Lead External Development Artist

Boston, NH - USA

Monthly Salary: Not Disclosed

Posted on: 4 hours ago

Vacancies: 1 Vacancy

Job Summary

CD PROJEKT RED is looking for an Lead External Development Artist to join our studio in Boston to work on Cyberpunk 2 the follow-up to Cyberpunk 2077 and the next major video game in the Cyberpunk this position you will have a foundational role in creating a world-class pipeline that allows outside vendors to collaborate with internal teams review work for quality while growing and leading your team.

Daily responsibilities:

Plan and manage a robust External Development pipeline some from the ground up - workflows software solutions etc.
Work with Directors and leads to create an X-Dev strategy.
Work with direct reports on goal setting career development and performance.
Continue to build a team of experienced External Development artists.
Collaborate with our procurement staff in finding and vetting X-Dev partners.
Train vendors in our workflows and performance standards.
Provide artistic and technical feedback to external partners via documentation and direct communication.
Integrate approved assets into the game engine as necessary.
Model and texture assets to fit the established style of the game.
Set up materials and shaders to achieve excellence.
Review briefs from internal teams to ensure they meet the needs of vendors.
Cooperate effectively with other artists and designers and ensure best practices within internal and external teams.
Provide the team with clear and transparent progress status regarding the ongoing work.

Qualifications :

8 years of relevant experience working in the video game industry in an External Development role and at least one shipped AAA title.
Experience leading teams of 5 or more people.
Proficiency with the following development packages: Blender Maya Substance packages etc.
Good knowledge of composition color theory and lighting.
Experience with physically based rendering (PBR).
Able to deliver and receive feedback in a productive and accountable manner.
Excellent communication presentation and collaboration skills.

Nice to have:
(Please note these skills are not required to apply for the position)

Experience with Unreal Engine 5 Nanite Lumen etc.
Experience with procedural content creation packages (Houdini Designer etc.) is a plus.

Candidates should include a portfolio in their application. Applications without a portfolio will not be considered.

Additional Information :

The application window for this position will close by 09/17/2026.

This job requires working in Boston US.
Working mode: in-office in a hybrid or full-time capacity.

Health & Well-Being

Company-paid medical healthcare (dental vision and mental).
Free mental health support including access to counseling psychiatric care and a variety of well-being webinars.
Paid leave 26 days of vacation 10 sick days & 12 calendar holidays per year
401K with employer matching.
Lifestyle Spending Account (LSA) $100 per month to use towards fitness wellness internet home office equipment learning streaming services and more.
Menstrual leave employees who menstruate can take one extra day off when experiencing period pain.
RED Parents Network support for working parents.
Flexible working hours.

Perks & Professional Growth

Trainings lectures and courses internal workshops knowledge-sharing initiatives online tutorials and e-learning classes are all available.
A welcome pack filled with goodies to help you feel right at home once you join the team.

Life in the Office

Dog-friendly office bring your pooch with you and look after them while working! Theres always a furry friend or two to meet.
Truly international working environment a chance to meet and work with a diverse selection of people from all around the world.
No dress-code we like to keep it casual.

This position is a backfill.

Estimated pay range for this position: $140200 - $USD annually. This role may be eligible for a long term incentive program (option to purchase CDPR stock after the vesting period). Final offers are dependent on job-related factors like experience and qualifications.

At CD PROJEKT RED compensation for our roles in North America are determined based on competitive market data geographic location and individual factors tied to business needs. The base pay range is subject to change and may be modified in the future. Final offers are dependent on job-related factors like experience qualifications and location.

If youve observed any irregularities (i.e. legal or ethical violations) in our recruitment process please click here to report them anonymously.

#LI-ONSITE
#LI-HYBRID

Remote Work :

Employment Type :

Full-time

CD PROJEKT RED is looking for an Lead External Development Artist to join our studio in Boston to work on Cyberpunk 2 the follow-up to Cyberpunk 2077 and the next major video game in the Cyberpunk this position you will have a foundational role in creating a world-class pipeline that allows outsid...

Daily responsibilities:

Plan and manage a robust External Development pipeline some from the ground up - workflows software solutions etc.
Work with Directors and leads to create an X-Dev strategy.
Work with direct reports on goal setting career development and performance.
Continue to build a team of experienced External Development artists.
Collaborate with our procurement staff in finding and vetting X-Dev partners.
Train vendors in our workflows and performance standards.
Provide artistic and technical feedback to external partners via documentation and direct communication.
Integrate approved assets into the game engine as necessary.
Model and texture assets to fit the established style of the game.
Set up materials and shaders to achieve excellence.
Review briefs from internal teams to ensure they meet the needs of vendors.
Cooperate effectively with other artists and designers and ensure best practices within internal and external teams.
Provide the team with clear and transparent progress status regarding the ongoing work.

Qualifications :

8 years of relevant experience working in the video game industry in an External Development role and at least one shipped AAA title.
Experience leading teams of 5 or more people.
Proficiency with the following development packages: Blender Maya Substance packages etc.
Good knowledge of composition color theory and lighting.
Experience with physically based rendering (PBR).
Able to deliver and receive feedback in a productive and accountable manner.
Excellent communication presentation and collaboration skills.

Nice to have:
(Please note these skills are not required to apply for the position)

Experience with Unreal Engine 5 Nanite Lumen etc.
Experience with procedural content creation packages (Houdini Designer etc.) is a plus.

Candidates should include a portfolio in their application. Applications without a portfolio will not be considered.

Additional Information :

The application window for this position will close by 09/17/2026.

This job requires working in Boston US.
Working mode: in-office in a hybrid or full-time capacity.

Health & Well-Being

Company-paid medical healthcare (dental vision and mental).
Free mental health support including access to counseling psychiatric care and a variety of well-being webinars.
Paid leave 26 days of vacation 10 sick days & 12 calendar holidays per year
401K with employer matching.
Lifestyle Spending Account (LSA) $100 per month to use towards fitness wellness internet home office equipment learning streaming services and more.
Menstrual leave employees who menstruate can take one extra day off when experiencing period pain.
RED Parents Network support for working parents.
Flexible working hours.

Perks & Professional Growth

Trainings lectures and courses internal workshops knowledge-sharing initiatives online tutorials and e-learning classes are all available.
A welcome pack filled with goodies to help you feel right at home once you join the team.

Life in the Office

Dog-friendly office bring your pooch with you and look after them while working! Theres always a furry friend or two to meet.
Truly international working environment a chance to meet and work with a diverse selection of people from all around the world.
No dress-code we like to keep it casual.

This position is a backfill.

If youve observed any irregularities (i.e. legal or ethical violations) in our recruitment process please click here to report them anonymously.

#LI-ONSITE
#LI-HYBRID

Remote Work :

Employment Type :

Full-time

Key Skills

3ds Max
Computer Graphics
Perforce
Zbrush
Unreal Engine
Maya
Painting
Teaching
Adobe Photoshop
Digital Art
Music Therapy
Unity

Apply Now

About Company

CD PROJEKT RED

To create revolutionary, story-driven RPGs which go straight to the hearts of gamers — this is our mission. Want to dive deeper into our company’s culture? Explore our social media and check out our YouTube channel where we share behind-the-scenes insights and stories direct from our ... View more

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