Environment Artist

Overview

We are looking for an Environment Artist to join our team in Birmingham, AL on a contract basis. As an Environment Artist at Iron. Spark, you will play a key role in crafting immersive, high-impact 3D environments, set pieces, architecture, and props for our real-time narrative films. You will collaborate closely with cross-disciplinary teams across a wide spectrum of visual styles—ranging from clean, stylized worlds to intricate, realistic environments.

Depending on the project, you will seamlessly shift between PBR material creation and hand-painted texturing techniques to bring concept art and virtual sets to life in Unreal Engine. From early graybox layouts through final scene assembly, lighting, and engine integration, your expertise will help ensure our visual storytelling and asset fidelity meet the highest cinematic standards.

This is an in-person contract role operating out of our Birmingham studio with a flexible work environment.

Responsibilities

Contribute to the creation of high-quality, expressive 3D environment assets, ranging from stylized landscapes and hand-crafted props to detailed architectural structures and modular set kits. Adapt modeling, sculpting, and texturing workflows based on project aesthetic—fluently transitioning between PBR material pipelines and hand-painted texturing techniques.

Collaborate daily with the art director, lead artists, and story teams to build atmospheric, narrative-driven sets that align with project storytelling goals. Assemble, compose, and dress modular environments directly in Unreal Engine, optimizing scene layout, collision, and geometry for film rendering pipelines. Work closely with lookdev, lighting, and technical art teams to craft shaders, set up dynamic foliage/materials, and balance visual quality with engine performance.

Self-manage asset pipelines, accurately estimate task timelines, and consistently hit production milestones. Actively participate in creative reviews, integrating feedback and refining scene composition, depth, and silhouette to match project direction. Share technical and artistic knowledge to support team members and help foster regional talent.

Position Details Type: Contract (3-month, 6-month, or 12-month options available) Schedule: Up to 40 hours per week Working Model: In-Person at our Birmingham, AL studio with a flexible daily work environment.

Compensation

Hourly rate proportionate to individual experience.

Requirements

3–5 years of professional experience in animation or game development specializing in environment art and scene assembly. Deep proficiency in Unreal Engine, Maya, ZBrush, Photoshop, and Substance Painter/Designer. Versatile artistic portfolio demonstrating strong proficiency in both PBR material authoring and hand-painted/stylized texturing workflows.

Strong understanding of real-time rendering pipelines, real-time optimization, and scene organization for engine rendering. Mastery of architectural form, scale, environmental storytelling, composition, set dressing, and hard-surface/organic modeling techniques. Great eye for lighting, color theory, atmosphere, shape language, painterly details, and surface fidelity across varying art directions.

Demonstrated ability to work independently, manage project priorities, and solve technical/artistic environment pipeline challenges. Excellent communication skills, a team-first attitude, and ease with taking creative direction and critique. High standards of professionalism, discretion, and strict confidentiality regarding unreleased client and internal projects.

Benefits

Impact and ownership Build from the ground floor: you'll shape processes, tools, and culture from day one Direct access to the founders and other Subject Matter Experts Your input shapes the product, the process, and company decisions Growth & Culture Wide exposure: you'll work across functions, not in a silo You'll learn fast by solving new problems without a playbook Low bureaucracy: decisions happen in days, not quarters Room to experiment, with a "try it, learn, adjust" mindset Flexibility Flexible hours or schedule Remote or hybrid options