Senior Technical Artist

Tencent; Irvine (CA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Sign-on bonus

Relocation package

Restricted stock units

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

401(k) plan

Paid vacation

Paid holidays

Paid sick leave

Job summary

Lightspeed Studios in Irvine seeks a skilled Technical Artist to spearhead complex art pipelines for AAA titles. You will mentor juniors, implement graphics features in Unreal Engine, and collaborate with Art, Engineering, and Production to deliver high-quality visuals.

The role requires deep knowledge of modeling, texturing, shading, lighting, and real-time rendering, with Blueprint and material creation expertise. Strong problem solving and independence are essential.

Qualifications

• Experts in the content creation pipeline across modeling, texturing, shading, lighting, FX, rigging and animation.
• Proven experience with modern game content creation workflows.
• Technical Artist with AAA title shipping experience.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Spearhead and implement technical solutions for the art team, setting high standards and mentoring junior Technical Artists.
• Collaborate with different teams to facilitate the technical implementation and management of in-house and outsourced assets.
• Drive the development of state-of-the-art visuals that complement and enhance the game design.
• Prototype and author graphics features requiring high technical expertise.
• Develop novel content creation techniques and workflows to enhance efficiency and quality.
• Work closely with the Art, Engineering, and Production departments to meet all dependencies and requirements.
• Support the Art team in debugging tools and game-related issues.
• Optimize the game’s run-time performance and memory consumption.

Skills

Content pipeline

Modeling

UV mapping

Texturing

Shading

Lighting

FX

Rigging

Animation

Tools

Unreal Engine

Blueprints

Material authoring

Job description

Business Unit

LIGHTSPEED STUDIOS is made up of passionate players who advance the art & science of game development through great stories, great gameplay, and advanced technology. We are focused on bringing next generation experiences to gamers who want to enjoy them anywhere, anytime, across multiple genres and devices.

About The Hiring Team

Made up of many top game industry veterans as well as young and inspiring talents, Lightspeed Art Department works on all of Lightspeed’s creative projects, providing artists and support from concept design, 3D modeling, animation, VFX design, technical art, cinematics, comics, and more. With a profound love for games, our Art Department is committed to exploring how the latest, cutting-edge technology can be applied to the artistic projects we oversee. We do our utmost to create future-oriented IP, improving the visual quality of our studio’s games.

What The Role Entails

• Spearhead and implement technical solutions for the art team, setting high standards and mentoring junior Technical Artists.
• Collaborate with different teams to facilitate the technical implementation and management of in-house and outsourced assets.
• Drive the development of state-of-the-art visuals that complement and enhance the game design.
• Prototype and author graphics features requiring high technical expertise.
• Develop novel content creation techniques and workflows to enhance efficiency and quality.
• Work closely with the Art, Engineering, and Production departments to meet all dependencies and requirements.
• Support the Art team in debugging tools and game-related issues.
• Optimize the game’s run-time performance and memory consumption.

Who We Look For

• Extensive knowledge of the content creation pipeline, including modeling, UV mapping, texturing, shading, lighting, FX, rigging, and animation.
• Demonstrable experience with modern game content creation workflows.
• Proven experience as a Technical Artist on shipped AAA titles.
• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written.
• Strong problem-solving skills and ability to work independently.
• Solid background in digital art (modeling, shading, lighting, VFX).
• Profound knowledge of Unreal Tech, including material creation and Blueprints.
• Strong proficiency in Linear Algebra and Calculus, essential for advanced 3D technology applications.
• Understanding of real-time physically based materials and rendering (PBR).

Desirable Skills & Experience:

• Experience with the Substance suite and/or Houdini.
• Knowledge of lower-level programming languages such as C .
• Understanding of shading languages, e.g. HLSL or GLSL.
• Extensive scripting experience for DCC applications, e.g. Python or C#.

Location State(s)

US-California-Irvine, US-California-Los Angeles

The expected base pay range for this position in the location(s) listed above is $ to $ per year. Actual pay may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Employees hired for this position may be eligible for a sign on payment, relocation package, and restricted stock units, which will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Subject to the terms and conditions of the plans in effect, hired applicants are also eligible for medical, dental, vision, life and disability benefits, and participation in the Company’s 401(k) plan. The Employee is also eligible for up to 15 to 25 days of vacation per year (depending on the employee’s tenure), up to 13 days of holidays throughout the calendar year, and up to 10 days of paid sick leave per year. Your benefits may be adjusted to reflect your location, employment status, duration of employment with the company, and position level. Benefits may also be pro-rated for those who start working during the calendar year.

Equal Employment Opportunity at Tencent

As an equal opportunity employer, we firmly believe that diverse voices fuel our innovation and allow us to better serve our users and the community. We foster an environment where every employee of Tencent feels supported and inspired to achieve individual and common goals.