Senior Technical Artist (Gaming)

NO AGENCIES OR EXTERNAL RECRUITERS

Sinn Studio Inc. is leading the charge in XR combat games! Our debut game, Swordsman, is a physics-based combat game where you can slash your way through medieval earth to become the ultimate Swordsman. Having won multiple and been nominated for awards like Game of the Year in 2022, Best Swordfighting Game in 2020 and more. Swordsman also boasts top best seller in Quest and PSVR/2 platforms.

Sinn Studio is looking for a Senior Technical Artist to join our team! We are looking for someone with expertise in Unreal Engine and related systems (ie. Niagara, shaders) to produce a variety of results in: visual effects, gore systems & emitters, and collaborate with artists to manage and maintain the material / shader pipeline for ease of use. The incumbent is an ambitious problem-solver with a demonstrated ability to build compelling, high-quality technical art solutions for video games in engine. They balance player expectations within budgets and performance while not compromising on artistic quality. We are looking for someone who will enrich us with the standards you set in your practice and your collaboration, all in a space where you can thrive.

Responsibilities

1. Maintain and evolve technical art guidelines, benchmarking and naming conventions
2. Help communicate and mentor to ensure that colleagues understand and can apply these standards and implementations
3. Be involved in scalable, technical tasks related to art (this could include VFX, environmental impact, weapons, etc)
4. Produce unique materials for and with the art team
5. This could be for areas ranging from magic (ie. enchantment), shaders, and blood (ie. decals for walls, or emitters for blood splatters)
6. Optimize emitters, draw calls, and materials to achieve performance targets (ie. for standalone Meta Quest)
7. Develop solutions for dismemberment and gore in collaboration with a rendering engineer for realistic, high-quality gore in combat (ie. for period alignment, historical immersion)
8. Collaborate with artists to manage and maintain the material / shader pipeline, supporting projects on an as-needed basis in these areas
9. Collaborate with creative leads and artists to produce compelling, high-quality, real-time visual effects and art for gameplay (ie. dust, blood, impact, magic, etc)
10. Help with maintaining asset banks
11. Work with the art and programming teams to overcome technical obstacles in art
12. Monitor and help maintain efficient performance/constraints in engine and visual quality targets
13. Act as a communication touch point for technical and non-technical translation within art
14. Other related duties as required

Qualifications

If the following sounds like you, and you’re interested in joining a growing start-up, we want to hear from you! Not sure that you meet all qualifications? Cast those doubts away - we strongly welcome you to apply. We love to hear from people who are ecstatic about working in the XR industry and where it will evolve to.

1. 5+ years of experience as a technical artist within Unreal Engine with the ability to produce high-quality, performant work
2. Strong grasp of native shader pipelines in Unreal Engine, with a demonstrated ability to leverage the material BP editor and Niagara
3. Strong ability to produce relevant art from scratch, or with available resources (purchased or provided by the company)
4. A solid understanding of art fundamentals and creative briefs
5. Comfortable using different software related to the art pipeline
6. Proficient in Niagara and related VFX systems (such as for volumes and particle systems) in Unreal
7. Experienced with both real-time magic and blood FX
8. Experience supporting on solutions for technical issues with programmers and artists
9. Creative, pragmatic problem solver
10. Receptive and agile with feedback provided
11. Strong understanding of art and technical pipeline requirements
12. Comfortable working with debugging
13. Shipped at least one PC / console game using the Unreal Engine
14. Knowledgeable in optimization workflows for real-time FX and emitters
15. Excellent interpersonal communicator (verbal and written) in technical and non-technical terms
16. Able to mentor other team members
17. Proven ability in documentation, training, and presentations
18. Comfortable being in a virtual environment for varying times wearing a VR headset

Added Advantages:

1. Experience and background with VR / MR / XR
2. Experience in developing or evolving custom tools
3. Post-secondary education in Computer Science, Art, visual effects, or other related fields
4. A good foundation in 3D math and physics
5. Knowledge of C++ (with related plugins) and/or Python
6. Knowledge of procedural software like Houdini
7. PC and console experience preferred over mobile
8. An authentic understanding and passion about games / working in the industry

What to send in your application

1. Beyond a resume, please also include a portfolio demonstrating your highlights and successes in Technical Art related to this position. Check out the recommended guide here.

Additional Information

Salary Range: $100,000-120,000 CAD annually + 3 weeks vacation, sick days, employer paid benefits (except LTD), Employee Assistance Program, wellness days, birthday day off, a Group Retirement Savings Plan (GRSP), and more. As of the time of this posting, Sinn Studio lists the projected base salary range in good faith.

We take a no-negotiation approach in our hiring process when making candidate offers. Our team has worked hard to develop equitable and fair compensation bands that have been set to support our current and incoming team members. We strive to pay our team fairly for the knowledge and relevant experience that they bring.

Offers made to successful candidates have been carefully considered to meet market rates, support internal equity and are commensurate on experience and skillset as well as critical need for the role. These are intended to be our best offer and support our no-negotiation approach.

Office Location: Liberty Village, Toronto

If this sounds like you, and you’re interested in joining a growing start-up, we want to hear from you! Not sure that you meet all qualifications? Cast those doubts away - we strongly welcome you to apply. We love to hear from people who are ecstatic about working in the XR industry and where it will evolve to.

Sinn Studio is an equal opportunity employer, committed to inclusion and diversity. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, family status, genetic characteristics, disability or any other basis forbidden under federal, provincial, or local law, and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability.

Accommodations are available on request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the recruitment process. If you require accommodation, or if you have any additional questions about the role, please contact us at talent@sinnstudio.com.

The Sinn Studio Talent team will communicate with you only through official email addresses and connected Linkedin profiles. We do not use WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, etc. Our team will not ask you to send us money or technology through our processes.

No agencies or external recruiters please.