Senior Technical Artist (Unreal Engine)

TL;DR

Senior Technical Artist (Unreal Engine): Developing advanced visuals and procedural systems for immersive VR/AR experiences with an accent on real-time look development and technical art pipelines. Focus on creating high-caliber shaders, optimizing assets for VR, and building rapid prototypes to push visual boundaries.

Location: Onsite in San Francisco, California, United States

Salary: $134,300 – $171,800 per year

Company

ILM develops original immersive experiences across VR, AR, and location-based platforms, blending best-in-class visuals and narrative.

What you will do

• Conceive and implement technically advanced visuals, procedural systems, and high-caliber real-time art.
• Develop shaders, lighting, and particle effects in partnership with character and environment artists.
• Build tools and rapid prototypes using Blueprints and Python to assist artists and designers.
• Optimize assets, identify and fix bugs, and perform performance profiling to ensure stability in VR.
• Standardize best practices for materials, shaders, LODs, and asset streaming.
• Mentor other Technical Artists to improve studio tools and pipelines.

Requirements

• 5+ years of experience in games, film, TV, or AR/VR.
• Proficiency in Python, C++, C#, Java, VEX, or MEL and linear algebra.
• Deep understanding of real-time workflows: modeling, texturing, shading, and lighting.
• Expertise in Unreal Engine (Blueprints, material networks, real-time simulations).
• In-depth knowledge of PBR pipelines, VR shader limitations, and subsurface shaders.
• Proficiency with Maya, Houdini, Blender, Substance Designer/Painter, or Photoshop.

Nice to have

• Passion for VR/AR and game development.
• Experience with VFX production pipelines.
• Ability and interest to work with proprietary toolsets.

Culture & Benefits

• Opportunity to work on award-winning immersive storytelling projects.
• Full range of medical, financial, and other corporate benefits.
• Collaborative environment pushing the boundaries of digital entertainment.
• Access to proprietary tools and cutting-edge real-time technology.