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Microsoft UK • Atherstone, United Kingdom

Technical Artist-Xbox Games Studio- Rare Ltd.

Employment type:  Full time

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top 3 scores:
83%

Location flexibility

81%

Hours flexibility

79%

Autonomy

Job Description

Rare is an Xbox Game Studio creating the kind of games the world doesn’t have. Our values – explorers, evolving, together – are fundamental to the games we make and how we make them. Rare offers rewarding and fulfilling careers for exceptional people, supporting you to learn and grow. Our studio is a welcoming campus in the heart of the Midlands, where the majority of our team work in a flexible hybrid work pattern.

We are looking for a Technical Artist to join our growing technical art team at Rare, reporting into the Technical Art Lead. We want to hear from people who have a passion for solving difficult challenges, a thirst for innovation and a drive for just making the best games possible. You will be part of a small and dynamic team, whose key responsibility is to push for quality and efficiency wherever possible.

Working with all Art teams and Engineering disciplines, you will help define and assist in making the flexible content pipelines, work collaboratively on new cutting-edge features with the programming teams, whilst always searching for ways we can improve. If you have the skills and passion we are looking for and, most importantly, want to be part of something special, we want to hear from you.

Responsibilities

  • Work with the Art Teams to deliver the game to the artistic vision.
  • Identify and create tools to improve art pipelines.
  • Support the Art, Engineering, and Design Teams - helping to resolve technical difficulties.
  • Implement briefs provided by other teams, delivering reliable tools in a realistic timeframe.
  • Proactively identify new technologies and techniques that will improve the game.
  • When required, create concise documentation of toolsets that the team can rely on.
  • Help keep Assets / Content within memory budget and performance guidelines.

Qualifications

Required Skills and Experience

  • A professional portfolio or technical blog.
  • Degree in Computer Science/similar related subject or equivalent development experience.
  • Game development experience.
  • Knowledge of programming languages such as Python/C#/C++/HLSL.
  • Deep knowledge of 3D creation packages (Maya/Max/Zbrush/etc).
  • Up-to-date experience and knowledge of current game development practices and terminology.

Desirable Skills and Experience

  • Excellent artistic ability.
  • Excellent eye for quality control and detail.
  • Excellent problem-solving skills, with the ability to existing knowledge to rapidly improvise solutions.
  • A broad technical understanding with the capacity to learn and utilize new skills quickly.
  • Experience in seeing projects from beginning to end as a Technical Artist.
  • Experienced in dealing with the idiosyncrasies of team project work.
  • Excellent communication skills.
  • Proactive and organized individual.
  • Ability to take direction and constructive feedback.
  • Self-motivated and passionate about the end result.
  • Experience with Unreal Engine or equivalent is a plus.
  • Solid knowledge of 3D graphics and rendering techniques especially Lighting and Shading would be a bonus.

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. Consistent with applicable law, all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations.

Company benefits

Wellbeing allowance
Health insurance
Dental coverage
Gym membership
Mental health platform access
Buy or sell annual leave
Shared parental leave
Charity donation scheme
Employee assistance programme
Employee discounts
Volunteer days
Fertility treatment leave
Open to compressed hours
Open to job sharing
Fertility benefits
Enhanced sick pay
Enhanced sick days
Compassionate leave
Travel insurance
20 days annual leave + bank holidays
Enhanced maternity leave
Enhanced paternity leave
Adoption leave
Childcare credits
Carer’s leave
Cycle to work scheme
Faith rooms
Annual bonus
Annual pay rises
Company car
Hackathons
Open to part-time employees
Pregnancy loss leave
Life insurance
Equity packages
Financial coaching
Relocation packages
Sabbaticals
Enhanced pension match/contribution

We asked employees of Microsoft UK what it's like to work there, and this is what they told us.

Location flexibility
83%
Employees are very happy with their working location freedom
Hours flexibility
81%
Employees are very happy with the flexibility in the hours they work
Benefits
67%
Employees are largely happy with the benefits their company offers
Work-life balance
63%
Employees feel that they can switch off quite easily from work
Role modelling
74%
Employees feel that most people work flexibly
Autonomy
79%
Employees feel that they can mostly manage how they get their own work done

Working at Microsoft UK

Company employees

Globally: 228,000

Gender diversity (male:female)

67:33

Currently Hiring Countries

United Kingdom

Office Locations

Awards & Achievements

Most flexible companies

Most flexible companies

Flexa100 2024