Lead Technical Artist - Pipeline Optimization

Placements24; Klerksdorp; Hybrid; ZAR 1,494,000 - 2,158,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Fully remote work from anywhere

Competitive salary and benefits

Professional development opportunities

Work-life balance in a remote team

Job summary

Placements24 is seeking a Lead Technical Artist to drive pipeline optimization and tool integration across 3D art, animation, and VFX. This fully remote role requires mentoring a team of technical artists, improving asset creation efficiency, and enabling faster iteration cycles.

The ideal candidate has 6+ years in technical art with leadership experience, strong scripting (Python/MEL/C#), and proficiency with Maya, Houdini, Substance, Unreal or Unity.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience in a related field.
• Minimum 6 years as Technical Artist with 2+ years in lead role.
• Proven pipeline development and optimization in games or VFX.
• Strong scripting with Python, MEL or C#.
• Expertise with Maya, 3ds Max, Houdini and Substance Suite.
• Experience with Unreal Engine or Unity and pipeline requirements.
• Solid understanding of 3D modeling, texturing, rigging, animation, rendering.
• Strong problem-solving and proactive leadership for remote teams.

Responsibilities

• Analyze and optimize content creation pipelines for 3D art, animation, and VFX.
• Develop tools, scripts, and plugins to automate workflows.
• Collaborate with engineers and artists to integrate new tools into the pipeline.
• Establish and enforce asset creation naming conventions and file management.
• Troubleshoot technical issues related to the art pipeline.
• Provide training and support on pipeline tools and workflows.
• Lead and mentor a team of technical artists and guide their growth.
• Research new software and technologies to improve efficiency.
• Define technical specs for art assets to ensure performance and compatibility.
• Champion scalable art production workflows across the organization.

Skills

Python

MEL

C#

3D modeling

Texturing

Rigging

Animation

Rendering

Leadership

Pipeline optimization

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Graphics, Computer Science, or related field

Tools

Maya

3ds Max

Houdini

Substance Suite

Unreal Engine

Unity

Job description

About the Role

Our client is actively seeking a highly skilled Lead Technical Artist to spearhead pipeline optimization efforts. This is a fully remote opportunity, allowing you to leverage your expertise from anywhere. You will be responsible for enhancing our client's content creation pipeline, improving efficiency, and ensuring seamless integration of tools and workflows across art disciplines. Your role will involve identifying bottlenecks, developing innovative solutions, and mentoring a team of technical artists to maintain a high standard of productivity and quality. This position is critical for streamlining asset creation and enabling faster iteration cycles.

Key Responsibilities

• Analyze and optimize existing content creation pipelines for 3D art, animation, and VFX.
• Develop custom tools, scripts, and plugins to automate workflows and enhance artist productivity.
• Collaborate with engineers and artists to integrate new technologies and tools into the pipeline.
• Establish and enforce best practices for asset creation, naming conventions, and file management.
• Troubleshoot and resolve technical issues related to the art pipeline.
• Provide training and support to artists on pipeline tools and workflows.
• Lead and mentor a team of technical artists, guiding their technical development and project contributions.
• Research and evaluate new software and technologies to improve pipeline efficiency.
• Define technical specifications for art assets to ensure optimal performance and compatibility.
• Champion efficient and scalable art production workflows across the organization.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Graphics, Computer Science, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• Minimum of 6 years of experience as a Technical Artist, with at least 2 years in a lead or senior capacity.
• Proven experience in pipeline development and optimization within the games or VFX industry.
• Strong proficiency in scripting languages such as Python, MEL, or C#.
• Expertise with industry-standard DCC (Digital Content Creation) tools like Maya, 3ds Max, Houdini, and Substance Suite.
• Familiarity with game engines such as Unreal Engine or Unity, and their respective pipeline requirements.
• Excellent understanding of 3D modeling, texturing, rigging, animation, and rendering principles.
• Strong problem-solving abilities and a proactive approach to identifying and resolving technical challenges.
• Excellent communication and leadership skills, with the ability to articulate technical concepts clearly.
• Experience working effectively within a fully remote team structure.

Benefits

• This role offers the significant advantage of being fully remote , providing flexibility and the opportunity to work from your preferred location.
• Our client offers a highly competitive salary, comprehensive benefits package, and substantial opportunities for professional development and career advancement.
• You will be part of a forward-thinking company that values innovation and efficiency, contributing to the creation of groundbreaking interactive experiences.
• Enjoy the autonomy and work-life balance that comes with a remote position.