Character Artist Ii

Welcome to Maxis, home to tinkerers, craftspeople, & storytellers. Our drive is to inspire everyone to make a better world through creative play. As the developer of The Sims, we create games and experiences for millions of people around the world and are always looking for new ways to inspire our players. Maxis is a place where you can do what you love and help others grow while doing it; a place where your unique voice can be heard and seen. We put creativity and inclusivity at the core of our work and don't settle for seeing the world only as it is, but strive to build a world as it could be.

You will be part of the Project Rene team building out the next generation of games and creative platforms. Project Rene is a Mobile + HD cross-platform title that allows players to experience The Sims alone or with friends, without barriers, for the first time ever. Explore the dramatic lives of your Sims in the most accessible, dynamic Simulation to date. Players can create characters, customize furniture, design apartments, and more using accessible tools.

We are looking for a Character Artist II (Surface Specialist) to define visual standards for materials and support the technical development of material systems for the project. You will participate in the research and development of the asset creation methods and pipelines designed to add new design-driven features unique to the project.

You will report to the Development Director of the Creative team.

Location: Remote North America - open to most North America locations

**Responsibilities**:

- Create visually appealing materials that are in-game performance ready
- Solve for aesthetic and technical challenges in partnership with Technical Art teams
- Participate in feedback sessions critiquing your work and the work of other artists
- Provide feedback on work from external partners to meet project material standards
- Create and use shaders in the Unreal Engine
- Keep up-to-date on new technologies to improve pipelines and enhance the game.

**Qualifications**:

- At least 4 years of professional industry experience as a Surface Artist on a AAA game or equivalent experience on mobile titles.
- Strong understanding of how objects’ surfaces respond and interact with lighting.
- Extensive experience in stylized material creation and shader support for hair, skin & clothing
- Proficiency in digital painting and well-versed in the technical aspects and workflow of real-time games
- Proficient in industry-standard software such as Substance Suite, Maya, ZBrush, and Photoshop
- A strong understanding of current-gen video game tech methods and their implications for the character creation pipeline. For example: PBR, dynamics, displacement, parallax, SSS, and shader animation

**Portfolio Requirement**:

- All resume submissions must include a link to a portfolio showing personal or professional artwork. Portfolio should include material and shader creation examples for items such as, Hair, Fabrics, Woods and Metals. Portfolio should demonstrate painting skills displaying creative examples for stylized materials.

**COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS**

The base salary ranges listed below are for the defined geographic market pay zones in these locations. If you reside outside of these locations, a recruiter will advise on the range and benefits for your specific location.

**BASE SALARY RANGES**
- California (depending on location e.g. Los Angeles vs. Sacramento):
º $95,450 - $141,800 USD Annually
- New York (depending on location e.g. Manhattan vs. Buffalo):
º $89,200 - $141,800 USD Annually
- Jersey City, NJ:
º $105,250 - $141,800 USD Annually
- Colorado (depending on location e.g. Denver vs. Colorado Springs):
º $89,200 - $118,550 USD Annually
- Washington (depending on location e.g. Seattle vs. Spokane):
º $89,200 - $130,750 USD Annually
- British Columbia (depending on location e.g. Vancouver vs. Victoria):
º $77,600 - $119,000 CAN Annually

Base salary is just one part of the overall compensation at EA. In the US, we offer a package of benefits including paid time off (3 weeks per year to start), 80 hours per year of sick time, 16 paid company holidays per year, 10 weeks paid time off to bond with baby, medical/dental/vision insurance, life insurance, disability insurance, and 401(k) to regular full-time employees. Certain roles may also be eligible for bonus and equity. For British Columbia, we offer a package of benefits including vacation (3 weeks per year to start), 10 days per year of sick time, paid top-up to EI/QPIP benefits up to 100% of base salary when you welcome a new child (12 weeks for maternity, and 4 weeks for parental/adoption leave), extended health/dental/vision coverage, life insurance, disability insurance, retirement plan to regular full-time employees. Certain roles may also be eligible for bonus and equity.

We are a global team of creators, storytellers, technologists, experience originators, innovators and so much more. We believe