Stockholm, Sweden · Hybrid
Are you passionate about defining visual identities, empowering artists, and bringing imaginative game worlds to life? Do you have experience leading both people and creative visions in game development? We’re looking fo…
Skills: Art Direction, People Management, Visual Storytelling, Color Theory, Composition
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Define and maintain the artistic vision for the Goat Simulator franchise and new projects while guiding the art team. Manage the professional development of artists through coaching, performance reviews, and recruitment.
Requires 5+ years of professional game art experience and a track record of shipping at least one title in a leadership role. Must possess strong art fundamentals and the ability to manage creative teams across multiple disciplines.
Are you passionate about defining visual identities, empowering artists, and bringing imaginative game worlds to life? Do you have experience leading both people and creative visions in game development?
We’re looking for an Art Director who wants to take ownership of the artistic vision for our beloved Goat Simulator franchise while helping establish the visual foundations of exciting new projects. This is a role for someone who enjoys combining creative leadership, strategic thinking, and people management to help both games and teams thrive.
About Us
COFFEE STAIN NORTH is a small game developer based in Stockholm that belongs to the Coffee Stain Group. Since the company was founded in 2013, we have grown to 34 employees and are now open to adding a couple of new friends!
Goat Simulator 3 is a third-person sandbox adventure developed by Coffee Stain North in which the player can live out their wildest dreams... as a goat. Released in 2022, this open-world sandbox game takes the chaotic spirit of the original to new heights and offers expanded multiplayer support, a larger and more detailed environment, and even more absurd physics-driven gameplay. Players can explore the island of San Angora solo or with friends, wreaking havoc as a goat (or one of many unlockable characters) through a wide range of quests, mini-games, and bizarre encounters.
Understanding games like Goat Simulator 3 means appreciating the fine line between "broken" and "brilliant." If that sounds like your kind of energy, come and get to know our herd!
The role
As an Art Director at CSN, you are responsible for defining and maintaining the artistic vision of our projects, from early exploration to release. You will lead and guide the art team to deliver on the vision while empowering and unifying their creativity and work closely with other disciplines to ensure that the visual direction supports both the player experience and the overall goals of the project.
You will also:
Communicate the artistic vision through documentation, visual references, presentations, sketches, paint-overs, and ongoing feedback, ensuring the team is aligned on both creative goals and practical constraints
Continuously assess the project's visual experience and drive improvements to quality, consistency, and player impact
Guide artistic decisions by balancing gameplay needs, project goals, production realities, and technical constraints across target platforms
Partner with the leadership team on planning, prioritization, scope discussions, and long-term project direction
In addition to your creative responsibilities, you will be the formal lead for the art team, meaning developing the team through both artistic leadership and people management. For us this means that you with clear communication, feedback, and decision-making, support each artist in their development depending on their role and seniority.
Furthermore, you are responsible for:
Regular one-on-ones and development conversations
Performance reviews, goal setting and career development
Coaching and supporting team members in their growth
Recruitment and onboarding
Supporting the team through interpersonal and organizational challenges
Helping maintain a healthy, inclusive, and collaborative team culture
Your background
To succeed in this role, we believe you have several years (5+) of professional experience working with game art and have previously shipped at least one game title in a leadership position.
You have:
Worked as an Art Director, Lead Artist, or in a similar leadership role within game development
Experience managing and developing people within a creative team
Strong understanding of art fundamentals (such as color theory, composition, anatomy, shape language, visual storytelling, and design principles)
Ability to communicate ideas and feedback visually through sketches and paint-overs
Experience working with and adapting to different art styles and visual tones
Knowledge of technical constraints across multiple gaming platforms
Strong understanding of game art production pipelines across multiple disciplines and ability to artistically guide each of them, including environment art, character art, animation, VFX, lighting, UI, and promotional art
Beyond your experience, we believe you are someone who enjoys helping others succeed. You know when to provide direction, when to make decisions, and when to step back and allow the team to find solutions themselves. You understand that great leadership is not about having all the answers, but about creating an environment where great work can happen.
At CSN we have employees from different parts of the world, and it’s therefore mandatory to be fluent in English, both verbally and in writing.
Perks of working at Coffee Stain
We offer competitive salaries and excellent benefits that go beyond the usual payments to your pension fund and insurances.
We believe that a healthy body leads to a healthy mind, so on top of the wellness grant you get some paid time off to work out. Did we mention there are several gyms right beside our office?
Every fourth week it’s Creative Friday, giving you the opportunity to explore your own ideas, learn new things, or experiment with something you’re passionate about.
To have fun together and get inspired, we play games on the clock every fourth Friday.
We also have great parental benefits, including extra pay on top of what you get from the social insurance agency during your parental leave.
And, of course, you will be part of a wonderful team of colleagues working on exciting projects in a studio where every role has creative impact and freedom with responsibility
Practical info
The position is permanent, full-time, 40 hours per week. We have a hybrid setup and offer the possibility of working from home two days per week. Our office is newly renovated, and located in Kungsholmen, Fridhemsplan. We have, among other things, a ping-pong table, a big lounge area where we hang out, watch movies, or play games together, and last but not least – a giant goat statue (what more do you need?).
Apart from us, the Coffee Stain Group consists of a myriad of successful studios, among them COFFEE STAIN STUDIOS (Sanctum and Satisfactory), Ghost Ship Games (Deep Rock Galactic), Tuxedo Labs (Teardown) and COFFEE STAIN PUBLISHING who work with close partners like Iron Gate (Valheim), to name a few.
Your application
If you are interested, please apply! Due to GDPR, we can’t accept applications through email. If you have any questions regarding the role, please reach out to Maria Sjöman, HR, [email protected].
Please note: Due to summer vacation, we will not screen applications during week 30, 31 and 32.
Developers of Goat Simulator 3
Game development studio based in Stockholm, Sweden. Makers of the first person adventure game "A Story About My Uncle" as well as Goat Simulator spin offs "Goat Simulator: GoatZ" and "Goat Simulator: Waste of Space". Currently working on "Goat Simulator 3" and it's subsequent DLC's and gear packs. You can read more about us at www.coffeestain.com
Offices: Sankt Göransgatan 57, 7, Stockholm, Stockholm County 11238, SE
Developers of Goat Simulator 3
Game development studio based in Stockholm, Sweden. Makers of the first person adventure game "A Story About My Uncle" as well as Goat Simulator spin offs "Goat Simulator: GoatZ" and "Goat Simulator: Waste of Space". Currently working on "Goat Simulator 3" and it's subsequent DLC's and gear packs. You can read more about us at www.coffeestain.com
Offices: Sankt Göransgatan 57, 7, Stockholm, Stockholm County 11238, SE
