Art Lead / Art Director (Character Art)

About the role

We are looking for an experienced, highly creative, and hands-on Art Lead / Art Director to join Secret Level Studios and help define the visual direction of our upcoming titles.

This is a hands-on leadership role for someone who can combine strong artistic vision with practical game development experience. You will work closely with our Creative Director, designers, and wider development team to establish the look and feel of our games, create production-quality assets that set the visual direction and quality standards for the project, and guide both internal artists and external partners.

We are looking for someone with a strong background in stylised 3D art, particularly character art, who is comfortable taking assets all the way from concept through to implementation in Unity. Professional experience working with Unity is essential, along with strong skills in character modelling, animation, and rigging. Experience creating environments, props, painting, drawing, or concept art would all be highly valuable.

This is an opportunity to help shape the artistic future of a growing independent studio, influencing not only the visual identity of our games but also the art pipelines, quality standards, and creative culture that will support them for years to come.

We're looking for someone who enjoys leading by example; someone who is just as excited about creating outstanding artwork as they are about mentoring others and shaping the studio's artistic vision.

Responsibilities

Artistic direction

• Define and maintain the visual identity of our games across all artistic disciplines.
• Establish the artistic direction, visual standards, and style guides that enable both internal teams and external partners to deliver consistent, high-quality work.
• Ensure a consistent visual identity across characters, environments, UI, VFX, and all other artistic disciplines.
• Collaborate closely with studio leadership to define an artistic vision that complements our game design and technical direction.

Character art and animation

• Design and create 3D stylized characters from concept through to final game implementation.
• Model, texture, rig, skin and animate hero characters and key assets.
• Create, refine, and expand our library of characters and supporting assets.
• Establish efficient workflows and pipelines for integrating assets into Unity.

Environment and world building

• Create and direct the development of stylised 3D environments, from large outdoor spaces to detailed interior locations, making use of procedural techniques where appropriate.
• Work closely with the Game Director to shape the visual identity of key locations and environments throughout the game.
• Ensure environments are visually compelling while also supporting gameplay, navigation, and technical requirements.
• Guide asset creation from the wider team, ensuring quality across the board.

Leadership and collaboration

• Provide constructive feedback and mentorship to artists across the team.
• Provide guidance both internally and externally, working closely with publishing partners.
• Collaborate regularly with the Game Director, designers, programmers, and producers to ensure our games are visually compelling, technically achievable, and fun to play.
• Identify artistic and production risks early, and work with the team to develop effective mitigation strategies.
• Support recruitment and onboarding of new artists as the studio grows.

Unity integration

• Import, configure, and maintain assets for Unity Engine.
• Work with shaders, materials, lighting, animation systems, and scene composition.
• Ensure assets perform well while maintaining visual quality.
• Collaborate with technical teams to improve workflows and art pipelines.

Requirements

Essential skills & experience

• Proven professional experience in game art development and shipped titles.
• Strong portfolio demonstrating high-quality stylised 3D character art and game-ready assets.
• Professional experience creating characters, rigs, and animations.
• Experience defining and maintaining an art style across a project or team.
• Strong understanding of composition, colour theory, shape language, and visual storytelling.
• Experience working within Unity.
• Excellent communication and leadership abilities.
• Ability to provide clear, constructive artistic direction and feedback.
• Passion for creating games and memorable player experiences.

Highly desirable

• Previous experience as an Art Lead, Art Director, Lead Artist, or Senior Artist.
• Familiarity with shaders, VFX, and technical art workflows.
• Experience creating stylised fantasy, life-simulation, RPG, or cosy-game artwork.
• Strong understanding of production constraints and asset optimisation.
• Experience building art pipelines and production workflows.
• Ability to create concept art, sketches, or illustrations that help establish a strong visual identity.

Important to us at SLS

• Every project has a clear, cohesive, and memorable visual identity that remains consistent throughout development.
• Everything we create meets a consistently high standard of artistic quality.
• Artists receive clear direction, constructive feedback, and the support they need to grow and do their best work.
• Art pipelines and workflows enable the team to work efficiently without compromising quality.
• Visual quality supports gameplay, technical requirements, and project schedules.
• New ideas and creative improvements are encouraged while maintaining a cohesive artistic vision.
• Players can immediately recognise and connect with the unique visual identity of our games.

About Secret Level Studios

Secret Level Studios is an independent game development studio based in Letchworth Garden City. We develop original IP alongside co-development projects, creating high-quality games for PC and consoles. We are currently developing multiple exciting projects and are looking for talented people who are passionate about making great games.

What we offer

• Competitive salary (depending on experience).
• Flexible hybrid working.
• Company pension.
• 25 days holiday + bank holidays.
• Opportunity to shape the artistic vision of a growing independent studio.

Location & working arrangement

This role follows a hybrid working model:

• Two days per week in our Letchworth Garden City office (Tuesday and Wednesday).
• Three days per week working remotely.
• Candidates must be comfortable working within this arrangement.