Lead Technical Artist - Next-Gen Game Development

Placements24; South Africa; Remote; ZAR 900,000 - 1,300,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Health insurance

Generous leave

Career advancement

Team events

Job summary

Placements24 is seeking a Lead Technical Artist for a Polokwane-based studio, bridging art and engineering to deliver stunning visuals in next-generation projects. You will build pipelines, tools, and workflows for Unreal Engine or Unity, mentor the art team, and collaborate with programmers to push real-time graphics.

The role requires 7+ years in technical art, leadership experience, strong shader and lighting expertise, and a portfolio of pipeline development.

Qualifications

• 7+ years in technical art for games, with 3+ years in lead/supervisory roles.
• Expertise in Unreal Engine or Unity and shader/material authoring.
• Strong scripting capability in Python, MEL, or C#.

Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor a team of technical artists and foster collaboration.
• Develop, maintain, and optimize art pipelines and workflows.
• Collaborate with engineers to implement graphics features and shaders.
• Optimize assets for multi-platform performance and visual quality.
• Create documentation for pipelines, tools, and best practices.
• Troubleshoot technical art issues and research new techniques.

Skills

Leadership

Mentoring

Pipeline development

Shader development

PBR workflows

Unreal Engine

Unity

Python scripting

C# scripting

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Graphics

Game Development degree or related field

Tools

Unreal Engine

Unity

MEL

Python

C#

Job description

About the Role

Our client, a forward-thinking game development studio at the forefront of next-generation technology, is seeking a highly skilled Lead Technical Artist to spearhead their technical art initiatives in Polokwane. This role is critical in bridging the gap between art and engineering, ensuring that artistic vision is realized efficiently and effectively within technical constraints. You will be responsible for developing pipelines, tools, and workflows that empower the art team to create stunning visuals for our ambitious projects. The ideal candidate possesses a strong blend of artistic sensibility and deep technical expertise, with a proven ability to solve complex problems and mentor other technical artists. You will collaborate closely with programmers, environment artists, and character artists, driving innovation in real-time graphics and asset optimization for the Polokwane studio. This is an exceptional opportunity to shape the visual fidelity of cutting-edge games and lead a talented team. Join us and push the boundaries of visual technology in interactive entertainment.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor a team of technical artists, fostering a collaborative and innovative environment.
• Develop, maintain, and optimize art pipelines, tools, and workflows for Unreal Engine or Unity.
• Collaborate with engineers to implement cutting-edge graphics features and shader development.
• Optimize game assets and scenes for performance across multiple platforms, ensuring high visual quality and frame rates.
• Create and maintain documentation for technical art pipelines, tools, and best practices.
• Troubleshoot and resolve technical art issues encountered by the art and programming teams.
• Research and implement new technologies and techniques to enhance visual quality and efficiency.
• Work closely with art directors to ensure artistic goals are met within technical limitations.
• Develop shaders, materials, and lighting setups to achieve desired visual aesthetics for the Polokwane development team.
• Provide technical guidance and support to the wider art department.

Requirements

• Minimum of 7 years of experience in technical art for games, with at least 3 years in a Lead or senior supervisory role.
• Expertise in at least one major game engine (Unreal Engine or Unity).
• Strong proficiency in 3D modeling, texturing, and PBR workflows.
• Experience with scripting languages such as Python, MEL, or C#.
• Deep understanding of shaders, material authoring, and lighting techniques.
• Proven experience in optimizing game assets and performance profiling.
• Excellent problem-solving skills and a strong ability to debug complex technical issues.
• Strong leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills, crucial for leading the Polokwane team.
• A portfolio demonstrating outstanding technical art skills, pipeline development, and problem-solving examples.
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Graphics, Game Development, or a related technical field, or equivalent experience.

Benefits

• Highly competitive salary and performance bonuses.
• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance.
• Generous paid time off and company holidays.
• Opportunities for career advancement and continuous learning in Polokwane.
• Access to industry-leading technology and development tools.
• A dynamic, creative, and collaborative work culture.
• Exposure to innovative AAA game development projects.
• Pension and retirement planning assistance.
• Regular team events and social gatherings.