CG Lead

Reporting to: Executive Creative Director

Contract: Full-time, permanent

Location: London - hybrid, two to three days a week in the studio. Visa sponsorship may be available for this role.

FutureDeluxe is a global creative studio with offices in London, New York, Los Angeles and Sydney, and part of Forever - a group of design companies that amplify creativity, craft and innovation, helping brands reshape our world. We combine design, technology and moving image to craft visual experiences for future-facing brands. We are a diverse group of artists, directors, designers, creative technologists and operations specialists who thrive in an environment based on experimentation, collaboration and innovation. From concept through to final delivery, we collaborate with brands to explore, imagine and define their future vision.

The CG Lead is a senior, hands-on artist whose creative problem-solving is backed by a solid technical mind. You work flexibly within the creative team, turning technical thinking into work the wider team can execute against, while keeping the craft of a production running smoothly. You can see the shape and scale of a project early and design the workflow so it doesn't bottleneck later. You're the person people come to for advice on approach, shots and techniques, and you naturally enjoy sharing your knowledge.

The Opportunity:

• Translate abstract creative briefs into clear, actionable technical goals for the 3D team - breaking a brief down technically so it can be solved for creatively
• Work hands-on across the CG pipeline - from modelling and animation through to lighting, rendering and compositing - bringing craft as well as direction
• See the shape and scale of a project early, and design and refine efficient workflows for complex 3D, comp, edit and grade-heavy projects
• Oversee the visual quality of 3D output - shading, lighting, comp and final delivery - as senior technical art direction, supporting project dailies from a technical perspective and spot-checking work across shots and sequences for consistency and technical compliance (colour, file, format)
• Lead the Edit, Conform and Grade process at the end of a project and through to delivery - mentoring and supporting the wider team through it, and correcting the colour pipeline and comp as needed
• Work with Creative Directors, the CG Supervisor and Producers to scope 3D/CG tasks during bidding, so budgets, resourcing and schedules are realistic
• Lead early-stage research and development for pitches and technically challenging briefs, testing feasibility and scalability for the wider team
• Be someone the team comes to for advice on approach, shots, techniques and which tools to use
• Bring freelancers up to speed and support them on projects - a constant in our work
• Feed project-level learnings and tooling needs up to the CG Supervisor, supporting their studio-wide pipeline strategy and roadmap
• Mentor CG Designers on technical craft, workflow and problem-solving, and share knowledge openly across the team
• Support our growth with VFX and live action by building our understanding of those production pipelines, working alongside partners
• Help bring new real-time, experiential and AI workflows into the studio

What You'll Bring:

• Deep hands-on craft in Cinema 4D and/or Houdini, with real strength in at least one
• Both a creative problem solver and a solid technical mind, spotting and solving problems early
• Experience of working at scale, within larger team structures - you know how bigger projects are run
• Excellent communication - you can translate a technical position into something a creative team can build from
• A natural mentor: generous with knowledge, low ego, happy to share what you know and collaborate

Experience of VFX or live-action work is a real advantage as we grow in that direction, but it isn't essential. We care most about curiosity, care, an eye for detail, adaptability and initiative - and about how you handle a project when it doesn't go to plan.

We're growing the CG team and hiring more than one CG Lead, so we're looking for a range of specialisms rather than one profile. You might have knowledge and interest in Houdini and FX, or AI and real-time, or live action and VFX. We're interested in who you are and how you think; we're open-minded about where your specialism sits.

Come Prepared to Talk About:

• Your experience creating and implementing processes within a creative team
• Trending technologies, campaigns and industry work that you think stands out
• What motivates you to want to join the FutureDeluxe team

What We Offer:

• Unlimited holiday (with some guidelines), plus a studio closure over Christmas and New Year
• Enhanced sick pay - up to 20 days at full pay each year, after your probationary period
• FuturePlay - time set aside for artists to experiment with their craft and ways of working
• Private medical cover with BUPA, paid by us, from your first day, with the option to add dependants
• Enhanced parental leave - 16 weeks paid for the person who gives birth, and two weeks paid leave for co-parents from day one, rising to four weeks after a year's service
• Pension with Aviva - you contribute 5%, we contribute 3% of qualifying earnings
• Work from anywhere for up to three weeks a year 
• Support for courses, conferences, festivals and learning
• A well-stocked studio with lots of socials and team celebrations throughout the year
• Part of a global network within Forever: London, NYC, LA, Toronto, Sydney, Barcelona, Tokyo, São Paulo and growing!

Note that benefits outlined above are applicable to UK-based employees and subject to change; benefits are adapted depending on region.