Outsource Lead – 3D Character Art
Contract Duration: 12 months with possibility for extension or conversion to full-time employment
Location: 100% Remote
Target Pay Rate: Approximately $55–$75/hour W2, depending on experience.
Position Overview
Associate Staffing is seeking an experienced Outsource Lead with a strong 3D character-art background to guide the quality and execution of externally produced character assets for a high-profile game-development project.
This is a senior individual-contributor role focused primarily on reviewing, directing, and improving work produced by external art vendors. The selected candidate will establish clear quality expectations, evaluate assets throughout production, provide actionable artistic and technical feedback, and ensure final content meets established creative, technical, and performance standards.
Although this is not primarily a hands-on asset-creation role, the Outsource Lead must have the technical depth to review 3D character work across the complete production pipeline. The ideal candidate began their career as a 3D character artist and has since developed experience leading external partners, maintaining a consistent visual style, and supporting high-volume AAA or live-service content.
Key Responsibilities
- Establish and maintain the artistic and technical quality bar for externally produced character assets.
- Review both 2D and 3D character work throughout the production lifecycle.
- Evaluate high-poly sculpts, low-poly game assets, topology, UVs, optimization, materials, textures, proportions, silhouette, and overall production readiness.
- Provide clear, actionable written feedback, visual references, paint-overs, and review notes to external artists and studios.
- Guide external partners in translating existing character designs into a cohesive stylized format.
- Ensure assets comply with established visual direction, technical requirements, performance standards, and intellectual-property guidelines.
- Partner with internal artists, producers, technical artists, designers, and other stakeholders to resolve creative and technical issues.
- Review multiple assets and vendor submissions concurrently while maintaining consistency across the broader content pipeline.
- Identify quality concerns early and work with production teams and vendors to establish practical resolution plans.
- Create or contribute to style guides, asset briefs, visual targets, production standards, and reference materials.
- Support external vendor onboarding and help partners become productive and self-sufficient.
- Participate in in-engine reviews and evaluate how final assets perform and appear within the game.
- Maintain clear communication with external partners working across multiple regions and time zones.
Required Qualifications
- 5+ years of professional game-art experience, including senior, lead, principal, or equivalent responsibilities.
- A professional background primarily rooted in 3D character art, character modeling, or a closely related discipline.
- Direct experience reviewing and providing feedback on high-poly and low-poly character assets.
- Strong working knowledge of topology, optimization, UV layouts, high-poly sculpting, materials, textures, silhouette, proportions, and game-ready asset preparation.
- Experience directing or reviewing work produced by external art vendors, co-development studios, or distributed art teams.
- AAA, large-scale, or high-performing game-development experience.
- Experience supporting live-service games or another high-volume content pipeline.
- Strong understanding of the complete character-art pipeline, from initial concept through final in-engine implementation.
- Ability to evaluate both artistic quality and technical production readiness.
- Strong portfolio demonstrating high-quality 3D character work and an understanding of stylized game art.
- Excellent written, visual, and verbal communication skills.
- Ability to translate broad creative direction into specific, actionable feedback.
- Strong organization and judgment when balancing multiple reviews, priorities, and deadlines.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience supporting stylized, highly recognizable, or licensed intellectual property.
- Familiarity with 2D character concepts, graphic applications, paint-overs, and visual-development workflows.
- Experience translating established character designs into simplified or stylized 3D forms while preserving the original identity.
- Experience producing or reviewing character cosmetics, skins, outfits, armor, avatars, or similar player-facing content.
- Shipped AAA or live-service game credits.
- Experience working with multiple outsource vendors across different regions and time zones.
- Proficiency with tools such as Maya, ZBrush, Blender, Substance Painter, Photoshop, or similar applications.
- Experience creating style guides, asset briefs, technical documentation, and visual-quality standards.
- Familiarity with Jira, ShotGrid, Perforce, Confluence, Miro, or comparable production tools.
- Previous mentorship or creative-leadership experience.
Education
A bachelor’s degree in game art, animation, fine arts, digital media, or a related field is preferred but not required. Equivalent professional experience and a strong portfolio will be given greater consideration.
Additional Requirements
- Comfortable working in a role centered on vendor direction, asset review, and feedback rather than daily hands-on asset creation.
- Ability to collaborate effectively with globally distributed teams.
- Availability for overlapping working hours with international partners when necessary.
- Ability to operate independently in a fast-moving environment with evolving priorities.
- Must be authorized to work in the United States.
Associate Staffing is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other status protected by applicable law. We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace and welcome applicants from all backgrounds.