Art Lead (mid level)
Umeå, on-site, Full-time. Start: January 2027.
About Winterkeep
Winterkeep is a studio in Umeå, founded in 2025 by developers who worked together at Paradox Interactive. We are developing a 4X fantasy strategy game built on our own IP.
We're an AA studio. Small enough to stay flexible, experienced enough to make ambitious games. The vision is set, and feature teams own their part of the game and decide how to get there. You shape the game, not just execute tasks.
Our culture
Openness and honesty. Share ideas freely, and give and take direct feedback.
Calm and focused. We don't crunch, and we don't panic. Sometimes we sprint to hit a goal we've promised, but that's the exception.
High standards and accountability. We hold our work, and each other's, to a high bar, and we take responsibility for the game and the studio.
We're playful and professional. We take the work seriously, not ourselves.
We share our office in central Umeå with two other game studios. Umeå is a university town with short commutes, reasonable housing, and a good life for families.
The role
We need an Art Lead to set up and manage our future art production.
You'll plan and follow up on the artwork, run our outsourcing, and help build up the event art for the game. We're a small team where everyone wears many hats, so you'll also make some of the art yourself. We build our game in Unreal Engine.
What you will do
Plan, prioritize, and follow up on art production with the team
Run outsourcing: write briefs, give feedback, and keep track of deliveries
Work with our Technical Artist on the event art pipeline
Create and polish 3D art and content
Keep art, design, and code in sync, and spot problems early
We are looking for
3+ years working with games
Experience planning and following up work for a team
3D art skills, and a portfolio that shows them
Experience working with external artists or outsourcing
Clear communication with the rest of the team
Able to work full-time on site in Umeå
Extra bonuses, but not required: You play 4X and/or Strategy Games. You enjoy fantasy RPGs (tabletop or computer). A passion for medieval/low fantasy aesthetics. Likes the style of the classic romantic painters Caspar David Friedrich, Johan Christian Dahl and Arnold Böcklin.
Salary
SEK 38,000 to 44,000 per month depending on experience, plus 6% occupational pension, a full insurance package, 5 weeks paid vacation per year and a wellness allowance. Your placement in the range depends on your experience, independence, ownership, and problem-solving.
How to apply
Email: jobs@winterkeep.com with your CV and portfolio links.
As a small studio, we're not able to sponsor work permits at this stage, so you'll need the right to work in Sweden.