Senior Lighting Artist

Job Description:

Founded in 2002, Infinity Ward is the original studio behind the Call of Duty® franchise. The titles developed by Infinity Ward have won more than 200 "Game of the Year" awards and 100 "Editor's Choice" awards, among many other industry accolades. Some of our previous titles include: Call of Duty®: Ghosts, Call of Duty®: Infinite Warfare and most recently, Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare and Call of Duty: Warzone. Infinity Ward employs more than 250 people in Woodland Hills, Calif., just outside of Los Angeles.

A critically acclaimed studio, Infinity Ward is proud to have one of the most passionate and talented development teams in the industry. We love to have as much fun as the games we create, and it shows in our relaxed, yet diligent, workplace environment. We believe that making the best games relies on having the best people, so we like to look after ours. We enjoy having fun with top-notch events that everyone gets involved with.

Infinity Ward is wholly owned by Activision Blizzard. To learn more about our studio, please visit us at and @InfinityWard on Twitter.

Your Mission

Infinity Ward, developer of numerous award-winning games, is looking for a Senior Lighting Artist to join our team in creating stunning, emotionally resonant visuals for one of the most iconic franchises in the industry.

As a Senior Lighting Artist, you will drive the visual tone of environments, cinematics, and gameplay moments through expertly crafted lighting. You’ll work alongside world-class designers, environment artists, VFX artists, and engineers to shape the player experience through the lens of mood, readability, and performance. This role requires a mix of creative vision, technical proficiency, and leadership.

We're looking for someone with a deep understanding of PBR lighting techniques, a strong artistic eye, and a passion for crafting memorable and immersive game worlds. If you’re a collaborative problem-solver with proven experience shipping AAA titles, we want to hear from you.

Priorities can often change in a fast-paced environment like ours, so this role includes, but is not limited to, the following responsibilities:

• Own the lighting of game levels from initial look development through final polish
• Deliver visually compelling lighting that supports narrative, mood, and gameplay
• Partner with Level Designers, Environment Artists, and VFX Artists to provide cohesive lighting solutions across campaign, multiplayer, and live modes
• Collaborate with engineers and technical artists to identify and resolve issues, guide future tools, and improve lighting workflows
• Optimize content to meet memory and performance constraints across platforms
• Maintain high standards for physically-based rendering and lighting consistency across internal and external teams
• Contribute to the sky capture process and lighting reference documentation
• Provide mentorship and technical guidance to other lighting team members
• Support documentation and communication of pipeline and process improvements

Player Profile

Minimum Requirements:

• 8+ years of real-time AAA lighting experience
• Strong technical foundation in runtime and pre-baked lighting workflows
• Proficiency in real-time PBR lighting techniques and best practices
• Solid understanding of photography fundamentals: exposure, composition, color, and camera behavior
• Keen artistic eye for lighting composition, mood, and gameplay clarity
• Experience working within post-processing and color grading systems
• Understanding of HDR pipelines and lighting calibration
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills; ability to work effectively with cross-disciplinary teams
• Proven ability to work independently and manage complex lighting challenges
• Comfortable working with documentation and production schedules

Extra Points:

• Experience mentoring junior or mid-level lighting artists
• Familiarity with scripting, shader development, or pipeline automation
• Experience lighting across a variety of content types (cinematics, multiplayer, open world)
• Background in cinematography, film lighting, or live-action production
  

We love hearing from anyone who is enthusiastic about changing the games industry. Not sure you meet all qualifications? Let us decide! Research shows that women and members of other under-represented groups tend to not apply to jobs when they think they may not meet every qualification, when, in fact,
they often do! At Activision Blizzard, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment and strongly encourage you to apply.

Our World

Activision Blizzard, Inc. is one of the world's largest and most successful interactive entertainment companies and is at the intersection of media, technology and entertainment. We are home to some of the most beloved entertainment franchises including Call of Duty®, World of Warcraft®, Overwatch®, Diablo®, Candy Crush™ and Bubble Witch™. Our combined entertainment network delights hundreds of millions of monthly active users in 196 countries, making us the largest gaming network on the planet!

Our ability to build immersive and innovative worlds is only enhanced by diverse teams working in an inclusive environment. We aspire to have a culture where everyone can thrive in order to connect and engage the world through epic entertainment. We provide a suite of benefits that promote physical, emotional and financial well-being for ‘Every World’ - we’ve got our employees covered!

The videogame industry and therefore our business is fast-paced and will continue to evolve. As such, the duties and responsibilities of this role may be changed as directed by the Company at any time to promote and support our business and relationships with industry partners.

Infinity Ward is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, protected veteran status, or any other basis protected by applicable law and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability.

Rewards

We provide a suite of benefits that promote physical, emotional and financial well-being for ‘Every World’ - we’ve got our employees covered! Subject to eligibility requirements, the Company offers comprehensive benefits including:

• Medical, dental, vision, health savings account or health reimbursement account, healthcare spending accounts, dependent care spending accounts, life and AD&D insurance, disability insurance;
• 401(k) with Company match, tuition reimbursement, charitable donation matching;
• Paid holidays and vacation, paid sick time, floating holidays, compassion and bereavement leaves, parental leave;
• Mental health & wellbeing programs, fitness programs, free and discounted games, and a variety of other voluntary benefit programs like supplemental life & disability, legal service, ID protection, rental insurance, and others;
• If the Company requires that you move geographic locations for the job, then you may also be eligible for relocation assistance.

Eligibility to participate in these benefits may vary for part time and temporary full-time employees and interns with the Company. You can learn more by visiting

In the the standard base pay range for this role is - Annual. These values reflect the expected base pay range of new hires across all locations. Ultimately, your specific range and offer will be based on several factors, including relevant experience, performance, and work location. Your Talent Professional can share this role’s range details for your local geography during the hiring process. In addition to a competitive base pay, employees in this role may be eligible for incentive compensation. Incentive compensation is not guaranteed. While we strive to provide competitive offers to successful candidates, new hire compensation is negotiable.