Senior Technical Artist

Certain Affinity; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Certain Affinity is seeking a seasoned Technical Artist to push visual quality across AAA FPS project pipelines in Unreal Engine. You will own tools, automation, and asset integration, collaborating with Art, VFX, Design, and Rendering to improve fidelity and runtime performance.

The role requires strong scripting, advanced knowledge of Unreal Engine systems, and experience shipping at least one AAA title. You excel at rapid tool development and a hands-on approach to pipeline improvements.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in game industry with 4+ years in Technical Art
• Shipped at least one AAA title as a Technical Artist
• Strong scripting in Python/MEL/C#/C++ for tools
• Experience with lighting and VFX in Unreal Engine
• Asset prep, export pipelines, and DCC proficiency

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain scalable Technical Art workflows and pipelines
• Collaborate with Art, VFX, Design, Engineering for visual fidelity and performance
• Support VFX pipeline development and content integration
• Identify gaps and implement production-ready tooling
• Build and deploy tools using Python, Unreal Editor Utilities, Houdini assets
• Own core art pipelines for stability and efficiency
• Troubleshoot complex content, rendering, and performance issues
• Establish best practices for visual quality and scalability

Skills

Technical Art

Scripting & tooling

Unreal Engine expertise

Cross-discipline collaboration

Vendor/asset pipeline optimization

Education

Bachelor's degree in a related field

Tools

Unreal Engine

Maya

Houdini

Substance Designer/Painter

Job description

Would you like to help push the visual quality of current and future games across some of the greatest franchises in gaming history, as well as new original IP? Certain Affinity has physical locations in Austin, Texas, and Toronto, Canada. Our culture reflects the values and vibrant nature of the cities we call home, including a commitment to evolution, diversity, excellence, and work-life balance. We are best known for co-developing numerous AAA FPS games, and we are continuing to expand the quality, ambition, and technical sophistication of the experiences we help bring to life. This role reports to the Technical Art Director and is ideal for someone who combines deep production experience with strong technical judgment, a sharp eye for visual quality, and the ability to solve complex cross-discipline problems in Unreal Engine.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain scalable Technical Art workflows, tools, and pipelines that support high-quality visual execution across current projects.
• Partner with Art, VFX, Design, Engineering, and Rendering to improve visual fidelity, content iteration, and runtime performance in Unreal Engine.
• Support VFX pipeline development, simulation workflows, material systems, and content integration to help achieve project visual targets.
• Identify pipeline gaps and implement pragmatic, production-ready solutions that unblock teams and improve asset quality, consistency, and throughput.
• Build and deploy tools using Python, Unreal Editor Utility Blueprints, Houdini Digital Assets, or similar technologies to streamline content creation and validation.
• Own and improve core art pipelines, ensuring they remain stable, efficient, performance-conscious, and adaptable as project needs evolve.
• Troubleshoot complex content, rendering, material, VFX, and performance issues across multiple disciplines.
• Establish best practices for visual quality and technical scalability, including Nanite usage, texture streaming, LODs, material complexity, profiling, and optimization workflows.
• Facilitate clear cross-discipline communication to align visual goals, technical constraints, and production priorities.

Requirements

• 5+ years of game industry experience, with 4+ years in a Technical Artist role
• Proven experience standing up or significantly evolving pipelines in early or ambiguous production phases
• Shipped 1+ AAA title as a Technical Artist
• Strong scripting or programming skills (Python, MEL, C#, or C++) with a focus on rapid tool development
• Experience working with both lighting and VFX in Unreal Engine
• Knowledge in FluidNinja, Chaos Physics, and EmberGen
• Deep familiarity with Unreal Engine systems, including Materials/Shader Graph, Blueprint workflows, and performance profiling tools (e.g., Unreal Insights, Stat commands)
• Expert-level experience with at least one DCC package (Maya, Max, Blender, or similar) including asset prep and export pipelines
• Experience building or supporting environment art workflows and content pipelines (e.g., Substance Designer/Painter, Houdini for procedural generation)
• Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to prioritize speed and impact in a fast-moving environment
• Clear communication and ability to operate effectively within a small, highly collaborative team
• Portfolio demonstrating tools, workflows, or pipeline solutions that improved team velocity
• A desire to work in a diverse and inclusive environment

Extra Credit

• Experience working in small or strike teams, covering multiple roles across Tech Art, Tools, and Rendering
• Experience supporting animation or technical animation workflows (e.g., Control Rig, Animation Blueprints, state machines, or runtime rigging/debugging)
• Experience setting up or improving content validation and build pipelines
• Experience creating documentation and onboarding workflows
• Ability to evaluate and integrate third-party tools or middleware to accelerate development