People Can Fly

Title: Artiste Technique Senior / Senior Technical Artist Location: 405 Av. Ogilvy, Montréal, QC H3N 1M3, Canada Department: Art Job Description: Full-time Project: Unannounced 2025 Department: Art Location: CA, Montreal (Remote/Hybrid) Company Description People Can Fly is one of the leading independent AAA game development studios. Our international team consists of hundreds of talented individuals working in our offices in Poland, the UK, Ireland, the US and Canada, as well as remotely around the world. Founded in 2002, our company has established itself in the first-person shooter genre with titles such as Painkiller, Bulletstorm, Gears of War: Judgement, and Outriders. As one of the most experienced studios using the Unreal Engine, we continue to expand our expertise and push the boundaries of what's possible in video game development. Our creative teams are currently working on several exciting titles: Gears of War: E-Day, developed in collaboration with Microsoft; Project Echo for KRAFTON; and Lost Rift, an original IP that we are developing in-house using our self-publishing model. We are also exploring new platforms and experiences with virtual reality and other unannounced projects. With over 20 years of experience, PCF continues to explore new horizons. Our goal is to combine our expertise with the creativity of the brightest and most forward-thinking talents in the industry to create the next generation of action games for players worldwide. If you join us on this adventure, you will have the chance to perfect your craft, expand your knowledge and work alongside the best in the business to create unique and unforgettable experiences for players worldwide. People Can Fly is one of the leading independent AAA game development studios. Our international team consists of hundreds of talented individuals working from offices in Poland, the UK, Ireland, the US, and Canada, as well as remotely across the globe. Founded in 2002, we made our mark on the shooter genre with titles such as Painkiller, Bulletstorm, Gears of War: Judgment, and Outriders. As one of the most experienced Unreal Engine studios in the industry, we continue to expand on our expertise and push the boundaries of what’s possible in game development. Our creative teams are currently working on several exciting titles: Gears of War: E-Day developed in collaboration with Microsoft; Project Echo for KRAFTON; and Lost Rift, an original IP we are developing in-house under our self-publishing model. We are also exploring new platforms and experiences with VR and other unannounced projects. With over 20 years of experience, PCF continues to explore new horizons. We aim to combine our expertise with the creativity of the best and most forward-thinking talent in the industry, building the next generation of action games for players worldwide. If you join us on this journey, you’ll have the chance to perfect your craft, expand your knowledge, and work alongside industry leaders to create unique, unforgettable experiences for gamers everywhere. Job Description Responsibilities: - Hybrid role between artist and technical animator, requiring knowledge of rigging and Python scripting. - Must write robust Maya/Mobu scripts/tools and directly support interdisciplinary pipelines. - Must interact frequently with stakeholders, guiding conversations around rigging, shaders, and workflows. Must be proactive in highlighting risks and proposing solutions at an early stage. - You must be comfortable in a tool-driven environment, where automation, reusability, and scalability are essential. - Effective communication is required: you must validate pipelines directly in games without assistance. - You must be able to find the right balance between quality and scalability for all archetypes and the conversion of existing assets. - Maintain the artistic direction and quality of materials, shaders, and resources. - Create the final materials for characters, environments, and scenery; take over existing material systems. - Develop efficient workflows and pipelines to support art and design teams. - Conduct research and implement new techniques to improve the quality and performance of assets. - Collaborate closely with the art, animation, design and engineering teams to resolve pipeline and asset-related issues. - To offer automation tools and pipelines for iteration, optimization, and procedural workflows. - Debug and profile resources to ensure performance across all platforms. - Providing technical feedback, documentation and mentoring other artists. - Occasionally, support new employees during the onboarding process. Responsibilities: - Hybrid role between artist and tech animator, requiring rigging knowledge and Python scripting. - Must write robust Maya/Mobu tools/scripts and directly support cross-discipline pipelines. - Expected to interface frequently with stakeholders, guiding conversations around rigging, shaders, and workflows. Proactive in surfacing risks and raising solutions early. - Needs to thrive in a tool-driven environment where automation, reusability, and scale are essential. - Strong communication required: must validate pipelines directly in game builds without hand-holding. - Should be comfortable balancing quality with scalability across archetypes and legacy asset conversion - Maintain artistic direction and quality across materials, shaders, and assets. - Create final materials for characters, environments, and effects; support existing material systems. - Develop efficient workflows and pipelines to support art and design teams. - Research and implement new techniques to improve quality and performance of assets. - Collaborate closely with Art, Animation, Design, and Engineering to resolve pipeline and asset issues. - Propose tools and automation pipelines for iteration, optimization, and procedural workflows. - Debug and profile assets to ensure performance across platforms. - Provide technical feedback, documentation, and mentoring for other artists. - Occasionally support onboarding of new hires. Qualifications - A solid portfolio showcasing AAA-quality work in the field of engines (proprietary, Unreal or Unity). - Excellent knowledge of industry-standard digital content creation tools (Maya, ZBrush, Substance Painter/Designer, Photoshop or equivalents). - Proficiency in the Python scripting language (PyQt/PySide), with the ability to write clean, reusable and easy-to-maintain code. - Comfortable with creating new Maya/engine plugins, writing extensible pipelines, and converting legacy formats to modern formats. - Supports automation in retargeting pipelines, material recovery, tessellation and mesh optimization. - Acts as a mentor: establishes best practices for clean code, data hygiene, and scalable workflows. - Passionate about modern rendering techniques and procedural workflows; comfortable with shader debugging, inheritance, and runtime profiling. - Good knowledge of shader languages ​​(HLSL/GLSL) and rendering techniques. - Understanding of 3D mathematics, best practices in topology, physically based rendering theories workflows, and optimization strategies. - Strong problem-solving and analytical skills. - Excellent communication, collaboration and mentoring skills. - More than 5 years of experience in the sector with at least one commercially released title. An Advantage: - Experience with Houdini, MotionBuilder or other procedural tools. - In-depth knowledge of the C++ language and Maya/OpenMaya plugin development. - Knowledge of modern rendering pipelines, particle systems, tissue/physics simulations and lighting. - Strong portfolio showcasing AAA-quality work in engine (proprietary, Unreal, or Unity). - Excellent knowledge of industry-standard DCC tools (Maya, ZBrush, Substance Painter/Designer, Photoshop, or equivalents). - Proficiency in Python scripting (PyQt/PySide), with ability to write clean, reusable, maintainable code. - Comfortable building new Maya/engine plug-ins, writing extensible pipelines, and bridging legacy → modern formats. - Supports automation in retargeting, material rebaking, tessellation, and mesh optimization pipelines. - Acts as a mentor: instills best practices in clean code, data hygiene, and scalable workflows. - Enthusiastic about modern rendering techniques and procedural workflows; comfortable debugging shaders, inheritance, and profiling runtime. - Good knowledge of shader languages (HLSL/GLSL) and rendering techniques. - Understanding of 3D math, topology best practices, PBR workflows, and optimization strategies. - Strong problem-solving and analytical skills. - Excellent communication, collaboration, and mentoring skills. - 5+ years industry experience with at least one shipped title. Preferred - Experience with Houdini, MotionBuilder, or other procedural tools. - Familiarity with C++ and Maya/OpenMaya plugin development. - Knowledge of modern rendering pipelines, particle systems, cloth/physics simulations, and lighting. Additional Information What we offer: - A comprehensive benefits package fully paid by PCF. The insurance company reimburses claims at 100% (up to $1000 of services per year, in addition to family or individual coverage). - Comprehensive dental coverage, including dental care. - The contribution equals the RRSP at a rate of 4% before tax deductions, 100% acquired from the first day. - One week of paid leave during the winter holidays. - 20 days of paid leave and 5 days of paid sick leave. - Free virtual health and mental wellness sessions, included in the plan for members and their dependents. - Opportunities for personal development and the possibility of working in a global environment. - An opportunity to work within a creative team with people who are passionate about what they do. What we offer: - Benefit package 100% paid by PCF. The insurance company reimburses 100% of claims (Up to $1000 per service a year, as well as individual family coverage). - Full Dental coverage, including major dental. - 4% RRSP matching before tax deductions, 100% vested on day 1. - Paid week off during Winter Holidays. - 20 paid vacation days and 5 paid sick days. - Free virtual health and mental well-being sessions are included in the plan for members and their dependents. - Personal development opportunities and ability to work in a global environment. - Work in a creative team with people full of passion for what they do.

• Maintain artistic direction and quality. • Work with the Leads and other Lighting Artists to create high-quality lighting schemes in keeping with the project's universe and visual direction. • Lighting of scenes or levels based on reference photographs and/or concept art materials. • Help to drive the narrative storytelling through effective use of color, light and mood. • Lighting scenes/levels or cinematics to both a creative and technical brief under set deadlines. • Participate in reviews, adapt to, and implement feedback from leads and peers in a professional manner. • Participate in R&D initiatives, to explore new techniques and implement improvements to pipelines and workflows. • Work with developers in multiple disciplines and ensure that work gets integrated into the build. • Maintain a balance between visual quality and performance requirements for the game. • Review and playtest your work in the editor and in-game.

• Develop and maintain the tools and systems required to enable other developers to create missions, build complex game mechanics, and balance the game. • Improve and maintain gameplay within the PCF Framework (based on Unreal Engine 4). • Create prototypes for new gameplay features. • Write code for complex game mechanics. • Write code for level layout, event scripting, balancing, narrative pacing, and tuning. • Test, debug, profile, and optimize implementations. • Produce design documentation that adheres to team standards. • Occasionally assist the manager in carrying out recruitment initiatives in collaboration with Human Resources. • Occasionally onboard new employees. • Actively participate in code reviews.

• Create captivating lighting that establishes mood, tells a story, and builds a coherent world. • Support level designers by providing lighting assistance to help them achieve their goals. • Design and deliver lighting assets as well as IES textures. • Create dynamic lighting that brings the environment to life. • Collaborate with the VFX team to create atmospheric 3D scenes using the right color palette and other key artistic elements. • Create high-end lighting for cinematic sequences. • Develop new techniques for next-generation hardware and work collaboratively with engineering teams to expand the required toolset. • Analyze scenes to identify performance issues, ensuring all lighting is optimized as much as possible. • Collaborate with technical and engine teams to resolve technical lighting issues.

• To effectively produce playable levels based on Art directors vision and Level design needs with lead cooperation. • Creating world geometry and composition for levels in Unreal Engine. • Redesigning existing assets to new forms. • Blocking out modules and levels, creating first/proxy materials. • Produce work within specifications and maintain workflow pipelines within given deadlines. • Model proxy assets. • Participate in reviews, adapt to, and implement feedback from leads and peers in a professional manner. • Participate in R&D initiatives, to explore new techniques and implement improvements to pipelines and workflows.

• To effectively produce playable levels based on Art directors vision and Level design needs with lead cooperation. • Creating world geometry and composition for levels in Unreal Engine. • Redesigning existing assets to new forms. • Blocking out modules and levels, creating first/proxy materials. • Produce work within specifications and maintain workflow pipelines within given deadlines. • Model proxy assets. • Participate in reviews, adapt to, and implement feedback from leads and peers in a professional manner. • Participate in R&D initiatives, to explore new techniques and implement improvements to pipelines and workflows.

• Maintenir l'esthétique du jeu en se basant sur la vision du directeur artistique et en l'exécutant en ajoutant des éléments d'éclairage et d'ombrage dans les niveaux jouables et les cinématiques. • Diriger une équipe et favoriser une atmosphère stimulante au sein de l'équipe afin d'obtenir les meilleurs résultats possibles pour le projet et le développement personnel des membres de l'équipe. • Travailler avec les chefs et les autres artistes éclairagistes pour créer des schémas d'éclairage de haute qualité conformes à l'univers et à la direction visuelle du projet. • Éclairage de scènes ou de niveaux sur la base de photographies de référence et/ou de documents d'art conceptuel. • Contribuer à la narration de l'histoire par une utilisation efficace de la couleur, de la lumière et de l'ambiance. • Définir des normes d'éclairage, des objectifs de qualité et réaliser des prototypes visuels. • Collaborer à l'élaboration de tableaux d'ambiance et d'objectifs visuels fondés sur la vision des directeurs artistiques. • Établir un processus de développement pour les équipes chargées du développement du contenu et pour faciliter la révision. • Éclairer des scènes, des niveaux ou des cinématiques en fonction d'un dossier créatif et technique dans les délais impartis. • Travailler en étroite collaboration avec l'équipe de production sur l'attribution des tâches et le calendrier afin de respecter les délais, tout en assurant un bon équilibre entre vie professionnelle et vie privée en définissant clairement les attentes et l'étendue du travail. • Fournir un retour d'information au quotidien sur l'amélioration de la qualité visuelle. • Travailler avec l'équipe pour trouver des solutions et résoudre les problèmes de manière créative. • Collaborer avec d'autres disciplines telles que les artistes d'effets visuels, les concepteurs de niveaux, etc. pour créer une grande expérience de jeu AAA.

• Create, present and prototype gameplay ideas for core and moment-to-moment combat mechanics and systems, combat characters, their feel, behaviors, abilities, and encounters across a variety of contexts • Implement melee-focused combat characters with animations and behaviors using state machines, behavior trees, visual effects, sound effects, arena setups and pacing using the provided level design tools and various other scripting systems • Produce design documents, content briefs, system descriptions and other artifacts to share all necessary information with relevant teams • Collaborate across multiple disciplines, ensuring the right partners are involved and informed throughout the development process • Stay current with industry trends, including new game genres, emerging design methods and techniques, and the latest audio-visual excellence innovations • Act with a high degree of autonomy and initiative, and contribute to defining the objectives of the combat design team

• Blocking out and building levels as well as heavy iterating on them (playtesting and providing / implementing feedback). • Collaborating with the art department to ensure that the levels are of the highest visual quality while retaining gameplay and fun as well as design and code teams on making maps as fun as they can be and integrating any new features into the built-in levels. • Full ownership - from the paper design, through the whitebox phase, scripting, iteration, debugging, optimization - until the game ships. • Manage or supervise work of established Strike Teams. • Bug Fixing and describing case studies in the knowledge base. • Sharing knowledge with less experienced peers. • Occasionally support Lead in recruitment projects with HR collaboration. • Occasionally can onboard new hires. • 80% of time spent in Engine.

• Blocking out and building levels as well as heavy iterating on them (playtesting and providing / implementing feedback). • Collaborating with the art department to ensure that the levels are of the highest visual quality while retaining gameplay and fun as well as design and code teams on making maps as fun as they can be and integrating any new features into the built-in levels. • Full ownership - from the paper design, through the whitebox phase, scripting, iteration, debugging, optimization - until the game ships. • Manage or supervise work of established Strike Teams. • Bug Fixing and describing case studies in the knowledge base. • Sharing knowledge with less experienced peers. • Occasionally support Lead in recruitment projects with HR collaboration. • Occasionally can onboard new hires. • 80% of time spent in Engine.