Senior Technical Artist

Summary

We are seeking an accomplished Senior Technical Artist with deep expertise in Procedural Content Generation to support the development of our early stage open-world video game. In this role you will design, implement, and optimize systems that enable the efficient creation of expansive, dynamic environments. You will partner closely with art, engineering, and design to build robust procedural pipelines, advance visual quality, and ensure reliable performance across the project. This role will directly influence the scalability, efficiency, and creative potential of the entire world-building process. 

Core Responsibilities 

• Lead the development and maintenance of procedural tools, workflows, and pipelines that support large-scale environment creation in Unreal Engine. These include forest graphs, road systems, building systems (exterior and interior), traversal systems, dynamic mesh generation, and various prop scattering tools. 
• Build and refine PCG systems that are very artist friendly, that allow them to generate complex content at scale while maintaining artistic vision and performance requirements. 
• Develop and support procedural content generation in Houdini and HDA/TOPS workflow 
• Profile, optimize, and debug art content and procedural systems to ensure stable performance across target hardware. 
• Partner with engineering to integrate the new procedural frameworks, develop tools, and support runtime systems. 
• Collaborate with art and design leadership to define scalable world-building solutions that align with project goals and technical limitations that are art creation friendly. 
• Troubleshoot and resolve complex challenges related to procedural workflows, asset integration, lighting, rendering, and visual consistency. 
• Research emerging PCG methodologies, tools, and industry trends and guide their adoption within the studio with each new engine version. 
• Produce clear documentation, provide training, and mentor artists on best practices for using the procedural and technical workflows. 
• Support QA and cross-discipline partners in identifying and resolving production issues related to procedural systems. 

Core Qualifications 

• Minimum of 8 years of experience as a Technical Artist or equivalent role in game development. 
• Proven experience contributing to at least one shipped AAA console or PC title, preferably within the open-world genre. 
• Advanced expertise with Unreal Engine, including Procedural Content Generation Framework, Materials, Blueprints, and Profiling Tools. 
• Strong proficiency in DCC applications such as Maya, Blender, Houdini, or 3ds Max. 
• Demonstrated experience with procedural systems, node-based workflows, and tool creation that enables efficient large-scale content generation. 
• Strong scripting experience (Python, MEL, Blueprint scripting, or equivalent). 
• Deep understanding of shader development, material optimization, lighting, and real-time rendering. 
• Experience profiling assets and environments and implementing solutions to achieve target performance. 
• Strong understanding of modeling, texturing, and environment construction workflows for real-time engines. 
• Excellent communication and cross-disciplinary collaboration skills along with proven problem-solving abilities. 

Plus If... 

• Expertise in Houdini for procedural asset creation and world-building. 
• Experience working extensively with Unreal Engines PCG Tools and PCG Graphs. 
• Familiarity with large-scale open-world development challenges, including streaming, LOD systems, biome management, and dynamic world logic. 
• Knowledge of C++, C#, or additional scripting languages. 
• Experience with Unreal Engine skeletal mesh systems, including runtime modifications or procedural animation. 

Description  

• Full time job with benefits.     
• Role is on-site in San Rafael, CA.   
• Office is located near downtown San Rafael – near transit stations and freeways.     

The base pay range for this position is $155,000 to $175,000 per year. Actual compensation is based on market location and may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. We also offer a competitive package of benefits including vacation time, sick time, company holidays, parental leave, medical/dental/vision insurance, life insurance, disability insurance, and 401(k) matching to regular full-time employees. Certain roles may also be eligible for bonus and equity.