Senior Lighting Artist

Mob Entertainment is the indie studio behind Poppy Playtime, the iconic horror puzzle franchise beloved by millions worldwide. We build worlds defined by atmosphere, tension, and visual craft — and lighting is at the heart of that experience.

We're looking for a Senior Lighting Artist to join the Poppy Playtime team. You'll be responsible for crafting the atmospheric, dread-soaked lighting that defines the Playtime Co. experience. From flickering factory floors to pitch-black vents, you'll set the emotional tone of every space players enter — working closely with art direction, environment, and VFX teams to bring each chapter to life.

• →Design and implement optimized baked-lighting across all game environments, leveraging Unreal Engine’s GPU Lightmass workflows alongside selective stationary lighting to drive mood, tension, and narrative through light and shadow.
• →Collaborate closely with environment, VFX, and art direction teams to ensure lighting is consistent with the visual vision of each chapter
• →Develop and maintain lighting standards, style guides, and best-practice documentation for the team
• →Optimize lighting setups for performance across target platforms without sacrificing visual quality
• →Mentor junior and mid-level lighting artists, providing feedback and fostering a culture of craft and iteration
• →Work with the Art Director to prototype new lighting looks, effects, and dynamic systems for key story beats
• →Contribute to post-process pipeline development including bloom, lens flares, and color grading within Unreal Engine 5
• →Participate in art reviews and actively engage in cross-discipline critique sessions

• 10+ years of games industry experience with at least three shipped titles
• Expert-level proficiency in Unreal Engine 5 lighting and GPU Lightmass pipeline
• Strong understanding of real-world lighting, photography, and cinematography principles
• Proven ability to create horror, suspense, or atmospheric lighting styles
• Experience optimizing lighting for real-time performance on PC and console
• Solid communication and collaboration skills in a remote-first environment

Nice to Have

• Familiarity with the Poppy Playtime universe and its visual language
• Experience with dynamic lighting and scripted cinematic sequences
• Background in Environment Art or Cinematics
• Knowledge of color theory and LUT pipeline for semi-stylized, PBR  games
• Experience mentoring or leading a lighting team
• Passion for the horror genre and atmospheric storytelling

  The base salary range for this position is listed below. Final compensation within the applicable salary range will be determined based on factors such as the applicant’s experience, qualifications, and work location.

  San Francisco, CA; New York City, NY; Los Angeles, CA; & Seattle, WA Metropolitan Areas: $85,000 - $121,000 USD annually

  All Other U.S. Locations: $74,000 - $107,000 USD annually

  Mob Entertainment offers the following benefits to all eligible U.S.-based full-time employees: profit sharing; medical, dental, and vision insurance; 401(k) matching; FSA/HSA; paid time off; sick time; holidays; and parental leave.

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