Contract VFX Artist (Game Development)

TL;DR

Contract VFX Artist (Game Development) (Unreal Engine/Niagara): Creating and polishing real-time visual effects for gameplay, environments, and cinematics with an accent on atmospheric style, player feedback, and performance optimization. Focus on designing shaders and particle systems, solving scalability challenges across target platforms, and iterating closely with art, design, and engineering.

Location: United States, with compensation varying by U.S. metropolitan area and other U.S. locations.

Salary: $28–$54 USD per hour, equivalent to approximately $4,480–$8,640 per month based on 160 hours.

Company

hirify.global is a startup multimedia studio known for the indie horror game franchise Poppy Playtime.

What you will do

• Create real-time VFX for gameplay, environments, and cinematics, including particles, shaders, and lighting effects.
• Design effects that improve player feedback, gameplay readability, immersion, tension, and emotional impact.
• Build, iterate, and polish effects in Unreal Engine, preferably using Niagara.
• Collaborate with art direction, design, and engineering to maintain visual consistency and support gameplay clarity.
• Optimize VFX for performance, memory, and scalability across target platforms.
• Organize and document VFX assets while delivering work on defined timelines.

Requirements

• 3+ years of experience creating real-time VFX for games.
• A strong portfolio demonstrating high-quality, stylized, or atmospheric effects.
• Experience with Unreal Engine or similar real-time engines; Niagara experience is strongly preferred.
• Strong understanding of shaders, materials, and particle systems.
• Ability to balance visual quality with performance constraints and deliver assets on schedule.
• Strong collaboration and communication skills, with the ability to work independently in a contract environment.

Nice to have

• Experience with horror or atmospheric games.
• Knowledge of Houdini or procedural VFX workflows.
• Basic scripting or technical art experience.
• Experience shipping at least one game title.
• Familiarity with console and multiplatform optimization.

Culture & Benefits

• Hands-on contract role focused on execution, iteration, and polished in-game results.
• Collaboration across art, design, and engineering disciplines.
• Equal opportunity workplace compliant with applicable federal, state, and local laws.