, additional experience or knowledge of Houdini and ZBrush


Additional Information

Recruitment process


* Phone interview with a Talent Acquisition Specialist (:30 minutes)
* Video interview with the Character Director (:1 hour)
* Video interview with two other team members (:1 hour)


Our Benefits

Joining us means having access from day one to:


* Our internal e‑learning platform, so you can finally train on the tools you’ve been wanting to master
* Our game library, where you can borrow the latest Ubisoft titles, competitor games, consoles, and board games
* Our Works Council (CSE), offering discounted rates on a wide range of shows, movie theaters, concerts, gyms, amusement parks, and many other great deals


And after one year?


* ou have a defined career and development plan with your manager, along with clear objectives to help you grow each year
* You’ve joined one of our clubs: choir, yoga, tennis, lightsaber fencing… or you’ve created your own!
* You make the most of your 1.5‑hour lunch break by taking a class in our gym or borrowing one of our bikes for a ride in the Bois de Vincennes
* You’re already looking forward to the next surf/yoga or ski weekend organized by the CSE
* You’ve become unbeatable at table football, climbing, Just Dance, or Boomerang Fu
* You’ve scored big at our internal clearance sale to expand your collection of Ubisoft goodies and games (because you can never have too many)


As an employer, Ubisoft provides equal employment opportunities to all, without distinction based on gender, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, social background, disability, or age. Ubisoft is committed to fostering an inclusive work environment that reflects the diversity of its player community within its teams.

Check out this guide to help you with your application, and learn about our actions to encourage more diversity and inclusion.