Lead Vehicle Artist

Stellar Entertainment Software Ltd
Guildford, United Kingdom
Hybrid

Who this role is best for

Aimed at senior-level vehicle artists who can lead and optimize complex AAA pipelines.

Best fit for

  • Candidates with a proven track record in AAA vehicle art and leadership experience.
    — “Proven experience as a Lead or Principal Vehicle Artist, with at least one shipped AAA title”
  • Individuals who can bridge creative and technical execution while managing external teams.
    — “bridge creative ambition and technical execution, guiding the team toward excellence”
  • Artists with expertise in Unreal Engine and a focus on high-to-low workflows and optimization.
    — “Deep knowledge of vehicle art pipelines: high-to-low workflows, modular and variant systems, damage and destruction, LODs, material and shader setup, and real-time optimisation”

Things to consider

  • Requires 3 days per week on-site in Guildford, UK despite hybrid flexibility.
    — “Flexible hybrid working (we work 3 days per week on-site)”
  • Portfolio must be heavily focused on vehicle art, not generalist or other asset types.
    — “Portfolios without a clear vehicle focus will not be progressed”

How to stand out

  • Highlight your experience in defining and shipping vehicle art pipelines from concept to optimization.
    — “set the quality bar, build the pipeline that gets there”
  • Showcase your ability to mentor and manage both internal and external artists effectively.
    — “provide feedback and mentorship to internal and external artists”
  • Emphasize your work on high-fidelity, real-time engine-ready vehicles with material and shader expertise.
    — “ensure all assets meet engine performance and optimization requirements”
Pace · SteadyCollaboration · HighAutonomy · HighDecision Impact · Team

Derived from job-description analysis by Serendipath's career intelligence engine.

What success looks like

  • Lead vehicle art creation
  • Set visual quality benchmarks
  • Provide feedback and mentorship
Typical background
Proven experience as a Lead or Principal Vehicle Artist

Skills & requirements

Required

Vehicle Art CreationPipeline DevelopmentTeam LeadershipTechnical ExecutionCollaborationReal-time Engine Optimization

Preferred

Deep Knowledge Of Vehicle Art PipelinesHands-on Experience Managing Outsourced Vehicle Production

Stack & domain

AAA Game DevelopmentVehicle ArtHard Surface AssetsPipeline DevelopmentOptimizationReal-time EnginesLeadershipCommunicationCollaborationProblem-solvingVideo Game DevelopmentAAA Titles

About the role

Original posting from Stellar Entertainment Software Ltd via Ashby

The Studio

We are a video game development studio with offices in Guildford, UK and Utrecht, Netherlands. Sitting within the heart of thriving communities of game developers and publishers, we focus on quality and excellence our partners and players are always at the front of everything we do.

Games are not just about gameplay. We believe in balancing every element a player experiences what you see, how you play, and how it makes you feel.

It couldn’t be a more exciting time to join us as we embark on a new, unannounced project pushing the boundaries of all aspects of development to create a truly AAA experience.

The Role

We’re looking for an experienced Lead Vehicle Artist to join our Guildford team and own the vehicle art on our next AAA project. You'll be accountable for every vehicle that ships in the game, from the first block out to the final optimised, in-engine asset. You'll set the quality bar, build the pipeline that gets there, and drive a team of internal and external artists to deliver on time, at volume, without compromising fidelity.

This is a hands-on leadership role. You'll build vehicles yourself, defining the look, detail, and technical standard the rest of the fleet is measured against. You'll also run the vehicle production cycle: planning, scheduling, reviewing, unblocking, and shipping. Working closely with the Studio Art Director, you'll shape how vehicles look, feel, and read in our world, and make sure the team delivers them reliably in every milestone.

As a natural leader and communicator, you’ll bridge creative ambition and technical execution, guiding the team toward excellence and helping grow a culture of collaboration, innovation, and pride in craft.

You will:

  • Lead the creation of high-quality vehicles and hard surface assets for a cutting edge AAA title.
  • Collaborate with the Art Director, Technical Art, and Design teams to ensure all assets meet gameplay, narrative, and aesthetic goals.
  • Set and maintain visual quality benchmarks. You’ll be producing key assets that define style and fidelity.
  • Provide feedback and mentorship to internal and external artists, ensuring consistency and efficiency.
  • Work with production to define workflows, pipelines, and documentation for vehicle development.
  • Ensure all assets meet engine performance and optimization requirements.
  • Foster a collaborative and motivated team culture across multiple disciplines.
  • Partner with external development teams to ensure delivery of assets that meet quality and style expectations.

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Requirements

What we’re looking to see on your CV:

  • Proven experience as a Lead or Principal Vehicle Artist, with at least one shipped AAA title where vehicles were a core part of the experience.
  • A portfolio dominated by vehicles. We need to see realistic, high-fidelity vehicle work built for modern real-time engines, including exteriors, interiors, and material detail. Portfolios without a clear vehicle focus will not be progressed.
  • A track record of delivering vehicle content to milestone. Through interview you should be able to talk through how you planned, scoped, tracked, and shipped a vehicle roster.
  • Hands-on experience managing outsourced vehicle production, from briefing through review to final integration.
  • Deep knowledge of vehicle art pipelines: high-to-low workflows, modular and variant systems, damage and destruction, LODs, material and shader setup, and real-time optimisation.
  • Expert knowledge of Substance Painter and Designer, Unreal Engine (UE5 strongly preferred, with Chaos Vehicles experience a plus), and at least one 3D package (Maya, 3DS Max, or Blender).
  • Strong grasp of art fundamentals: form, function, composition, design, and colour theory.
  • Excellent communication and leadership skills, able to inspire and guide a team toward consistent excellence.
  • Experience collaborating across disciplines (animation, tech art, design) to achieve cohesive results.
  • Experience managing and mentoring artists, supporting both creative and professional growth.
  • Ability to balance artistic vision with technical and production constraints.

Bonus Points For

  • Experience developing visual prototypes or establishing pipelines from scratch.
  • Familiarity with outsourcing workflows and providing structured feedback.
  • Experience creating documentation and best practices for asset development.
  • A passion for innovation, quality, and collaboration in all aspects of game art.

Benefits

What you can expect from us:

  • Flexible hybrid working (we work 3 days per week on-site)
  • Holiday Accrual Scheme
  • International AAA game projects;
  • Access to cutting-edge hardware;
  • Discretionary bonus scheme
  • Private Healthcare Plan incl. Dental and Eye care
  • Pension Plan
  • Life Assurance
  • Employee Assistance Programme - Wellness Support
  • Regular Team Incentives and Social Events

We’re on an important journey with our teammates, candidates and industry partners to tackle barriers to equality and promote diversity, inclusion and accessibility across the markets we work in. If you need any support during the interview process or any feedback on our processes, please let us know.

Source: Stellar Entertainment Software Ltd careers (Ashby)

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