In Mesh, people—not devices—are at the center of everything we do. Our tech moves beyond screens and pixels, creating a new reality aimed at bringing us closer together— from remote coworkers socializing to build deeper connections to global leaders collaborating on the biggest challenges of our time and everything in-between.

We’re a team of talented engineers, program managers, designers and artists with a mission to bring people together in shared immersive experiences across 2D, Augmented Reality (AR), Vitrual Reality (VR) and Mixed Reality (MR) endpoints. Our team has people from a wide variety of backgrounds, identities, previous work histories, life experiences, and we are eager to maintain and grow that diversity. Our varied backgrounds and unique experiences enable us to be better at building the best solutions for our customers and make for dynamic and joyful collaborations with colleagues!

If you are passionate about groundbreaking Mesh technology and want to work on a team dedicated to a culture of inclusion, growth mindset and collaboration, we need you!

Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. As employees we come together with a growth mindset, innovate to empower others, and collaborate to realize our shared goals. Each day we build on our values of respect, integrity, and accountability to create a culture of inclusion where everyone can thrive at work and beyond.

Embody our Culture (https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/about/corporate-values) and Values (https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/culture)

Responsibilities

As a Principal 3D Art Manager , you will be responsible to set clear timelines, expectations and deliverables with the team, and communicate across partner teams. You will work closely with team leads on project scope, estimates, yearly and quarterly plans and outsourcing scheduling.

You will collaborate closely with Technical Art, Design, Project Management, and Engineering teams to ensure that 3D content meets high technical standards, and you will drive prototyping for content, workflows, and features. You will also utilize feedback to iterate on art models and visuals and provide feedback to guide the internal and external Art team on quality, consistency, and brand style. You will be responsible for organizing and leading creative discussions around characters and environments, brainstorms, and reviews to ensure effective communication with cross-discipline partners.

You will work closely with cross-functional teams, including product owners, engineers, and designers, to ensure a cohesive end to end experience

Additionally, you will be responsible for career coaching, providing and receiving feedback, collaborating with others to share techniques and ideas, and contributing to a positive working environment that prioritizes both implementation and experimentation.

Qualifications

Required/Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree or Certificate in Design, Fine Arts, Human Computer Interaction, Visual Communications or related art field AND 8+ years experience in art design or a related art field working on computer games or entertainment

• OR equivalent experience.

• 5+ years people management experience (e.g., serving as a Lead Artist, Art Manager, Creative Director, etc.).

Preferred Qualifications:

• 10+ years’ experience using related software and packages (e.g., Maya, 3DS Max, Photoshop/Adobe suite, Mental Ray, Substance Designer/Painter/Zbrush, SideFX Houdini, After Effects, Unity, Softimage).

• Experience creating detailed and high-quality environments and solving complex technical issues like optimized mesh, LOD systems, surfacing, and budgets to optimize content for performance.

• Experience in environment development for Triple-A (AAA) titles.

• Collaboration skills, with the ability to influence cross-functional teams. 

• In-depth knowledge of material/shader development and experience with Substance Designer/Painter or equivalent software.

• A deep understanding and demonstrated knowledge of environment art.

• Technical proficiency in low and high poly modeling, advanced surfacing workflows, and prior experience in the Unity engine are also needed.

• Experience shipping multiple projects or products end to end.

• Experience with supporting a live title.

• Ability to work effectively with cross-functional teams.

Art M6 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $133,600 - $276,600 per year. There is a different range applicable to specific work locations, within the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, and the base pay range for this role in those locations is USD $173,200 - $304,200 per year.

Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here: https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/us-corporate-pay

#Mesh

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. Consistent with applicable law, all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations (https://careers.microsoft.com/v2/global/en/accessibility.html) .