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Animation Concept Artist Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Animator IV

Reno, NV · On-site +1

$105K - $120K/yr

... artistic vision will help shape both our next generation of games and the culture of innovation within the studio. In this senior-level role, you will lead animation efforts from concept to final ...

Animator IV

Reno, NV · On-site +1

$105K - $120K/yr

... artistic vision will help shape both our next generation of games and the culture of innovation within the studio. In this senior-level role, you will lead animation efforts from concept to final ...

As a Staff Technical Animator on teamLFG, you will be involved in the initial concept of character ... Tech Artists developing tools that support the animation pipeline REQUIRED SKILLS In-depth ...

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Showing results 1-20

Animation Concept Artist information

See salary details

$84.5K

$246.3K

$400K

How much do animation concept artist jobs pay per year?

As of Jun 30, 2026, the average yearly pay for animation concept artist in the United States is $246,250.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $92,500.00 and $400,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What does an Animation Concept Artist do?

An Animation Concept Artist is responsible for creating the initial visual designs and concepts for characters, environments, and props in an animated production. They work closely with directors and designers to establish the overall artistic style and visual direction. Their sketches and illustrations serve as a blueprint for animators and modelers to bring the project to life. Strong drawing skills, creativity, and an understanding of storytelling are essential for this role.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive in the Animation Concept Artist position, and why are they important?

To thrive as an Animation Concept Artist, you need strong drawing and design abilities, a solid understanding of anatomy, color theory, and storytelling, typically supported by a degree in art, illustration, or a related field. Proficiency with digital art tools such as Adobe Photoshop, Corel Painter, or specialized animation software is essential, and a well-developed portfolio is often critical. Creativity, adaptability, strong communication, and collaboration skills are highly valued soft skills in this role. These competencies enable effective visual storytelling and teamwork, ensuring concepts are both imaginative and aligned with project goals.

What are the typical responsibilities of an Animation Concept Artist on a project team?

Animation Concept Artists are responsible for designing and visualizing characters, environments, and key visual elements that set the tone and style of an animation project. They closely collaborate with directors, animators, and other artists to translate scripts and ideas into compelling visuals that guide the entire creative process. Daily tasks often include sketching, creating digital paintings, participating in feedback sessions, and refining concepts based on input from the team. This role is highly collaborative, requiring clear communication and adaptability to ensure all visuals align with the project's narrative and artistic vision.

What cities are hiring for Animation Concept Artist jobs? Cities with the most Animation Concept Artist job openings:
What are the most commonly searched types of Animation Concept Artist jobs? The most popular types of Animation Concept Artist jobs are:
What states have the most Animation Concept Artist jobs? States with the most job openings for Animation Concept Artist jobs include:
What job categories do people searching Animation Concept Artist jobs look for? The top searched job categories for Animation Concept Artist jobs are:
Infographic showing various Animation Concept Artist job openings in the United States as of June 2026, with employment types broken down into 6% As Needed, 60% Full Time, 24% Part Time, 6% Temporary, 2% Contract, and 2% Nights. Highlights an 91% Physical, 3% Hybrid, and 6% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $246,250 per year, or $118.4 per hour.
VFX Artist - GameSim - Talent Pipeline

VFX Artist - GameSim - Talent Pipeline

Keywords Studios

New Orleans, LA • On-site, Remote

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Retirement, PTO

Posted 28 days ago


Job description

GameSim is a game development studio that partners with clients to build games across PC/console and a range of art styles. We care about craftsmanship, collaboration, and shipping work we're proud to put our names on. If you love building environments and believable spaces we'd like to meet you. Our headquarters is based in Orlando, FL!

Talent Pipeline Posting Notice
Please note that this posting is not tied to an immediate vacancy. We are proactively building a pipeline of qualified candidates in anticipation of potential hiring needs over the coming months. Applications will be reviewed and retained for future consideration as opportunities arise.

We are looking for a VFX Artist with strong real-time effects skills, solid technical judgment, and the potential to grow into broader lead responsibilities over time.

This role is ideal for someone who enjoys creating high-quality visual effects while also helping teams stay aligned, organized, and efficient. Depending on the project, this person may contribute directly to hands-on VFX production, in-engine implementation, feedback, task breakdowns, optimization, workflow documentation, and cross-discipline collaboration.

Because our projects can vary widely in style, scope, platform, and client needs, we are looking for an adaptable VFX artist with strong fundamentals, a practical production mindset, and the ability to translate creative or design direction into clear, executable effects work.

This is a hands-on production role with opportunities to support small pods or strike teams, guide VFX quality, mentor other artists, and grow toward lead-level responsibilities.

This role offers flexible work options, including remote, hybrid or in-office arrangements.

Responsibilities
  • Create custom real-time visual effects and implement them in-engine using Unreal Engine 5, Unity, or proprietary tools.
  • Build high-quality effects for gameplay, environments, cinematics, atmosphere, combat, interaction, destruction, UI/game feedback, and other project needs.
  • Create all necessary textures, flipbooks, materials, meshes, simulations, and supporting assets for real-time VFX.
  • Maintain clean, readable, well-structured material graphs, Niagara systems, parameters, naming conventions, and reusable effect setups.
  • Use tools such as Photoshop, Substance Designer, Blender, Houdini, Maya, EmberGen, or other software as needed to support effect creation.
  • Work with complex material setups, Blueprints, scripting hooks, animation events, gameplay triggers, or engine-specific implementation needs.
  • Troubleshoot VFX issues in partnership with Technical Art, Engineering, Design, Animation, Audio, and other disciplines.
  • Own VFX optimization fundamentals, including particle counts, overdraw, shader cost, texture memory, spawn rates, scalability settings, and platform performance constraints.
  • Help ensure effects are readable, performant, and aligned with gameplay needs, art direction, timing, mood, and player feedback.
  • Review work from internal artists, partner studios, or external vendors and provide clear, constructive, actionable feedback.
  • Help maintain a consistent quality bar across a set of effects, a feature, a level, or a small team pod.
  • Support short-term planning by helping break down VFX requests into clear tasks, priorities, dependencies, risks, and definitions of done.
  • Proactively identify production risks, including missing gameplay hooks, performance spikes, unclear direction, pipeline gaps, dependency issues, or inconsistent style execution.
  • Collaborate closely with Designers, Concept Artists, Art Directors, Technical Artists, Engineers, Animators, Audio Designers, and Producers.
  • Support client-facing communication when needed by clarifying requirements, sharing WIP, explaining constraints, and aligning on expected outcomes.
  • Contribute to VFX workflow improvements, reusable templates, documentation, libraries, naming standards, or scalability rules when appropriate.

Requirements

  • 5+ years of professional game industry experience as a real-time VFX Artist or similar role.
  • At least one shipped game title.
  • Proven end-to-end real-time VFX workflow experience, from concept and asset creation through in-engine implementation and polish.
  • Strong experience implementing effects in Unreal Engine 4 or 5, with strong working knowledge of Niagara.
  • Strong particle animation fundamentals, including timing, rhythm, shape language, motion, impact, anticipation, dissipation, and readability.
  • Strong understanding of natural energies and materials such as fire, smoke, water, electricity, magic, dust, debris, explosions, atmospherics, and environmental effects.
  • Strong material and texture creation skills using tools such as Photoshop, Substance Designer, or similar software.
  • Ability to create clean, readable, and well-constructed material graphs and VFX systems.
  • Demonstrated understanding of real-time VFX optimization, including particle counts, overdraw, memory usage, material cost, scalability, and performance constraints.
  • Ability to balance visual impact, gameplay clarity, technical cost, and production schedule.
  • Strong communication skills, including clear written updates, verbal communication, documentation, and actionable feedback.
  • Ability to interpret vague creative, design, or client direction and turn it into clear VFX tasks or implementation plans.
  • Experience mentoring, reviewing, or guiding other artists. A formal Lead title is not required, but leadership behaviors are important.
  • Comfortable collaborating across disciplines and working with design, engineering, technical art, production, and art direction.
  • Strong ownership, follow-through, organization, and problem-solving ability.
  • Interest in growing into broader leadership responsibilities over time.

Nice to Have

  • Proficiency with common production tools such as Perforce, Jira, Miro, and Confluence.
  • Houdini experience.
  • EmberGen experience.
  • Unity experience.
  • Substance Designer experience.
  • Experience with proprietary engines or custom VFX tools.
  • Scripting or coding skills, such as C#, Python, Blueprint, or similar.
  • 2D animation or traditional animation experience.
  • 3D animation, simulation, or procedural content creation experience.
  • Experience creating both stylized and realistic effects.
  • Experience with foliage, atmospherics, environmental effects, weather, destruction, or ambient world VFX.
  • Experience working with outsourcing, co-development teams, partner studios, or external vendors.
  • Experience collaborating with teams across different countries, cultures, and time zones.
  • Experience establishing VFX standards, templates, naming conventions, libraries, scalability rules, or pipeline documentation.
  • Experience supporting client reviews, milestone deliveries, or cross-studio feedback loops.
  • Experience leading a small pod, strike team, feature group, or informal group of artists.
Portfolio Requirements
  • Please include a portfolio that clearly demonstrates your real-time VFX capabilities.
  • Your portfolio must include:
    • Real-time VFX assets with strong readability, timing, shape language, and clearly understandable visual elements.
    • At least one example shown in a real-time gameplay context, preferably a video of the effect happening in-game or during interactive gameplay.
    • Examples of strong material definition and texture work, with clean, readable, well-constructed setups.
    • Effects that demonstrate fundamentals such as composition, mood, color choices, timing, motion, impact, readability, and understanding of natural energies.
    • Examples of effects implemented in-engine, preferably in Unreal Engine 4 or 5 / Niagara.
    • Breakdowns showing your process, including textures, materials, emitters, timing, implementation, optimization, or technical setup where applicable.
    • Clear explanations of what you personally created, especially for any team-created work.
  • Strongly preferred portfolio examples include:
    • Before/after examples showing how you improved an effect through feedback, mentorship, optimization, or art direction.
    • A small set of effects that demonstrate consistent style, quality bar, or gameplay readability across a feature or content set.
    • Examples of templates, libraries, material systems, naming conventions, scalability setups, or pipeline improvements you helped create.
    • Examples that show how you balanced visual quality with performance constraints.

Please note: if your portfolio is mostly isolated effects in presentation scenes without runtime gameplay context, this may not be the right fit. We are looking for artists who understand how VFX function inside real-time gameplay, not just how they look in isolation.

How to apply
  • Resume + portfolio link required.
  • An art test may be required as part of the process.

This position is currently open to candidates residing in the following U.S. states only:

Arizona (AZ), Connecticut (CT), Florida (FL), lowa (IA), Illinois (IL), Massachusetts (MA), Maine (ME), Michigan (MI), Minnesota (MN), New Hampshire (NH), Nevada (NV), Ohio (OH), Oregon (OR), South Carolina (SC), Tennessee (TN), Texas (TX), Virginia (VA), Wisconsin (WI), Montana (MT), Alabama (AL), Georgia (GA), Indiana (IN), Louisiana (LA), North Carolina (NC), New Jersey (NJ), Oklahoma (OK), and Utah (UT).

While applicants from all listed states will be considered, the ideal candidate will be located in Orlando (FL) Austin (TX) or New Orleans (LA). Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States and reside in one of the eligible states listed above.

Salary Range: $70,000 USD to $75,000 USD

Benefits

What's in it for you?
  • Opportunity to work on different projects
  • 3 weeks of accrued paid time off
  • Benefits package including medical, dental and vision
  • Sick Leave
  • Disability Coverage
  • Corporate holidays
  • 401(k) Retirement Plan with company matching
  • Professional Development
  • Snacks, drinks, ping pong, and more!

GameSim is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome applicants of all backgrounds and identities and evaluate candidates based on skills, experience, and alignment with the role.

Keywords Studios is dedicated to following a well-established Equal Opportunities Policy. We endeavor to create a workplace which provides for equal opportunities for all employees and potential employees.

PERSONAL DATA PROTECTION POLICY

By providing your information in this application, you understand that we will collect and process your information in accordance with our Applicant Privacy Notice. For more information, please see our Applicant Privacy Notice athttps://www.keywordsstudios.com/en/applicant-privacy-notice

E-Verify Notification

This Organization Participates in E-Verify

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About Keywords Studios

Sourced by ZipRecruiter

Whatever the scale of your project, whatever the time frame, whatever your location: Keywords is here for you, bringing our network of 13,000+ people and 70+ studios together to deliver the unified solutions you need. We offer everything necessary to ensure your project achieves its full potential and that strategic opportunities are turned into long-term growth. The games industry is complex and fast-moving. Working with Keywords allows you to remain lean and agile, and to remain focused on creating the world’s most immersive playing experiences. Our network of studios brings best-in-class experience, expertise, technology and capacity across the full development, release and player-support lifecycle.

Industry

Arts, entertainment, and recreation

Company size

10,000+ Employees

Headquarters location

Burbank, CA, US

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