Lead Technical Artist – Shaders

SussexDigital; Brighton; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Hangar 13 seeks a Lead Shader/Material Artist with deep UE5 expertise to define material workflows, drive look development, and lead both internal and external teams toward world-class visuals. You will enhance shaders, materials, and rendering pipelines while balancing performance across platforms.

You will collaborate with Art Directors and engineers, mentoring a team and ensuring alignment with production goals. Onsite presence is required at least 3 days per week.

Qualifications

• 7+ years in games industry with shipped AAA titles.
• Senior/Lead Shader/Material Artist on large projects.
• Expert UE5 material editor, shader graph, and rendering pipeline.
• Strong understanding of physically-based shading (PBR) and materials.
• Hands-on experience with Lumen and Nanite in UE5.
• Able to balance high fidelity with performance.
• Proven leadership, mentoring, and cross-discipline collaboration.

Responsibilities

• Define quality bar for shaders & materials across project.
• Establish shader/material pipeline for fidelity and performance.
• Lead R&D into UE5 features (Lumen, Nanite, virtual texturing).
• Collaborate with Art Director to align with art direction.
• Create and maintain modular, performant shader/material library.
• Develop complex materials for characters, environments, and cinematics.
• Work with lighting to achieve believable surfaces under dynamic lighting.
• Optimize materials for memory, draw calls, and runtime performance.
• Mentor and inspire shader/material artists and technical artists.
• Review work, set quality standards, and provide feedback.
• Collaborate with external partners to meet AAA expectations.

Skills

Unreal Engine 5

Shader authoring

PBR workflows

Leadership

Mentoring

Team leadership

Lumen / Nanite expertise

Tools

Substance Designer

Houdini

HLSL

Unreal Engine

Job description

Hangar 13 is an internal 2K development studio that crafts unforgettable AAA gaming experiences across all major platforms. With studios in Brighton (UK), Brno, and Prague (CZ), we work as one team to bring to life narrative-rich games that keep players immersed. Each of our locations provides the opportunity to work with some of the most talented developers in the industry, on creatively challenging and exciting projects, in a diverse and welcoming environment.

Brighton & Hove

Job Summary

We are seeking a highly skilled Lead Shader / Material Artist with deep expertise in Unreal Engine 5. In this leadership role, you will define the standards for material workflows, drive innovation in look development, and collaborate with artists, technical teams, and engineering to achieve world-class visuals while maintaining optimal performance.

This position demands both artistic sensibility and strong technical problem-solving, with mastery of UE5’s material editor, shader graph, Lumen, Nanite, and advanced rendering features.

In addition to leading internal team members, you will also oversee and collaborate with external co-development partners, ensuring their work aligns with our creative vision, technical standards, and production goals.

Please note we do require someone to be onsite at one of our Studios at least 3 days a week.

Duties And Responsibilities

• Define and drive the visual and technical quality bar for all shaders and materials in the project.
• Establish a shader and material pipeline optimized for both high visual fidelity and real-time performance across platforms.
• Lead R&D into UE5’s advanced rendering features (Lumen, Nanite, virtual texturing, runtime virtual shadows, etc.) to enhance the project’s material systems.
• Partner with the Art Director to ensure materials support the game’s overall art direction and style.
• Create and maintain a library of modular, reusable, and performant shaders and materials.
• Develop complex materials for characters, environments, weapons, FX integration, and cinematics, working closely with these disciplines to ensure seamless integration across the project.
• Work with lighting and rendering teams to achieve physically accurate, believable surfaces under dynamic lighting conditions.
• Optimize materials for memory, draw calls, and runtime performance across platforms.
• Manage, mentor, and inspire a team of shader/material artists and technical artists.
• Review work, provide feedback, and set standards for quality and consistency.
• Collaborate with external partners or outsourcing vendors to ensure materials meet AAA expectations.

Essential Skills, Attributes And Experience

• Minimum 7+ years’ experience in the games industry, with at least 2 shipped AAA titles.
• Proven track record as a Senior or Lead Shader/Material Artist on a large-scale project.
• Expert-level proficiency in Unreal Engine 5 material editor, shader graph, and rendering pipeline.
• Strong understanding of PBR workflows, physically-based shading models, and material authoring.
• Hands-on experience with Lumen, Nanite, and virtual texturing in UE5.
• Ability to balance high visual fidelity with performance optimization.
• Strong leadership, mentoring, and cross-discipline collaboration skills.

Highly Desirable

• Experience with procedural material workflows (e.g., Substance Designer, Houdini).
• Knowledge of HLSL or shader programming for advanced customization.
• Familiarity with real-time ray tracing and cinematic rendering in UE5.
• Experience with material systems for multiplayer and large open worlds.
• Passion for experimenting with new rendering techniques and staying ahead of industry trends. Hangar 13 prides itself on the diversity of its team members, partners, and communities. For this reason, we remain committed to providing equal employment opportunity in all aspects of the employment relationship, from recruitment and hiring through compensation, benefits, discipline and termination.

As an equal opportunity employer, we are also committed to ensuring that qualified individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation(s) to participate in the job application and/or interview process, to perform their essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us if you need to request reasonable accommodation.