Technical Artist - NHL

EA SPORTS; Vancouver; On-site; CAD 105,000 - 143,000; Full time

Job summary

EA SPORTS Vancouver is seeking a Technical Artist to push visual quality and performance across multiple platforms. Reporting to the Technical Art Director, you will help drive runtime performance, test and debug, and collaborate with rendering engineers and art leads to achieve the ideal balance between visuals and speed.

Candidates may come from art, design, mathematics, engineering, or computer science, but must enjoy blending creativity with technology.

Qualifications

• At least 5+ years of games production experience.
• A bachelor’s degree (or equivalent experience) in a related field.
• Effective at communicating with different audiences: artists, engineers, managers.
• Proficient in visual (e.g. Shader Graphs, Blueprints) or textual (Python, C#) scripting/programming (C++ is a bonus but is not required).
• Proficient with graphics debuggers/profilers (PIX, RenderDoc) and memory/runtime resource management.
• A solutions-provider, especially as it pertains to testing and debugging technical issues.
• Experience with asset optimization challenges/techniques.
• A willingness to jump into the unknown and solve new problems to resolve technical challenges and limitations.
• Proficiency with commercial game engines/editors like Unity/Unreal is a plus.
• Proven track record of—or strong affinity for—integrating emerging AI technologies into development or creative pipelines to drive innovation and efficiency
• A Passion for Games!

Responsibilities

• The Technical Artist plays a critical role in advancing how our teams deliver world-class experiences.
• Reporting to the Technical Art Director you'll be responsible for helping drive quality at scale, owning runtime performance and optimization across multiple platforms.
• You’ll collaborate closely with our rendering engineers and art leads to build, test, refine and debug anything that comes between that perfect blend of visual quality and high performance.

Skills

Games production

Communication

Shader Graphs

Python

C#

C++ (bonus)

Graphics debugging

Unity/Unreal

AI integration

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

PIX

RenderDoc

Profilers

Job description

Description & Requirements

Electronic Arts creates next-level entertainment experiences that inspire players and fans around the world. Here, everyone is part of the story. Part of a community that connects across the globe. A place where creativity thrives, new perspectives are invited, and ideas matter. A team where everyone makes play happen.

Electronic Arts creates next-level entertainment experiences that inspire players and fans around the world. Here, everyone is part of the story. Part of a community that connects across the globe. A place where creativity thrives, new perspectives are invited, and ideas matter. A team where everyone makes play happen.

Important Note: This team works onsite at EA Vancouver (Burnaby office). Applicants are required to work onsite 3 days, Tuesday - Thursday every week.

EA SPORTS is one of the most iconic brands in entertainment - connecting hundreds of millions around the world to the sports they love through a portfolio of industry-leading video games.

EA SPORTS NHL has revolutionized sports gaming for millions of players worldwide. We’ve pioneered award-winning creative technology and experiences to connect players to the speed, skill, and heart of the NHL. The EA SPORTS NHL franchise is founded on passion and new ideas. Located in Vancouver, British Columbia, the team is composed of diverse talent dedicated to creating on-ice experiences that connect gamers around the world through play. If you're a creative pioneer with a passion for your craft, this will be more than a job. It’ll be what you love.

As part of our NHL, the Technical Art Team helps push visual boundaries and experiences for our players. We invest in future technologies, shared tooling, and production workflows. We combine creativity and imagination with technical expertise. We are a diverse group that encourages team members to bring their unique perspectives and expertise to work every day.

Your Responsibilities

The Technical Artist plays a critical role in advancing how our teams deliver world-class experiences. Reporting to the Technical Art Director you'll be responsible for helping drive quality at scale, owning runtime performance and optimization across multiple platforms. You’ll collaborate closely with our rendering engineers and art leads to build, test, refine and debug anything that comes between that perfect blend of visual quality and high performance.

Candidates may come from Art, Design, Mathematics, Engineering, or Computer Science, but you must be comfortable operating at the intersection of creativity and technology. Most importantly, you bring a genuine curiosity and enthusiasm for emerging technologies like Generative AI and Machine Learning and their transformative capabilities.

Your Qualifications

• At least 5+ years of games production experience
• A bachelor’s degree (or equivalent experience) in a related field.
• Effective at communicating with different audiences: artists, engineers, managers.
• Proficient in visual (e.g. Shader Graphs, Blueprints) or textual (Python, C#) scripting/programming (C++ is a bonus but is not required)
• Proficient with graphics debuggers/profilers (PIX, RenderDoc) and memory/runtime resource management
• A solutions-provider, especially as it pertains to testing and debugging technical issues.
• Experience with asset optimization challenges/techniques.
• A willingness to jump into the unknown and solve new problems to resolve technical challenges and limitations.
• Proficiency with commercial game engines/editors like Unity/Unreal is a plus.
• Proven track record of—or strong affinity for—integrating emerging AI technologies into development or creative pipelines to drive innovation and efficiency
• A Passion for Games!

Pay Transparency - North America

Compensation And Benefits

The ranges listed below are what EA in good faith expects to pay applicants for this role in these locations at the time of this posting. If you reside in a different location, a recruiter will advise on the applicable range and benefits. Pay offered will be determined based on a number of relevant business and candidate factors (e.g. education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, or business needs).

PAY RANGES

• British Columbia (depending on location e.g. Vancouver vs. Victoria) *$104,500 - $142,800 CAD

Pay is just one part of the overall compensation at EA.

For Canada, we offer a package of benefits including vacation (3 weeks per year to start), 10 days per year of sick time, paid top-up to EI/QPIP benefits up to 100% of base salary when you welcome a new child (12 weeks for maternity, and 4 weeks for parental/adoption leave), extended health/dental/vision coverage, life insurance, disability insurance, retirement plan to regular full-time employees. Certain roles may also be eligible for bonus and other incentive programs.

About Electronic Arts

We’re proud to have an extensive portfolio of games and experiences, locations around the world, and opportunities across EA. We value adaptability, resilience, creativity, and curiosity. From leadership that brings out your potential, to creating space for learning and experimenting, we empower you to do great work and pursue opportunities for growth.

We adopt a holistic approach to our benefits programs, emphasizing physical, emotional, financial, career, and community wellness to support a balanced life. Our packages are tailored to meet local needs and may include healthcare coverage, mental well-being support, retirement savings, paid time off, family leaves, complimentary games, and more. We nurture environments where our teams can always bring their best to what they do.

Electronic Arts is an equal opportunity employer. All employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, genetic information, religion, disability, medical condition, pregnancy, marital status, family status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We will also consider employment qualified applicants with criminal records in accordance with applicable law. EA also makes workplace accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities as required by applicable law.