Technical Artist

Smile Break; United States; Remote; USD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) match

Unlimited PTO

Company-paid premiums

Job summary

A game development company is seeking a Technical Artist to enhance the art pipeline and support tools in Unity. The ideal candidate will collaborate with teams to build shaders, streamline workflows, and maintain Git operations. Applicants should have strong Git skills and familiarity with Unity’s art pipeline. This fully remote position offers great benefits, including 401(k) matching and unlimited PTO, within a supportive and creative environment.

Qualifications

• Strong understanding of multi-disciplinary production environments.
• Experience developing tools in Unity and automation processes.
• Ability to work collaboratively with artists and engineers.

Responsibilities

• Support the art pipeline and improve visual workflows in Unity.
• Develop and maintain Unity shaders and support VFX workflows.
• Assist with technical solutions for workflow bottlenecks.
• Create tools for efficient asset management in Unity and Maya.

Skills

Strong Git literacy

Understanding of Unity’s art pipeline

Knowledge of shaders (Shader Graph or HLSL)

Experience with Maya and scripting

Problem-solving skills for art workflows

Clear communication with team members

Collaborative mindset

Job description

Technical Artist / Unity Tools Support

Fully Remote (Pacific/Central US time zones preferred)

Company: Smile Break

Reports To: Tech Tools Lead Engineer

Job Summary

We are looking for a Technical Artist who can support our art pipeline, improve visual workflows in Unity, and build tools that keep our content production running smoothly. This role is a hybrid between technical art, pipeline tooling, and Git support, with tech art as the core function.

You’ll work closely with our Tech Art, Art, and Tools Engineering teams to build shaders, assist with VFX, streamline asset workflows, and support artists in Unity and Maya. You will also help maintain healthy Git workflows, assist with Git issues when they arise, and contribute to tooling that stabilizes and improves the pipeline.

This is a great opportunity for someone who wants to grow as a Technical Artist while supporting a highly collaborative, creative team.

Responsibilities

• Develop, maintain, and debug Unity shaders (HLSL or Shader Graph)
• Support VFX workflows and help build/maintain effects in Unity
• Assist artists with Unity scene issues, materials, lighting, prefabs, asset setup, and optimization
• Build or improve Unity Editor tools to accelerate art and design workflows
• Help plan and prototype new tools and features with the Tools team
• Support upcoming visual pushes through shader tweaks, visual polish, and art tech problem‑solving
• Collaborate with artists to identify workflow bottlenecks and provide technical solutions
• Create and maintain scripts/tools for Maya (Python, PyMEL, or MEL)
• Improve the asset export/import pipeline
• Support DCC‑to‑Unity workflows, validation, and data consistency
• Build automations and utilities that reduce manual labor for the art team
• Help ensure scenes and assets stay organized, clean, and performant

• Assist artists when they encounter Git issues, including diagnosing conflicts and resolving problematic repo states
• Fix broken Unity scene files or assets caused by incorrect merges or version‑control pitfalls
• Contribute to improving internal Git workflows and tools

Skills & Requirements

• Strong Git literacy and experience working in multi‑disciplinary production environments
• Solid understanding of Unity’s art pipeline (prefabs, scenes, materials, VFX, shaders, lighting)
• Familiarity with writing or modifying shaders (Shader Graph or HLSL)
• Experience with Maya and scripting (Python/PyMEL or MEL)
• Strong problem‑solving and debugging skills, especially for art workflow issues
• Ability to communicate clearly with artists, designers, and engineers
• A collaborative mindset and service‑oriented attitude

Nice‑to‑Have Skills

• Experience building Unity Editor tools (C#)
• Experience with VFX Graph
• Experience improving content pipelines and automation
• Exposure to CI/CD or automated build systems

Who you are

• You enjoy supporting artists and solving complex pipeline problems
• You want to grow in either a Technical Art or Tools Engineering direction
• You think like an engineer but communicate smoothly with artists
• You stay calm and methodical when a scene or repo gets into a bad state
• You value team uptime, communication, and making workflows easier for everyone

What We Offer

• Fully remote, full‑time position.
• Opportunity to work on a high‑profile IP with a talented and passionate team.
• Great benefits, including company‑paid premiums, 401(k) match, and unlimited PTO.
• Supportive work environment that values a healthy work‑life balance.

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