Art Director

Founders is hiring a Founding Art Director to build and lead an AI-first art function for an entrepreneurship simulation game. This role sets the visual direction, develops a style bible, and creates an AI art pipeline integrated with the team’s engine and authoring tools.

Role Overview

You will serve as an AI-first art team of one, covering concept, characters, environments, props, UI, and tech art. You will work closely with the Simulation Game Director and the Founding Technical Director to define art direction and ship simulation-ready assets through an end-to-end generative workflow.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with the Simulation Game Director to define art direction and art style for the platform and game simulations.
• Own the visual identity and maintain the style bible for the platform and all game simulations.
• Build workflows for each stage of the art production process.
• Develop an AI art pipeline, using tools such as Scenario and ComfyUI and LoRAs, or equivalents that work for the team.
• Integrate the pipeline into the engine and authoring tools so art creation can be supported directly by the production environment.
• Work directly with the Simulation Game Director and the Founding Technical Director.

Requirements

• Experience as an artist on successful commercial games, ideally in a lead role across a large studio team, an indie team, or both.
• Knowledge of the complete game art pipeline from concept to in-engine.
• Hands-on proficiency as a top-tier AI user in game art, working with tools such as Scenario, ComfyUI, and LoRA training.
• Proven experience building, running, and shipping generative art pipelines for game art.
• Hands-on generalist artist capability.
• Ability to write a style bible that others follow.
• Commercial thinking applied to art production.
• Based in, or able to relocate to NYC for a hybrid schedule; relocation is covered.
• Authorization to work in the US.

Technology

• Scenario
• ComfyUI
• LoRA

Compensation and Location

• Salary: USD 249,999 to 250,000 per year
• Location: New York, NY (hybrid)
• Compensation structure: $250K base with cash compensation and no equity
• Relocation: Covered

Success Milestones

Success at 6 Months

• Deployed workflows generate art for multiple games at the established quality bar.
• At least 8 in 10 early teen playtesters rate the look polished and exciting.
• The first simulation appears like a finished, commercial-quality game.
• Generative pipelines produce near-production-level assets in the house style, using LoRAs or equivalent approaches.

Success at 12 Months

• The pipeline supplies several simulations worth of art at the same bar, and a new simulation’s art takes weeks.
• Workflows are wired into the team’s tools alongside the technical director and the director, enabling others to generate on-style assets without your involvement.
• The style is identifiable to players from screenshots, and fine-tuned models encode the recognized look.

Nice to Have

• UI/UX expertise.
• Shipping experience in related genres such as sandbox, sim, tycoon, or builder.
• Passion for playing relevant genre games.
• Experience with educational games, simulations, or products.
• Bridging game art and marketing, including key art, trailers, and social assets.
• Experience across platforms such as PC, mobile, and web.
• Ability to create game-engine-ready art, including shaders, visual effects, and performance considerations in both 2D and 3D.

What This Role Is Not

• A typical game studio job. The team operates lean, similar to an indie studio or startup; in year one you create assets directly rather than briefing vendors.
• A gallery position. The work is commercial art with a schedule and delivery goals.
• A cushy role. The expectations are high because the team is starting from zero; the upside is becoming the named creator of the look for the defining entrepreneurship simulation game and leading the art team you build.