Senior Real-Time VFX Lead (UE5/Unity)

Keywords Studios Plc; United States; Hybrid; USD 85,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

3 weeks paid leave

Benefits package including medical, (d

Sick Leave

Disability Coverage

Performance bonus

401(k) Retirement Plan with company m

Job summary

GameSim is seeking a Senior VFX Artist to lead and implement real-time visual effects across UE5/Unity or proprietary engines. The role blends leadership, collaboration, and hands-on creation of textures, materials, and particle systems to deliver ship-ready effects aligned with art direction.

You’ll mentor teammates, set quality standards, optimize effects for performance, and partner with Designers, Concept Artists, and Tech Art to ensure delivery meets client expectations.

Qualifications

• Minimum 8-years of professional game industry experience with at least one shipped title.
• Experience in in-engine implementation using Unreal Engine 4 or 5 and Niagara.
• Strong texture and material creation skills in Photoshop and/or Substance Designer.
• Leadership-level communication and mentoring experience.
• Ability to work Central (CT) core hours with overlap with PT/ET; remote/hybrid/onsite options.

Responsibilities

• Create custom real-time visual effects and implement them in engine (UE5, Unity, or proprietary).
• Create all necessary textures and materials; maintain clean, readable graphs and parameterization.
• Utilize additional software tools like Photoshop, Blender, Houdini, or Maya as needed.
• Understand complex material setups, blueprints, or scripting hooks; troubleshoot issues and partner with Tech Art/Engineering.
• Own optimization fundamentals: budgets, overdraw, particle counts, memory/perf constraints, and console targets.
• Set quality bar, provide clear reviews/paintovers, and guide VFX execution for small pods or strike teams.
• Proactively identify risks and propose solutions; elevate early.
• Collaborate with Designers, Concept Artists, and the Art Director; partner with Tech Art/Engineering as needed.

Skills

Leadership communication

Mentoring teammates

In-engine VFX implementation

Tools

Unreal Engine 4/5

Niagara

Photoshop

Substance Designer

Unity

Job description

GameSim is seeking a Senior VFX Artist to lead and implement real-time visual effects across UE5/Unity or proprietary engines. The role blends leadership, collaboration, and hands-on creation of textures, materials, and particle systems to deliver ship-ready effects aligned with art direction.

You’ll mentor teammates, set quality standards, optimize effects for performance, and partner with Designers, Concept Artists, and Tech Art to ensure delivery meets client expectations.