Studio Art Director (Remote)
We are a fully remote, fast moving game studio full of high caliber designers, artists, and engineers who care deeply about quality, culture, and each other.
We partner with companies like Scopely, Meta, and Niantic on major live titles, while also building our own original IP. Our team has contributed to games played by millions around the world. Now, we are looking for a Studio Art Director to lead and elevate everything visual across the studio.
This is a senior leadership role. You will guide multiple projects, mentor talented art leaders, and help shape how art is created at Nerd Ninjas from first sketch to final pixel. If you love building strong teams, setting high standards, and shipping beautiful work at scale, you will feel at home here.
This role is not for someone who only wants to manage from a distance. You will be hands-on, opinionated in the best way, and deeply invested in helping our artists do the best work of their careers, within a healthy culture.
Benefits
Compensation & Health:
- Competitive salary
- 100% employer-paid Medical, Dental, and Vision coverage
- 401k with employer matching
- Bonus program
Growth & Opportunity:
- Work on high visibility global IP and original projects
- Work alongside industry veterans with decades of experience
- Help shape the future of a growing successful studio
Culture & Work Environment:
- A values driven, low ego, anti-drama team
- High trust, high ownership, high standards
- We work hard, play hard, and treat people well
Flexibility & Remote Work:
- Fully remote with required availability during Pacific Time zone hours
- Incredible team retreats once or twice per year
What You Will Do
As Studio Art Director, you will own the visual leadership and execution of art across the entire studio.
- Define and maintain studio wide visual standards, style guides, and quality bars
- Lead and support project level Art Directors and senior artists
- Oversee art pipelines, schedules, reviews, and delivery across multiple teams
- Partner with producers and leads on resourcing, budgets, and timelines
- Run regular cross project art reviews to ensure consistency and alignment
- Mentor, coach, and grow art leaders and individual contributors
- Build and scale the art team through thoughtful hiring and onboarding
- Identify pipeline and tooling issues and drive practical improvements
- Collaborate closely with design, engineering, and other creatives to align vision and execution
- Champion the needs of the art team at the leadership level
- Cultivate a positive, collaborative, and inspired culture within the studio’s art team
- Ensure documentation and best practices stay clear, current, and useful
- Stay current with trends, tools, and technologies, pushing forward innovation in style, pipeline, and execution
- Guide what, when, & how AI tools will and will not be used within the studio
- Help us move fast without cutting corners or burning people out
What We Are Looking For
This is a senior role. We are looking for someone who has already led at scale and is ready to lead again with even more impact.
- 10+ years in professional game art, including multiple years in senior leadership roles
- Experience overseeing multiple projects and teams at the same time
- Strong artistic instincts and the ability to clearly explain and defend creative decisions
- Deep experience with modern game art tools and engines such as Unity, Adobe, Blender, Affinity, or equivalents
- A proven ability to build and improve pipelines and workflows
- Excellent communication and people leadership skills
- Strong project awareness and risk management instincts
- A portfolio or reel that shows both artistic range and leadership influence
- Fluent professional English communication
- Comfort working remotely and being available Monday through Friday, 9am to 5pm Pacific
- A deep belief in and support for our core company values
- Genuine passion for playing and making great games
- Must be a US resident (we are unable to offer visa sponsorship)
Nice to Have
- Experience across multiple genres and visual styles
- Experience across all visual artistic disciplines (2d, 3d, UI/UX, VFX, & technical art)
- Familiarity with mobile, desktop, & XR
- Experience with version control and asset management systems
- Proven success leading remote teams
- Based in the Pacific Northwest
A Final Note
We are thoughtfully building something very special here. This role has real influence, real responsibility, and real opportunity to shape the creative future of Nerd Ninjas. If you have deep experience, high standards, and are excited by helping talented people thrive, we would love to meet you.
Salary Range: $130k - $190k DOE