Senior Technical Artist: Shader Wizard & Pipeline Lead

Placements24; Willows (CA); On-site; USD 48,000 - 67,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Health benefits

Performance bonuses

Career advancement opportunities

Job summary

Placements24 is seeking a Senior Technical Artist for a prominent game development studio in Welkom, SA. You will bridge art and technology, building pipelines, shaders, and VFX while ensuring asset performance across platforms.

You will work with Unreal Engine or Unity, develop automation scripts (Python, MEL, C#), and optimize assets in a collaborative, on-site, full-time setting. Excellent portfolio and 6+ years in the field are required.

Qualifications

• Minimum 6 years of experience as a Technical Artist in the video game industry.
• Strong portfolio showcasing shaders, materials, optimization, pipeline tools, and VFX.
• Proficiency with Unreal Engine or Unity, including their material editors and optimization tools.
• Experience with scripting languages (Python, MEL, C#) for tool development.

Responsibilities

• Develop, maintain, and improve art pipelines, tools, and workflows for game development.
• Create, optimize, and implement high-quality shaders and materials using engine-specific editors (Unreal Engine, Unity).
• Optimize 3D assets, textures, and scenes for maximum performance across target platforms.
• Develop and integrate visual effects (VFX) and special effects that align with the game's art direction and technical constraints.
• Collaborate closely with artists, designers, and programmers to solve complex technical art challenges.
• Create custom scripts and plugins (e.g., Python, MEL, C#) to automate tasks and enhance artistic efficiency.
• Provide technical support and training to the art team.
• Research and implement new technologies and techniques to improve art quality and performance.
• Conduct performance profiling and identify areas for optimization.
• Ensure artistic assets meet technical specifications and quality standards.

Skills

Shader authoring

Asset optimization

Pipeline tools

Scripting languages

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Graphics or related field

Tools

Unreal Engine

Unity

Maya

3ds Max

Blender

DirectX/OpenGL

Job description

Placements24 is seeking a Senior Technical Artist for a prominent game development studio in Welkom, SA. You will bridge art and technology, building pipelines, shaders, and VFX while ensuring asset performance across platforms.

You will work with Unreal Engine or Unity, develop automation scripts (Python, MEL, C#), and optimize assets in a collaborative, on-site, full-time setting. Excellent portfolio and 6+ years in the field are required.