Expert Technical Artist

What We're Looking For For the first phase of production, you are BulletFarm's technical art department. Pipeline, VFX, lighting, and vendor technical standards all sit with you: simultaneously, not sequentially. There is no team to delegate to and no inherited infrastructure to build on. You will be building the art pipeline for a new AAA IP from scratch, establishing the technical standards that 50+ external artists will be measured against, and covering three disciplines until the team scales. This is a role for someone who has spent years as the most technically capable person in their art department and wants a project where that breadth is the requirement, not a workaround. What You'll Do - Own and maintain the end-to-end art pipeline from content creation through engine implementation. - Establish technical art standards, workflows, documentation, and best practices for internal and external teams. - Develop tools, automation systems, and workflows that improve artist productivity and content scalability. - Partner with Engineering to solve technical challenges related to rendering, performance, asset management, and content integration. - Collaborate closely with the Art Director to ensure artistic goals align with technical constraints and production realities. - Serve as the primary VFX resource during prototype and early production phases. - Design, implement, and optimize real-time visual effects using Niagara. - Create and maintain lighting setups that support gameplay, atmosphere, mood, and storytelling objectives. - Support material creation, shader implementation, and advanced Unreal Engine rendering workflows. - Profile and optimize art content to meet performance targets across supported platforms. - Coordinate with external vendors to ensure assets integrate properly into production pipelines and meet technical standards. - Review incoming content and provide guidance on optimization, implementation, and technical quality. Qualifications Required - 7+ years of experience as a Lead Technical Artist, Principal Technical Artist, Expert Technical Artist, or equivalent on shipped AAA or AA titles. - Deep expertise with Unreal Engine 5 content pipelines and technical art workflows. - Strong proficiency with Niagara and real-time VFX creation. - Experience creating and optimizing complex visual effects for gameplay and environmental applications. - Strong understanding of lighting theory, atmospheric lighting, and real-time rendering workflows. - Experience working with modern rendering technologies, including Lumen and related UE5 systems. - Expertise in materials, shaders, asset optimization, and performance profiling. - Experience building tools and pipeline automation solutions. - Proficiency with Python, Blueprint scripting, or similar pipeline development tools. - Active engagement with AI-assisted tools in the technical art pipeline: including Substance AI, AI-driven VFX workflows, or pipeline automation tooling. Comfort with AI tooling is a studio-wide requirement. - Strong communication skills and ability to collaborate across Art, Engineering, Design, and Production teams. - Experience supporting external development partners and outsourced content pipelines. Preferred - Experience working on horror, action, dark fantasy, or atmospheric titles. - Experience supporting large-scale external art organizations and vendor ecosystems. - Familiarity with console performance optimization workflows. - Experience creating procedural workflows and content generation pipelines. - Knowledge of asset streaming, memory management, and platform-specific optimization techniques. - Previous experience helping establish pipelines and standards for a new project or studio. Why Join Us - BulletFarm is an independent, AAA studio. We are a creative partnership backed by GreaterThan Group, a strategic co-owner with deep gaming industry experience and a long-term ownership model aligned with the studio's success. - We are remote first: work alongside a small, senior team from anywhere in the US or Canada on a project with a clear 2030 launch target on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. - Join early enough that your decisions matter: the studio is at a stage where the people building it have direct influence over how it operates, what it values, and how it makes games. - Competitive base salary, health, dental, and vision benefits. - Own the rendering and graphics technology stack for a new AAA title: working directly with the Technical Director on foundational architecture decisions. - Solve challenging graphics and performance problems using cutting-edge UE5 technology with broad technical ownership from day one. Equal Opportunity Employer BulletFarm is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristic. We are committed to building a team that reflects a diversity of backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences. Compensation & Benefits The salary range listed above reflects the budgeted range for this role in USD. Actual compensation will be determined based on experience, skills, and qualifications. BulletFarm offers a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, and vision insurance, 401(k), and flexible paid time off. Pay Transparency In compliance with applicable state and local pay transparency laws: including those in Colorado, California, New York, Washington, and Illinois, the salary range for this position is disclosed in the compensation section above. Accommodations Applicants who require reasonable accommodations during the application or interview process are encouraged to contact us at hr@bulletfarm.com.