Principal UI Artist - Outsourcing | North America | Europe | Fully Remote

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Principal UI Artist - Outsourcing Company: Escape Velocity Entertainment Inc Location: United Kingdom (Fully Remote) Job Type: Full-Time Category: Art & Design / Creative & Media / Technology Date Posted: 2025-09-26 Experience Level: 5-10 Years Remote Status: Fully Remote

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the outsourcing of high-quality AAA UI assets for game cosmetics, ensuring artistic integrity and technical functionality.
• Manage external vendor relationships, providing clear direction, feedback, and support to maintain project quality and schedules.
• Integrate outsourced UI assets into the game engine (Unreal Engine), verifying performance and aesthetic alignment with the game's art direction.
• Drive process improvements for asset management, pipeline inefficiencies, and comprehensive workflow development for outsourcing operations.
• Act as a key liaison between internal development teams and external art studios, ensuring seamless collaboration and timely delivery of UI elements.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is a hybrid of hands-on art direction, vendor management, and process optimization, requiring a candidate who can effectively bridge creative vision with operational execution in a fully remote, international setting. The emphasis on "outsourcing" and "managing delivery of assets" points towards a strong need for project management and vendor relations skills within an art context.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Direct and guide external outsourcing partners in the creation of high-quality, AAA-standard UI assets for in-game cosmetics.
• Oversee the integration of outsourced UI assets into the game engine (Unreal Engine), ensuring seamless functionality, optimal performance, and adherence to technical specifications.
• Provide detailed and constructive feedback to external UI artists, ensuring consistency with the project's established art direction, visual style, and overall game tone.
• Train and support outsourcing partners, sharing best practices, providing clear samples, and actively assisting in maintaining production schedules.
• Proactively identify and resolve ambiguities in asset requirements or production processes, championing sustainable and efficient practices.
• Collaborate closely with internal development teams (e.g., game designers, engineers, producers) to ensure outsourced work aligns with overarching project goals and player experience objectives.
• Review, test, and meticulously verify the quality, functionality, and integration of all delivered assets, confirming they meet both aesthetic and technical standards.
• Manage the end-to-end flow of deliverables from external vendors, triage priorities effectively, and maintain clear communication with internal teams to keep projects on track.
• Facilitate the implementation of UI VFX and custom animations to enhance the immersive quality of the game experience.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a critical need for a candidate who can not only assess artistic quality but also manage operational workflows, troubleshoot integration issues, and foster strong relationships with external creative teams. The focus on "AAA UI assets," "Unreal Engine," and "UI VFX" suggests a high level of technical and artistic expectation.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a Bachelor's degree in Fine Arts, Game Design, Computer Graphics, or a related field is often preferred for senior art roles. Equivalent practical experience demonstrating mastery in UI art and outsourcing management will also be strongly considered.

Experience: A minimum of 5-10 years of experience in UI art for video games is required, with a significant portion of that experience focused on managing or coordinating outsourced art assets. Experience in live service game development is highly preferred, and a proven track record of shipping at least one AAA game title is a mandatory requirement.

Required Skills:

• Demonstrated passion for maintaining exceptionally high-quality standards in UI design and pushing creative boundaries in game development.
• Expert proficiency in the Unreal Engine for UI integration and asset management.
• Advanced skills in the Adobe Suite (e.g., Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects) for asset creation and editing.
• Strong understanding of graphic design principles, including layout, typography, color theory, and visual hierarchy.
• Proven ability to manage and provide feedback on UI VFX and materials.
• Exceptional attention to detail and robust organizational skills, critical for managing multiple vendors and assets.
• Strong problem-solving acumen, particularly in addressing large-scale asset management, pipeline inefficiencies, and developing comprehensive technical processes.
• Solid grasp of game feel, user affordances, and effective visual shape and color language in UI design.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to articulate complex ideas clearly to both technical and artistic teams.
• Natural curiosity and a strategic mindset for understanding the "bigger picture" of game development and player experience.
• Ability to work effectively and collaboratively within a remote, cross-functional team environment.
• Continuous drive for artistic growth, staying current with the latest trends and techniques in UI design and game development pipelines.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience with animation techniques relevant to UI elements.
• Familiarity with 3D modeling software for asset creation or reference.
• Proficiency in Autodesk Flow Production Tracking (or similar project management/tracking software).
• Experience with Confluence for documentation and knowledge sharing.
• Prior experience in live service game development projects.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "5-10 years" experience level, combined with "shipping experience required" and "AAA UI assets," indicates this is a senior or lead-level role. The emphasis on "Outsourcing," "Vendor Management," and "Pipeline Inefficiencies" suggests that candidates with experience managing external teams and optimizing workflows will be highly competitive.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A dedicated section showcasing successful UI asset outsourcing projects, clearly detailing your role in managing vendors, providing feedback, and ensuring quality.
• Demonstrations of UI asset integration within a game engine environment (Unreal Engine preferred), highlighting functional aspects and visual polish.
• Examples of UI VFX and custom animations created or directed, illustrating an understanding of dynamic visual elements.
• Case studies detailing how you identified and resolved pipeline inefficiencies or asset management challenges within an outsourcing context.
• Visual examples of how you maintained art direction consistency across multiple external artists or studios.

Process Documentation:

• Evidence of creating or contributing to detailed process documentation for UI asset outsourcing workflows, including onboarding, feedback loops, and delivery standards.
• Documentation or explanations of systems used for tracking outsourced assets, managing revisions, and ensuring timely delivery (e.g., using tools like Autodesk Flow Production Tracking).
• Examples of how you collaborated with engineering teams to define technical requirements and integration processes for outsourced UI elements.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Principal UI Artist role focused on outsourcing, the portfolio is critical. It needs to demonstrate not just artistic talent but also the ability to manage external teams, optimize processes, and ensure quality at scale. The emphasis should be on the management and optimization aspects of UI art production, not just the creation itself.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Given the "Principal" title, "5-10 years experience," and the fully remote nature across North America and Europe, a competitive salary is expected. For a Principal UI Artist in the UK (where the role is primarily posted), based on industry benchmarks for senior/lead roles in AAA game development, the estimated annual salary range would be between £60,000 - £90,000. This range can fluctuate based on specific experience, the candidate's location within these regions, and the depth of their outsourcing management and Unreal Engine expertise.

Benefits:

• A generous Paid Time Off (PTO) allowance, providing ample opportunity for rest and rejuvenation.
• Studio closure during Summer and Winter holidays, separate from the PTO allowance, offering dedicated time off.
• Comprehensive Private Medical & Dental Healthcare coverage for employees and potentially dependents.
• Private Mental Health scheme, underscoring a commitment to employee well-being.
• A generous annual Health & Wellbeing allowance to support diverse wellness activities and needs.
• Discretionary Studio Bonus, reflecting company performance and individual contributions.
• Provision of Top-range technology and equipment for an optimized home office setup.
• Additional benefits tailored to the candidate's specific region within North America or Europe.

Working Hours: While the role is full-time, Escape Velocity emphasizes autonomy and output over strict clock-watching. Standard full-time hours (approximately 40 hours per week) are expected, but the fully remote nature and cross-time zone collaboration will require flexibility. Candidates should anticipate needing to adapt to varying time schedules and potentially non-traditional hours to effectively manage and communicate with international vendors and internal teams.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary estimate is based on senior-level game art roles in the UK. For candidates in North America, the equivalent would likely be in USD, potentially ranging from $90,000 - $130,000+, depending on the specific country/state and company compensation strategy. The benefits package is robust and indicative of a company that invests in employee well-being and work-life balance, particularly crucial for a remote-first organization.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Video Game Development. Escape Velocity Entertainment Inc operates within the highly competitive and rapidly evolving gaming industry, focusing on creating unique projects with a committed publisher. The company's approach suggests a blend of artistic innovation and operational efficiency.

Company Size: Escape Velocity Entertainment Inc is likely a mid-sized studio, given its focus on a "unique project" and offering comprehensive benefits, but not yet a massive AAA publisher. This size often allows for a more agile and collaborative environment where individual contributions are highly visible.

Founded: [Founding date not specified, but the company's description suggests a relatively established entity focused on a significant project with a publisher.] The company's founding principles revolve around valuing the time, energy, and talent of both players and colleagues, aiming for rewarding and worthwhile experiences.

Team Structure:

• The UI Art team likely comprises a mix of internal specialists and a network of external outsourcing partners.
• Reporting structures would typically involve the Principal UI Artist reporting to a Lead Artist, Art Director, or Head of Art/Production, with direct management oversight of external vendor teams.
• Cross-functional collaboration is essential, involving close partnership with game designers, producers, technical artists, engineers, and potentially marketing/product teams for cosmetic releases.

Methodology:

• Data Analysis: While not explicitly detailed for UI Art, data on player engagement with cosmetics and UI elements may inform design decisions and prioritization of outsourced work.
• Workflow Planning: A strong emphasis on planning and optimizing workflows for outsourcing, ensuring efficient asset creation, review, and integration.
• Automation & Efficiency: A drive to implement best practices and potentially automate aspects of asset intake, review, or integration to improve efficiency and reduce manual tasks.

Company Website: eve.games

📝 Enhancement Note: The company's stated values of honesty, autonomy, and valuing time suggest a mature and employee-centric culture, which is often a strong draw for experienced professionals in the gaming industry. The "fully remote" model is a core tenet, indicating a proactive approach to distributed team management.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is at a "Principal" level, signifying senior expertise. It sits above a standard Senior UI Artist, implying leadership responsibilities, strategic input on outsourcing processes, and a significant impact on project execution and quality. It requires not only artistic skill but also a deep understanding of production pipelines and vendor management.

Reporting Structure: The Principal UI Artist will likely report to a higher-level art lead (e.g., Art Director, Lead Artist) and will have direct oversight and management responsibilities for external UI artists and vendors. They will act as the primary point of contact for these external resources.

Operations Impact: The role directly impacts the visual quality and player experience of cosmetic items, which are often key revenue drivers in live service games. Effective management of outsourcing ensures that these assets are delivered on time, within budget, and to the high standards expected by players, directly contributing to player engagement and monetization success. Clear and appealing UI also enhances overall game usability and player satisfaction.

Growth Opportunities:

• Operations Skill Advancement: Deepen expertise in managing complex outsourcing pipelines, optimizing production workflows, and implementing advanced asset management strategies.
• Leadership Development: Potential to move into Lead UI Artist, Art Director, or Production Management roles within the company, overseeing larger teams and more complex projects.
• Technical Specialization: Further develop skills in areas like UI VFX, custom animation integration, or specific engine features that enhance UI performance and interactivity.
• Cross-Disciplinary Exposure: Gain broader experience in game design, technical art, or production, leveraging the understanding of how UI impacts various facets of game development.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Principal" title suggests a path towards leadership. The role's focus on outsourcing and process optimization also opens doors to roles in Production Management or Operations Management within game development if the candidate develops a strong aptitude for those areas.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Fully Remote. This means there is no central office requirement. Employees work from home or a location of their choosing, with the primary constraint being the ability to perform the job effectively and participate in remote meetings.

Office Location(s): While fully remote, the role specifies "North America | Europe | United Kingdom." This indicates that candidates must be legally permitted to work in one of these regions and be able to align with the time zones within these areas for effective collaboration. The primary posting location is the United Kingdom.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: Despite being remote, the company fosters a culture of collaboration. This is achieved through various digital communication tools and a focus on shared goals. Expect frequent virtual meetings, discussions on platforms like Discord or Slack, and collaborative work on shared documents and project management tools.
• Operations Tools & Technology: Access to industry-standard tools like Unreal Engine, Adobe Suite, Autodesk Flow Production Tracking, and Confluence will be provided or expected. The company also provides top-range tech for home setups, ensuring employees have the necessary hardware.
• Team Interaction: Regular interaction with internal team members (producers, designers, engineers, other artists) and external vendors will be a key part of the daily routine. This requires strong digital communication skills and proactivity in engaging with colleagues.

Work Schedule: The role is full-time, approximately 40 hours per week. However, due to the global distribution of the team and external vendors, flexibility is crucial. Candidates should be prepared to work outside of standard 9-5 hours to accommodate different time zones for meetings, urgent issue resolution, and effective vendor management.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Fully Remote" aspect for a "Principal" level role with international vendor management implies a high degree of self-discipline, time management, and asynchronous communication skills are paramount. The provision of "Top range tech" is a key indicator of the company's commitment to facilitating effective remote work.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A review of your resume and portfolio by the recruiting team to assess qualifications and fit.
• Hiring Manager Interview: A discussion with the hiring manager (likely a Lead Artist or Art Director) to delve deeper into your experience, artistic style, and understanding of UI art principles. This stage will focus on your practical skills and approach to game art.
• Technical/Portfolio Review: A dedicated session where you will present your portfolio, focusing on specific examples related to UI art, outsourcing management, and engine integration. Be prepared to discuss your process, challenges, and solutions.
• Team/Cross-Functional Interview: An opportunity to meet with other team members (e.g., Producers, Technical Artists, Game Designers) to assess collaboration style, communication skills, and cultural fit.
• Final Interview/Offer: Potential final discussion with senior leadership and an offer extended if successful.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select projects that best showcase your UI art skills, particularly those involving outsourcing, asset management, and engine integration (Unreal Engine).
• Highlight Your Role: Clearly articulate your specific contributions, especially in managing external vendors, providing feedback, and ensuring quality and consistency. Use "I" statements for your direct actions.
• Showcase Process: For each project, explain your thought process, the tools used, the challenges encountered, and how you overcame them. This is crucial for demonstrating problem-solving and strategic thinking.
• Emphasize Results: Quantify impact where possible. Discuss how your managed outsourcing efforts contributed to project timelines, budget adherence, or overall quality improvements.
• Engine Integration Focus: If possible, include examples or explanations of how your UI assets were integrated into a game engine, demonstrating an understanding of technical constraints and implementation.
• Conciseness is Key: Organize your portfolio for easy navigation. Focus on quality over quantity, ensuring each piece adds value.

Challenge Preparation:

• Scenario-Based Questions: Expect questions about how you would handle specific outsourcing challenges, such as an artist missing a deadline, an asset not meeting quality standards, or a conflict between internal requirements and vendor capabilities.
• Process Optimization: Be ready to discuss how you would improve an existing UI outsourcing pipeline or establish one from scratch. Think about key stages, feedback loops, and quality gates.
• Technical Proficiency: Prepare to discuss your experience with Unreal Engine for UI (e.g., UMG, Blueprints) and your workflows with Adobe Suite.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process for a Principal role will heavily scrutinize your ability to manage complex workflows and external relationships. Be prepared to talk extensively about your experience with project management tools and your strategies for ensuring quality and consistency across distributed teams.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Unreal Engine: Essential for integrating UI assets, understanding engine capabilities, and potentially creating or refining UI elements within the engine's UI framework (e.g., UMG - Unreal Motion Graphics).
• Adobe Creative Suite: Including Photoshop (for asset creation, manipulation, and texture work), Illustrator (for vector assets and icons), and After Effects (for UI animations, VFX, and motion design).
• Autodesk Flow Production Tracking (formerly ShotGrid): A critical tool for managing production pipelines, tracking tasks, assets, and schedules, especially for external vendors and large-scale projects.
• Confluence: Used for documentation, knowledge sharing, and maintaining project-specific information, team processes, and best practices.

Analytics & Reporting:

• While not explicitly listed for UI Artists, understanding how UI performance and player engagement with cosmetics are tracked via game analytics platforms would be beneficial. The role focuses more on production and delivery, but awareness of downstream impact is valuable.

CRM & Automation:

• Beyond project management tools, candidates may leverage communication platforms (Slack, Discord) for real-time collaboration and task coordination. Automation might be relevant in scripting asset processing or integration steps, though less likely to be a primary focus for this specific role.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency in Unreal Engine and the Adobe Suite is non-negotiable. Experience with project management and documentation tools like Autodesk Flow Production Tracking and Confluence is explicitly required and will be a key differentiator for candidates.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Quality & Excellence: A deep commitment to maintaining the highest artistic and technical standards for UI assets, especially for AAA games and revenue-generating cosmetics.
• Efficiency & Optimization: A continuous drive to improve processes, eliminate inefficiencies, and ensure smooth, timely delivery of assets through effective outsourcing management.
• Collaboration & Transparency: Valuing open communication, honest feedback, and proactive engagement across internal and external teams, fostering a supportive and transparent work environment.
• Autonomy & Ownership: Empowering individuals to take ownership of their responsibilities, make informed decisions, and manage their work effectively within a remote setting.
• Empathy & Inclusivity: Cultivating a work culture where all team members feel valued, respected, and supported, recognizing the diverse backgrounds and perspectives of a global team.

Collaboration Style:

• Proactive Communication: Regularly engaging with internal stakeholders (producers, designers, engineers) and external vendors to ensure alignment, provide updates, and resolve issues promptly.
• Constructive Feedback Loops: Establishing clear and respectful channels for providing and receiving feedback on artistic assets, fostering a culture of continuous improvement.
• Knowledge Sharing: Actively contributing to shared documentation (Confluence) and participating in discussions to disseminate best practices and learnings related to UI art and outsourcing.
• Remote-First Mindset: Adapting collaboration strategies to suit a distributed team, utilizing digital tools effectively and being mindful of asynchronous communication needs.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company explicitly mentions valuing "honesty," "autonomy," and "caring more about what you bring to the game and studio than how many hours you're clocking." This indicates a focus on results, trust, and a mature, professional work environment, which is crucial for a senior, remote role.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Managing Global Vendors: Coordinating with external artists across different time zones, cultures, and working styles to maintain consistent quality and meet deadlines.
• Maintaining Art Direction Consistency: Ensuring that outsourced assets perfectly align with the game's established art style and tone, especially when working with multiple external artists.
• Technical Integration Hurdles: Troubleshooting and resolving issues that arise when integrating outsourced UI assets into Unreal Engine, which can involve complex interactions with code and art pipelines.
• Balancing Hands-on Artistry with Management: Effectively allocating time between direct artistic contributions and the demands of managing external teams and processes.
• Adapting to Evolving Project Needs: Remaining flexible and responsive to changes in game design, feature scope, or art direction in a fast-paced development environment.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced Outsourcing Strategies: Gaining deep expertise in vendor selection, contract negotiation (indirectly), and building highly effective remote outsourcing partnerships.
• Technical Specialization: Deepening knowledge in areas like UI VFX, shader creation for UI elements, or advanced Unreal Engine UI functionalities.
• Leadership and Mentorship: Developing skills in mentoring junior artists (both internal and external) and potentially taking on more formal leadership roles within the art department.
• Industry Trend Adoption: Staying at the forefront of UI design trends, new tools, and pipeline advancements in the gaming industry through continuous learning and professional development.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are inherent to managing external resources in a global, remote setting. The growth opportunities lean towards deepening specialized skills and expanding leadership capabilities, aligning with the "Principal" level of the role.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe your process for onboarding a new outsourcing vendor for UI asset creation. What key information do you provide, and how do you set them up for success?" (Focus on clarity, documentation, and initial feedback mechanisms).
• "Imagine an outsourced UI asset for a critical cosmetic item doesn't meet the art director's quality standards. How would you approach this situation to rectify it while maintaining a positive vendor relationship?" (Highlight communication, constructive feedback, and problem-solving).
• "How do you ensure consistency in art style and technical implementation across multiple external UI artists working on different parts of a feature?" (Emphasize style guides, regular reviews, and clear direction).

Company & Culture Questions:

• "Escape Velocity values autonomy and delivering results over hours clocked. How do you manage your own workflow and ensure productivity in a fully remote environment?" (Showcase time management, self-discipline, and results-orientation).
• "Describe a time you had to adapt to a significant change in project scope or art direction. How did you manage yourself and communicate those changes to external partners?" (Demonstrate flexibility, communication, and resilience).
• "What does 'inclusive and empathetic work culture' mean to you, and how do you contribute to it in a remote, international setting?" (Focus on communication, understanding, and fostering positive relationships).

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• The "Why" Behind the "What": For each project, don't just show the final asset; explain why it was designed that way, the challenges in outsourcing it, and the specific feedback you provided.
• Quantify Your Impact: If possible, mention how your management of outsourcing contributed to hitting deadlines, staying within budget, or achieving specific quality benchmarks.
• Demonstrate Process Flow: Visually represent or verbally walk through the end-to-end process of outsourcing a specific UI asset – from brief to final integration.
• Highlight Problem-Solving: Select examples where you faced significant challenges (technical, artistic, or logistical) and clearly detail your solution and its outcome.

📝 Enhancement Note: Be prepared to discuss specific tools like Autodesk Flow Production Tracking and Confluence in detail, explaining how you've used them to manage complex workflows and documentation. Your answers should reflect a strategic understanding of how UI art production integrates into the broader game development pipeline.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Principal UI Artist position:

• Click the "Apply" button and submit your Resume/CV through the provided link.
• Portfolio Customization: Ensure your portfolio prominently features examples of your UI art, specifically highlighting any experience managing or directing outsourced work. Showcase your skills in Unreal Engine and Adobe Suite.
• Resume Optimization: Tailor your resume to emphasize your experience in vendor management, asset pipeline optimization, quality assurance for outsourced assets, and AAA game development. Use keywords from the job description like "Outsourcing," "Unreal Engine," "AAA UI Assets," and "Asset Management."
• Interview Preparation: Practice articulating your experience with specific examples related to the responsibilities and skills listed. Prepare to walk through your portfolio and discuss your approach to managing remote teams and ensuring artistic consistency.
• Company Research: Familiarize yourself with Escape Velocity Entertainment Inc's games (if any publicly known) and their company values as stated on their website (eve.games). Understand their commitment to a remote-first culture and player experience.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and operations industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with the hiring organization before making application decisions.

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