Lead VFX Artist — Remote Asura

Festybay is hiring a Lead VFX Artist to head up its real-time effects department, based out of Oxford, England, UK. This role sits at the intersection of creative direction and technical execution, leading a team responsible for designing and delivering real-time visual effects built within the Asura engine pipeline. It is a role suited to an experienced VFX professional who has moved beyond purely hands-on work and is ready to own the creative and technical standards of a department.

About the Role

The real-time VFX department at Festybay is growing, and this lead position is the central creative authority within that team. Day to day, you will be shaping the look and feel of effects across projects, reviewing artist output against production benchmarks, and making key decisions that keep the VFX pipeline running to schedule and quality. The role carries genuine ownership, not a supervisory title with limited authority.

Key Responsibilities

• Define and maintain the visual and technical standards for all real-time VFX produced within the Asura engine environment.
• Lead a team of VFX artists through full production cycles, from concept sign-off through to final delivery and integration.
• Develop and iterate on particle systems, simulations, and shader-based effects that meet both creative briefs and real-time performance targets.
• Conduct regular reviews of artist work, providing detailed notes that address both aesthetic consistency and technical constraints.
• Partner with art direction and technical departments to establish asset pipelines that serve the broader production workflow.
• Identify and resolve bottlenecks in the real-time VFX pipeline before they affect delivery schedules.

What You Bring

• Substantial professional experience in real-time VFX production, with credits across games, interactive media, or broadcast projects that demonstrate department-level output.
• Deep working knowledge of the Asura engine, including its effects systems and integration toolsets.
• Proficiency with industry-standard tools used in real-time VFX development, including Houdini, Unreal Engine, or comparable platforms.
• Demonstrated leadership experience, including mentoring junior artists and managing production timelines within a structured VFX pipeline.
• A portfolio that shows both artistic range and technical precision in real-time environments.

Why This Role

Festybay is building out a real-time effects department with enough scope to do serious work, and this Lead VFX Artist position is a genuine lead role, not a senior artist with a title bump. The company offers flexible remote work arrangements and a relocation package for candidates moving to the Oxford area. For a VFX professional looking to step into full department leadership within a growing studio, the timing and structure here are worth considering.

Apply now for the Lead VFX Artist role at Festybay and take the next step in your production career.