3D Art Director Job at Keywords Studios (Montreal)

Job Description

VOLTA is a premier creative studio dedicated to creating high-end 2D and 3D visuals for many of the world’s leading entertainment companies, spanning the realms of video games, movies, and toys. Since 2006 our veteran team has delivered hundreds of successful projects for our client’s most prestigious IPs. From concept art all the way to 3D modelling, our services are designed to meet the unique needs of each project, ensuring the highest level of quality and creativity. We constantly strive to ensure that the core values that made our studio so successful remain intact. Passion, creativity and a relentless quest for excellence are still the driving force behind everything we undertake. We’re looking for an Art Director who can define a vision, align teams around it, and deliver consistently at a high bar—across projects, partners, and pipelines. At Volta, part of Keywords Studios, we collaborate with leading game developers to bring high-quality art to AAA titles. We combine the reach of a global network with the precision of a tight, production-driven studio—where ideas are only as strong as their execution. We’re looking for an Art Director who can set a vision, align teams, and deliver consistently at a high standard—someone who understands that great direction lives in both the concept and the craft.

Job Responsibility

Define and uphold the visual direction for environment and prop production across projects, IPs, and styles
Own and elevate the full environment pipeline—from props creation to full level development
including hero props, set dressing, environment kits, foliage, terrain, lighting and simulation
Guide the creation of environments, props, modular kits, trim sheets, and supporting visual elements with strong attention to function, scale, and storytelling
Ensure consistency across large-scale worlds, maintaining alignment between artistic vision, gameplay needs, and technical constraints
Work directly in Unreal Engine 5 to review, troubleshoot, and guide environment production in-engine
Set clear quality benchmarks and review/approve work before client delivery
Lead, mentor, and develop environment and prop artists across varying experience levels
Provide clear, actionable feedback through reviews, paintovers, and in-engine guidance
Maintain visual consistency across distributed or large production teams
Collaborate closely with production, design, engineering, and external clients to align on scope, priorities, and delivery expectations
Support project planning, scoping, and milestone definition with a clear understanding of risk and dependencies
Balance creative ambition with production realities—timelines, budgets, memory constraints, and engine performance
Proactively identify production risks and propose practical, solution-oriented paths forward
Help define and refine pipelines, workflows, and documentation to improve scalability and efficiency
Partner with pipeline and tech teams to support engine integration and workflow optimization
Contribute to hiring, team structure, performance evaluation, and artist development
Support client-facing discussions, creative alignment, and escalation handling when needed
Contribute to early project strategy, bidding, and feasibility assessments where required
Other duties as assigned

Requirements

10+ years in the video game industry with multiple shipped AAA titles in a Lead or Art Director role focused on environments and props
Proven ability to own the full environment production pipeline from concept/blockout through to final in-engine polish
Deep expertise in environment workflows including modular construction, trim sheets, asset optimization, memory budgets, and engine integration
Strong hands-on experience with Unreal Engine 5, including in-engine review, troubleshooting, and production guidance
Demonstrated experience mentoring environment and prop artists with clear, actionable feedback
Strong client-facing experience working directly with external Art Directors and cross-functional teams
Solid understanding of production realities—scoping, risk management, and pipeline dependencies
Ability to operate effectively in a French-speaking work environment
Strong communication skills—clear, direct, and able to align teams without friction
Highly organized, detail-oriented, and comfortable managing multiple priorities in fast-paced production environments
A grounded, solution-oriented mindset with strong critical thinking and decision-making ability
Passion for games, with the ability to balance creative ambition with production constraints
Proficiency with industry-standard tools and workflows, including: Autodesk Maya, 3ds Max, Blender
ZBrush
Substance 3D Painter & Designer
Unreal Engine 5, Unity
Houdini, Gaea, World Machine
Marmoset Toolbag, SpeedTree
Marvelous Designer
Photoshop

Nice to have

Experience contributing to bidding, scoping, and early production strategy
Cross-disciplinary awareness across art, design, and engineering workflows
Experience working in co-development or external partner environments
Strong ability to work across both realistic and stylized environment directions
Experience building, refining, or standardizing pipelines and best practices within a studio
Comfortable balancing hands-on artistic contribution with high-level direction depending on project needs

What we offer

3 floating weeks + 1 week during holidays (studio closure)
8 statutory holidays
Full insurance coverage
5 paid sick days
Social club
Employer’s contribution to RRSP (retirement plan) after one year in Canada

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