Senior Manager, Lead Character Artist

Job ID 10106239 Location Glendale, California, United States Business Disney Experiences Date posted Nov. 20, 2024

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Job Summary:

About the Role & Team

Disney Digital Entertainment, a division of Disney Experiences, is embarking on a mission to create the ‘digital front door’ for The Walt Disney Company, bringing all of the magic of Disney together into a new interactive universe!

We are building an expert development team that will be building a groundbreaking game experience that will herald the next generation of Disney to the world. Working with top-class industry talent, this role is perfect for the accomplished character artist and leader looking to create something epic - collaborating with an incredible group of game developers focusing on individual experiences to build a wonderfully rich and cohesive product that is truly “Disney”.

We are looking for a uniquely talented Sr. Manager, Lead Character Artist to join us on a daring and exciting new project. Are you an imaginative creative leader with superb art skills, and have a love of Disney/Pixar, Star Wars and Marvel properties? If so, you’ll want to check out this opportunity!

The Sr. Manager, Lead Character Artist will report to the Director, Art

What You Will Do

Lead, manage and grow an internal team of highly talented character artists
Collaborate with artists, designers, and other disciplines to create engaging, inspiring and compelling 3D characters, costumes, fashion, props and items based on Disney’s robust portfolio of worlds and characters including Disney/Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars.
Use Maya, ZBrush, Substance, Marvelous Designer and Unreal Engine 5 to build high quality assets, sculpts and materials.
Iterate on game assets, characters and costume designs with fellow artists via paint overs, studies, and group critiques to improve visuals and gameplay.
Work closely with production and other discipline leads to coordinate and maintain team and project schedules.
Champion, document and implement in-game character performance standards and evangelize best practices for asset creation, materials, lighting, etc.
Serve as a key member of a growing game development team, helping to create and ensure a genuine Disney experience.

Required Qualifications & Skills

Validated ability to build and manage teams, assess performance, provide leadership and creatively solve problems.
Excellent focus on artistic quality and solid knowledge of current game development techniques used to achieve specific visual targets.
Ability to successfully articulate and provide timely, actionable visual feedback to a diverse team of artists.
Solid understanding of character and creature anatomy as well as fundamental visual design principles including color, composition, form, shape, structure, silhouette, scale, surface properties and lighting
Experience developing character related content using Unreal Engine and/or UEFN as well as UE-specific character implementation and optimization techniques.
Demonstrated problem-solving ability and passion to build something new and innovative.
A portfolio of work that accurately represents your personal and team-based artistic achievements.

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and experience in Art and/or Design
8 years of PC and console game development experience, including holding a position of Character Artist and/or Lead for at least 3 years.

Additional Information

Application must include a portfolio showcasing designs of retail environments. Please share or disable any passwords for efficient review of portfolios.

Our Benefits: Disney offers a rewards package to help you live your best life. This includes health and savings benefits, educational opportunities and special extras that only Disney can provide. Learn more about our benefits and perks at https://jobs.disneycareers.com/benefits

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The hiring range for this remote position is $143,800 to $221,700 per year, which factors in various geographic regions. The base pay actually offered will take into account internal equity and also may vary depending on the candidate’s geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors. A bonus and/or long-term incentive units may be provided as part of the compensation package, in addition to the full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the level and position offered.

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About Disney Experiences:

Disney Experiences brings the magic of Disney stories and franchises to life through theme parks, resorts, cruise ships, unique vacation experiences, products and more around the world. Disney shines in the travel industry with six resort destinations in the United States, Europe and Asia; a top-rated cruise line; a popular vacation ownership program; and an award-winning guided family adventure business. Plus, Disney's global consumer products operations include the world's leading licensing business; the world's largest children's publishing brands; one of the world's largest licensors of games across all platforms; and Disney store locations around the world and on the web.

About The Walt Disney Company:

The Walt Disney Company, together with its subsidiaries and affiliates, is a leading diversified international family entertainment and media enterprise that includes three core business segments: Disney Entertainment, ESPN, and Disney Experiences. From humble beginnings as a cartoon studio in the 1920s to its preeminent name in the entertainment industry today, Disney proudly continues its legacy of creating world-class stories and experiences for every member of the family. Disney’s stories, characters and experiences reach consumers and guests from every corner of the globe. With operations in more than 40 countries, our employees and cast members work together to create entertainment experiences that are both universally and locally cherished.

This position is with Disney Online, which is part of a business we call Disney Experiences.

Disney Online is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, military or veteran status, medical condition, genetic information or disability, or any other basis prohibited by federal, state or local law. Disney champions a business environment where ideas and decisions from all people help us grow, innovate, create the best stories and be relevant in a constantly evolving world.

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The Walt Disney Company and its Affiliated Companies are Equal Employment Opportunity employers and welcome all job seekers including individuals with disabilities and veterans with disabilities. If you have a disability and believe you need a reasonable accommodation in order to search for a job opening or apply for a position, email Candidate.Accommodations@Disney.com with your request. This email address is not for general employment inquiries or correspondence. We will only respond to those requests that are related to the accessibility of the online application system due to a disability.

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