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Senior Environment Artist Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Senior Technical Artist

Las Vegas, NV

$116K - $139K/yr

Working collaboratively with game teams, the Senior Technical Artist strives to provide improvements for tools, workflows and process within a Unity based development environment. This role will ...

Senior Technical Artist

Las Vegas, NV · On-site

$110K - $130K/yr

Working collaboratively with game teams, the Senior Technical Artist strives to provide improvements for tools, workflows and process within a Unity based development environment. This role will ...

Senior Technical Artist

Frisco, TX · On-site

$118K - $142K/yr

The Senior Technical Artist role is meant to bridge the gap between art and programming ... Gearbox Entertainment believes that all team members should be able to enjoy a work environment ...

Senior Technical Artist

Frisco, TX

$118K - $142K/yr

The Senior Technical Artist role is meant to bridge the gap between art and programming ... Gearbox Entertainment believes that all team members should be able to enjoy a work environment ...

We highly value senior-level artistic fundamentals and technical problem-solving above specific ... Create and implement real-time, high-quality visual effects for an open-world environment ...

Senior Lighting Artist

Herndon, VA · On-site

$130K - $156K/yr

Job Summary Scattermesh is expanding its team and we are looking to hire Senior 3D Lighting artists ... Skilled in replicating physically accurate lighting environments in 3D * Deep understanding of PBR ...

Senior CG Lighting Artist

New Orleans, LA · Hybrid

$122K - $146K/yr

The Senior CG Lighting Artist will focus mainly on facial performance replacement with a handoff to ... Maintain output quality and momentum in a fast-paced environment. * Preserve cohesive character ...

Senior Lighting Artist

Herndon, VA · On-site

$130K - $156K/yr

Job Summary Scattermesh is expanding its team and we are looking to hire Senior 3D Lighting artists ... Skilled in replicating physically accurate lighting environments in 3D * Deep understanding of PBR ...

Senior Technical Artist

Irvine, CA · On-site

$134K - $161K/yr

... seeking a Senior Technical Artist to enhance their game development team. The role involves ... The ideal candidate will collaborate effectively in a dynamic environment and embrace innovation to ...

Senior Technical Artist

Irvine, CA · On-site

$134K - $161K/yr

They are seeking a Senior Technical Artist who will bridge the gap between art and engineering ... a dynamic, fast-paced environment • Communicate timelines, own tasks, and contribute to ...

Senior 3D Artist: Imerza is a digital twin and architectural visualization studio built on Unreal ... Execute complex real-time production tasks across environments, assets, and architectural content.

What We Are Looking For The Senior VFX Artist works across all our titles and interacts directly ... environment free from discrimination and harassment, and one that reflects the diversity of the ...

Senior CG Lighting Artist

New Orleans, LA · On-site

$122K - $146K/yr

The Senior CG Lighting Artist will focus mainly on facial performance replacement with a handoff to ... Maintain output quality and momentum in a fast-paced environment. * Preserve cohesive character ...

What We Are Looking For The Senior VFX Artist works across all our titles and interacts directly ... environment free from discrimination and harassment, and one that reflects the diversity of the ...

Senior Lighting Artist

Boston, MA · On-site

$118K - $185K/yr

CD PROJEKT RED is looking for a Senior Lighting Artist to join our Boston hub and the team working ... Work with design to develop mission and environmental flow as needed. * Work with leads and ...

Showing results 21-40

Senior Environment Artist information

See salary details

$30.5K

$129.5K

$152.5K

How much do senior environment artist jobs pay per year?

As of Jul 25, 2026, the average yearly pay for senior environment artist in the United States is $129,541.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $127,000.00 and $152,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

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

To excel as a Senior Environment Artist, you should have advanced skills in 3D modeling, texturing, lighting, and a strong understanding of visual storytelling, usually backed by a relevant degree or significant industry experience. Mastery of tools such as Autodesk Maya, 3ds Max, Blender, ZBrush, Substance Painter, Unreal Engine, and Unity is essential, and additional certifications in these platforms can be beneficial. Exceptional communication, collaboration, and leadership skills help you work effectively with art directors, level designers, and other team members. These skills enable you to create immersive, high-quality game or film environments that enhance the overall user experience and meet production standards.

What is a Senior Environment Artist job?

A Senior Environment Artist is responsible for designing and creating high-quality 3D environments for video games, films, or other digital media. They collaborate with artists, designers, and engineers to ensure cohesive visual storytelling while optimizing assets for performance. Their role includes modeling, texturing, lighting, and layout to achieve immersive, polished environments. Additionally, they provide mentorship to junior artists and help define artistic workflows.

What are the main responsibilities and daily tasks for a Senior Environment Artist?

As a Senior Environment Artist, your daily tasks typically include creating detailed 3D models of environments, developing textures and materials, and setting up lighting to enhance the mood and atmosphere of scenes. You’ll often collaborate closely with level designers, art directors, and other artists to ensure cohesive visual storytelling and consistency with the project’s artistic vision. Senior artists also mentor junior team members, give feedback during reviews, and help troubleshoot technical or artistic challenges. This role often involves balancing creative work with technical problem-solving to meet both aesthetic and performance requirements.

More about Senior Environment Artist jobs
What cities are hiring for Senior Environment Artist jobs? Cities with the most Senior Environment Artist job openings:
What are the most commonly searched types of Environment Artist jobs? The most popular types of Environment Artist jobs are:
What states have the most Senior Environment Artist jobs? States with the most job openings for Senior Environment Artist jobs include:
Infographic showing various Senior Environment Artist job openings in the United States as of July 2026, with employment types broken down into 77% Full Time, 17% Part Time, 1% Temporary, 2% Contract, and 3% Summer. Highlights an 97% Physical, and 3% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $129,541 per year, or $62.3 per hour.
Lighting Artist - GameSim - Talent Pipeline

Lighting Artist - GameSim - Talent Pipeline

Keywords Studios

New Orleans, LA

Full-time

Posted 7 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 seeking a Lighting Artist to create high-quality real-time lighting and help support the execution of lighting work across GameSim projects.

This is a hands-on production role with opportunities to take on project-level leadership responsibilities. In addition to completing assigned lighting work, you may help coordinate tasks, review the work of other artists, provide constructive feedback, and ensure scenes meet the visual and technical quality bar established by Art Direction and the client.

You will collaborate with Art Directors, Environment Artists, Technical Artists, VFX Artists, Designers, Engineers, Producers, clients, and partner studios to translate creative direction into lighting solutions that support mood, gameplay readability, environmental storytelling, and performance.

What Success Looks Like

Within your first 90 days, you will:

  • Develop a clear understanding of the project's visual direction, lighting pipeline, gameplay requirements, technical constraints, and production schedule.
  • Build effective working relationships with Art Direction, Production, Technical Art, Environment Art, Design, and other project disciplines.
  • Create polished lighting work that meets the project's established visual and technical quality bar.
  • Take ownership of lighting for assigned scenes, environments, sequences, or gameplay areas.
  • Provide useful feedback and support to other artists when asked to review or coordinate lighting work.
  • Identify artistic, technical, or production risks early and communicate them to the appropriate project leads.
  • Deliver assigned work on schedule and respond effectively to internal and client feedback.
ResponsibilitiesLighting Creation and Execution
  • Create high-quality real-time lighting for gameplay environments, levels, cinematics, characters, and interactive sequences.
  • Translate art direction, concept art, reference material, gameplay requirements, narrative goals, and client feedback into effective lighting solutions.
  • Use lighting to establish mood, atmosphere, visual hierarchy, environmental storytelling, and player focus.
  • Ensure lighting supports gameplay readability, navigation, combat visibility, character presentation, and important interactive elements.
  • Develop and refine exposure, color, contrast, fog, atmosphere, reflections, shadows, emissive response, color grading, and post-processing.
  • Create lighting for a range of visual styles, including realistic, stylized, cinematic, and highly art-directed projects.
  • Maintain visual consistency across related environments, gameplay spaces, sequences, times of day, and lighting conditions.
  • Bring assigned scenes from initial lighting setup through final polish.
  • Respond to feedback from Art Direction, project leadership, and clients in a timely and professional manner.
  • Ensure completed work meets project requirements for quality, performance, organization, and delivery.
Leadership and Quality Support
  • Help oversee lighting work for an assigned scene, group of scenes, feature, or milestone when requested by project leadership.
  • Review the work of other lighting artists or multidisciplinary artists contributing to lighting.
  • Provide clear, respectful, and actionable feedback through written notes, live reviews, reference images, paintovers, or in-engine examples.
  • Help ensure lighting work follows approved visual targets, technical standards, and project requirements.
  • Communicate expected outcomes, priorities, and quality standards to artists working within an assigned area.
  • Monitor the visual progress of assigned lighting work and identify scenes that may require additional revision or support.
  • Confirm that feedback has been addressed before work is submitted for senior, Art Director, or client review.
  • Support junior or less-experienced artists with lighting fundamentals, engine workflows, scene organization, optimization, and production practices.
  • Lead by example through reliable execution, clear communication, constructive collaboration, and professional conduct.
  • Escalate unresolved quality, schedule, scope, or technical concerns to the appropriate senior artist, Art Director, or Producer.
Planning and Production Support
  • Work with Art Direction and Production to understand lighting priorities, tasks, estimates, and milestone expectations.
  • Help break lighting goals into clear and manageable production tasks.
  • Provide progress updates and communicate when assigned work is at risk of missing quality, technical, or scheduling requirements.
  • Participate in daily reviews, art reviews, milestone evaluations, and planning discussions.
  • Help prepare lighting work for internal reviews, client presentations, milestone submissions, and final delivery.
  • Balance hands-on production responsibilities with review, coordination, troubleshooting, and team support.
  • Adjust priorities when creative direction, technical requirements, production scope, or client feedback changes.
  • Maintain accurate task status and documentation using the project's production-management tools.
Technical and Pipeline Responsibilities
  • Work with Technical Art and Engineering to ensure lighting is visually effective, technically stable, and appropriate for the target platform.
  • Follow established budgets for dynamic lights, shadows, volumetrics, reflections, global illumination, memory, and scalability.
  • Identify and help resolve issues involving exposure, shadow artifacts, light leaking, reflections, volumetrics, bake quality, material response, and post-processing.
  • Use dynamic, baked, stationary, or hybrid lighting approaches according to the project's established pipeline.
  • Profile assigned lighting work and make informed visual adjustments to meet performance requirements.
  • Validate lighting across relevant gameplay cameras, display settings, hardware targets, times of day, weather states, and scalability levels.
  • Follow project standards for scene organization, naming conventions, source control, documentation, and asset integration.
  • Contribute to reusable lighting setups, templates, documentation, validation processes, and team best practices.
  • Identify workflow problems and communicate potential improvements to senior artists, Technical Art, or project leadership.
Cross-Discipline Collaboration
  • Collaborate with Environment Art to ensure geometry, materials, composition, and set dressing support the intended lighting.
  • Partner with VFX to integrate fog, particles, weather, fire, emissive effects, and atmospheric elements.
  • Work with Design to ensure lighting supports navigation, player guidance, combat readability, objectives, and interactive systems.
  • Coordinate with Character Art and Animation to maintain readable and appealing character presentation.
  • Support cinematic lighting needs involving shot composition, continuity, exposure, character lighting, and narrative focus.
  • Communicate artistic and technical concerns clearly to both creative and non-creative stakeholders.
  • Work effectively with distributed teams, partner studios, external vendors, and clients across different time zones.

Keywords Studios logo

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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