Hybrid VFX Artist – Fixed Term Contract

at Jagex

• Job title: VFX Artist – Fixed Term Contract
• Job type: Contract
• Experience level: Junior, Mid level
• Salary: Not specified
• Degree requirement: High School Diploma
• Location requirements: Hybrid, Cambridge, United Kingdom

About the role

• Mid-Level VFX Artist creating high-quality visual effects for RuneScape: Dragonwilds. Collaborating with teams to enhance gameplay experience and visual identity.

Responsibilities

• Create fantasy style visual effects including explosions, magic, weather, environment effects, UI effects, and character abilities.
• Develop and evolve the VFX style so that it fits the world and makes the game as attractive and exciting as possible. Collaborate closely with the wider team to ensure clarity, readability, and gameplay feedback through VFX.
• Work with the Art Director, TA Lead and VFX team to ensure effects match the style, tone, and technical constraints of the project.
• Implement real time gameplay and cinematic VFX, with an optimized from the start approach.
• Collaborate with Animators and Technical Artists to ensure smooth blending between animations, VFX timing, and character actions.
• Collaborate with Environment Artists to maximize mood, appeal and sense of life and movement in all environments in the game.
• Work with a high regard to implementation and performance costs and an active approach to profiling.
• Work within and establish a clean VFX pipeline. Along the way, contributing creative ideas to improve the visual effects pipeline and overall presentation.
• Troubleshoot and fix issues related to VFX behaviour, rendering, lighting, or integration.
• Maintain clear documentation of VFX workflows, naming conventions, and implementation guidelines.
• Provide feedback and occasional mentoring to junior VFX artists.

Requirements

• 2–4+ years of experience as a VFX Artist in the games industry, in an Unreal-Engine real-time environment.
• Strong artistic fundamentals: colour theory, motion, timing, composition, shape language, and visual storytelling.
• Ability to take direction, give constructive feedback, and work independently when needed
• Experience creating shaders and materials for VFX
• Experience implementing VFX using blueprints
• A curated reel showcasing:
• Gameplay effects (e.g., combat, abilities, impacts).
• Environmental or atmospheric effects (fog, rain, fire, smoke, leaves, dust).
• Use of shaders / materials created for VFX.
• Examples of in-engine implementation.
• Breakdown notes explaining your role, tools used, and any procedural workflows.