Art Director

Client of Skillsearch Arabia

What you'll be doing:

• Defining and developing a unique art style inspired by Emirati culture, balancing authenticity with technical feasibility.
• Overseeing all visual aspects of the game, including environments, characters, animation, lighting, and UI.
• Building and mentoring a small, distributed art team, including local Emirati artists.
• Working hands-on in Unreal Engine to prototype, iterate, and optimise assets for both quality and performance.
• Collaborating closely with game design, narrative, and cultural partners to align visuals with storytelling and gameplay goals.
• Managing the creation of art assets to ensure consistency, quality, and alignment with the project s aesthetic.
• Developing and refining art workflows and pipelines that keep the project within scope and budget.
• Translating authentic elements of Emirati culture into compelling visual storytelling through art and world-building.
• Iterating on visuals through feedback, playtesting, and collaboration across disciplines.

What we're looking for:

• 8+ years of experience as an Art Director or Lead Artist, with a strong record in IP development and small team leadership.
• A portfolio demonstrating stylised, distinctive, or culturally inspired art direction, ideally within indie or narrative-driven games.
• Deep knowledge of Unreal Engine, including experience with shaders, lighting, procedural tools, and optimisation workflows.
• Proven ability to build and mentor small creative teams, ideally within distributed or global development environments.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills, with experience working across different disciplines and cultural contexts.
• Willingness to spend time in or relocate to the UAE during key phases of development, with travel flexibility as needed.

This is an exciting opportunity to help shape a game that celebrates Emirati culture while appealing to a global audience. You ll be part of a diverse and passionate team creating meaningful, impactful games in a positive, flexible working environment.