Lead Technical Artist

Summary

We are seeking a highly skilled Lead Technical Artist to bridge the gap between art and technology in our cutting-edge open-world video game. In this role, you will collaborate with artists, engineers, and designers to develop tools, optimize workflows, and ensure the seamless integration of assets in a large-scale, dynamic game environment. This is a pivotal position that will shape the visual fidelity and performance of our game world.

Core Responsibilities

• Collaborate with art, engineering, and design teams to create and maintain tools, pipelines, and workflows for asset creation and implementation.
• Optimize game assets and environments to ensure high-quality visuals and smooth performance on console hardware.
• Develop and implement prototype material, animation and gameplay framework respecting efficiency and utilizing Unreal best practices.
• Troubleshoot and resolve technical challenges related to art integration, performance, and visual consistency.
• Proactively research and implement new techniques and technologies to push the visual boundaries of the open-world genre.
• Work closely with QA and other teams to debug and resolve technical issues in production.
• Provide technical guidance and support to the art team, including training and documentation on tools and best practices.
  
  

Core Qualifications

• Minimum of 7 years in a Technical Artist role or equivalent experience in game development.
• Proven experience working on at least one shipped console title, preferably in the open-world genre.
• Proficiency in 3D software such as Maya, Blender, or 3ds Max.
• Proven experience with Unreal Engine and scripting languages (Python, MEL, etc.).
• Expertise in shader creation and optimization, with a focus on performance for consoles.
• Familiarity with profiling tools to optimize assets and scenes for target frame rates.
• Strong understanding of modeling, texturing, lighting, and rendering pipelines.
• A keen eye for detail and a strong sense of aesthetics in real-time visuals.
• Excellent communication and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to collaborate across disciplines in a fast-paced development environment.
  
  

Plus if...

• Experience with procedural content generation tools like Houdini.
• Familiarity with Unreal Engines Procedural Content Generation (PCG) Tools and Graphs.
• Familiarity with open-world development challenges, such as streaming, LOD systems, and dynamic environments.
• Knowledge of additional scripting/programming languages (C++, C#).
• Familiarity with Unreal Engine's skeletal mesh system.
  
  

Description

• Full-time job with benefits.
• Role is on-site in Santa Monica, CA.
• Office is located near downtown Santa Monica – near metro and freeway.
  
  

The base pay range for this position is $150,000 to $190,000 per year. Actual compensation is based on market location and may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. We also offer a competitive package of benefits including paid time off, sick time, company holidays, parental leave, medical/dental/vision insurance, life insurance, disability insurance, and 401(k) to regular full-time employees. Certain roles may also be eligible for bonus and equity.