Job DescriptionNBCUniversal is seeking a Lead Lighting Artist to own and drive the execution of lighting direction for an ambitious interactive project set in a contemporary real-life urban environment. This role is responsible for delivering high-quality lighting that supports mood, realism, readability, and storytelling across a wide range of environments and gameplay contexts.
Reporting to the Associate Art Director - Lighting & VFX, the Lead Lighting Artist will work closely with Technical Art and cross-disciplinary teams to ensure lighting is consistently implemented across production. The role involves leading and managing a team of lighting artists while ensuring that lighting solutions meet both artistic vision and performance constraints across scalable pipelines from high-end to mobile.
Responsibilities- Translate artistic direction into lighting setups that support mood, atmosphere, realism, and visual storytelling.
- Own the execution of level lighting across environments, gameplay, and cinematic contexts.
- Lead and manage the lighting team, providing mentorship, feedback, and direction.
- Ensure consistency and quality of lighting across large-scale worlds and varied content.
- Collaborate closely with World, Character, VFX, Design, and Tech Art teams for proper integration.
- Ensure lighting setups meet both artistic and technical requirements, including performance constraints.
- Optimize lighting across environments for scalability from high-end to mobile platforms.
- Support production planning, milestone readiness, and workflow efficiency.
- Review and validate lighting implementation to ensure alignment with visual direction and technical standards.
- Maintain visibility on quality, risks, and production challenges across lighting content.
Qualifications- Minimum of 7 years of experience in AAA game development with a focus on lighting contributing to at least one shipped AAA title.
- Proven experience leading and managing a team of lighting artists.
- Strong expertise in lighting for day/night cycles, atmosphere, and real-time visual storytelling.
- Solid understanding of real-time rendering pipelines and lighting systems.
- Experience working on large-scale environments or open-world productions.
- Strong collaboration experience across design, technical, and art teams.
- Positive leadership, communication, and feedback skills.
Desired Characteristics- Experience working with Unreal Engine 5 (Lumen or similar systems).
- Strong technical understanding of scalable systems and multi-platform constraints from high end to mobile.
- Experience with Unreal Engine 5 (Lumen, Megalight or similar systems).
- Positive experience working with outsourcing partners or distributed teams.
- Strong artistic sensitivity to mood, atmosphere, and cinematic lighting.
- Ability to balance visual quality with performance requirements.
- Excellent communication and natural practice of positive communication and leadership skills and the ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment.
- Desire to think and explore innovative solutions.
Eligibility Requirements- Interested candidates must apply to be considered.
- Must be willing to work in our Montreal office a minimum of 4 days a week.
- Must be legally authorized to work in Canada.
- Must be willing to travel for work related business, if necessary
Qualifications de base- Expérience significative dans le développement de jeux AAA (plus de 7 ans), avec une spécialisation en éclairage et/ou effets visuels, sur au moins un titre publié.
- Expérience confirmée en gestion d'équipes ou de disciplines au sein d'une production.
- Solide expertise en éclairage pour les cycles jour/nuit, les saisons, l'ambiance et la narration visuelle dans des environnements temps réel.
- Maîtrise des pipelines de rendu et des systèmes d'éclairage en temps reel.
- Expérience de travail sur des environnements à grande échelle ou des productions en monde ouvert.
- Expérience de collaboration étroite avec les équipes de conception, d'artistes techniques et autres piliers artistiques.
- Excellentes aptitudes en leadership, communication et capacité à recueillir et donner des retours constructifs.
Atouts souhaités- Expérience de travail avec Unreal Engine 5 (Lumen ou systèmes similaires).
- Solide compréhension technique des systèmes évolutifs et des contraintes multiplateformes, du haut de gamme au mobile.
- Expérience avec Unreal Engine 5 (Lumen, Megalight ou systèmes similaires).
- Expérience positive de collaboration avec des partenaires d'externalisation ou des équipes distribuées.
- Forte sensibilité artistique pour l'ambiance, l'atmosphère et l'éclairage cinématographique.
- Capacité à concilier qualité visuelle et exigences de performance.
- Excellentes aptitudes à la communication et capacité à instaurer un climat de confiance et de leadership, ainsi qu'à s'épanouir dans un environnement dynamique.
- Volonté de réfléchir et d'explorer des solutions innovantes.
Exigences d'admissibilité- Les personnes intéressées doivent soumettre leur candidature afin d'être considérées.
- Doit être disposé• e à travailler dans nos bureaux de Montréal au minimum quatre (4) jours par semaine.
- Doit être légalement autorisé• e à travailler au Canada.
- Doit être disposé• e à se déplacer pour des raisons professionnelles, au besoin.
