*Please note - during the global pandemic we are only able to offer full-time remote positions to those within the UK and those who are relocating to the UK for the position.*
 

We build ground-breaking games and content for some of the world’s biggest publishers including Microsoft, Sony, Apple and Sega. Sheffield is our largest studio and headquarters, situated just north-east of the city centre, where we’ve built and contributed to some of the world’s best-loved game franchises.

It’s an exciting time to be part of Sumo, winners of the Develop: Star Awards 2019 Best Studio and GI Biz 2020 Best Places to Work; big things are on the horizon and we want you to be part of our continued journey. Join us!

Sumo Sheffield is made up of a diverse mix of fantastic people, although sometimes, some groups are still under-represented. We are working to remove obstacles that can make it difficult for those groups to progress their careers in the games industry. We welcome applications from under-represented people in the gaming industry, including, but not limited to BAME, LGBQT+, women, people with physical disabilities, neurodiversity or mental health issues, and parents or carers.

 

The role @ Sumo

Sumo Sheffield is looking to expand our core teams experience and has a fantastic opportunity for a Principal VFX artist to develop and define our VFX pipeline and processes.

As a candidate you must be passionate about all aspects of VFX design and implementation as you will be responsible for defining the visual style and maintaining quality standards and working practices. Working alongside the VFX Lead you will have responsibility for helping drive and mentor the team adding your distinctive leadership style and values to our evolving culture.

The ideal candidate will have a history of demonstrating an exceptional eye for detail, creative flair, stylistic versatility and the ability to effectively communicate artistic vision to the rest of the VFX and game teams. Your solid communication skills combined with your passion and energy will enable the VFX team to be industry leaders.

If you can be an inspirational master of craft who will ultimately take us to the next level, we have the right team, the right opportunity and a wide variety of game genres.

 

Within this role you will:

• Work with the Art Director/Lead to set the art style and visual standard for the team through the creation of VFX assets and creation pipelines, across multiple titles
• Create pre-visualisation concepts to establish the visual effects direction
• Collaborate with level design and gameplay teams to create visual effects that support gameplay requirements
• Research and analyse current and emerging visual effect trends and technology and collect reference materials that support the visual quality and style for the VFX team
• Create clear and accurate technical documentation regarding VFX production and implementation procedures
• Work closely with the Graphical Rendering team/Technical Art team to develop new/improve upon current technologies to improve visual effect quality
• Handle all aspects of the VFX pipeline, which includes creating content from concept to final polished result

We need you to have:

• 5+ years’ experience in Real Time VFX for Video Games as a Lead or Senior VFX artist
• Expert understanding of real-time VFX authoring tools
• Experience with 3D packages for creating 3D assets
• Strong knowledge of Photoshop and After Effects
• Strong and demonstrable understanding of the Principles of Real Time VFX
• Understanding of VFX impact on console performance
• Highly passionate and self-motivated to create high quality VFX
• Shipped at least 2 AAA title in a Senior/Lead role
• Ability to communicate and mentor other VFX artists in the team
• The ability to work with various styles of art on multiple projects
• Demo reel required
•  

We'd also ideally like you to have (although it's not a deal breaker):

• Very strong problem-solving skills for technically challenging tasks
• Experience with UE4 (Cascade and Niagara), Unity (Shuriken), PopcornFX and other game engines for creating real time VFX
• Experience with fluid dynamics simulation software, such as Houdini and FumeFX, for fire, smoke, fluid and soft/rigid body dynamics