Smile Break is hiring: Technical Artist in New York

Technical Artist / Unity Tools Support
Fully Remote (Pacific/Central US time zones preferred)

Company: Smile Break

Reports To: Tech Tools Lead Engineer

Job Summary
We are looking for a Technical Artist who can support our art pipeline, improve visual workflows in Unity, and build tools that keep our content production running smoothly. This role is a hybrid between technical art, pipeline tooling, and Git support, with tech art as the core function.

You’ll work closely with our Tech Art, Art, and Tools Engineering teams to build shaders, assist with VFX, streamline asset workflows, and support artists in Unity and Maya. You will also help maintain healthy Git workflows, assist with Git issues when they arise, and contribute to tooling that stabilizes and improves the pipeline.

This is a great opportunity for someone who wants to grow as a Technical Artist while supporting a highly collaborative, creative team.

Responsibilities

Develop, maintain, and debug Unity shaders (HLSL or Shader Graph)

Support VFX workflows and help build/maintain effects in Unity

Assist artists with Unity scene issues, materials, lighting, prefabs, asset setup, and optimization

Build or improve Unity Editor tools to accelerate art and design workflows

Help plan and prototype new tools and features with the Tools team

Support upcoming visual pushes through shader tweaks, visual polish, and art tech problem‑solving

Collaborate with artists to identify workflow bottlenecks and provide technical solutions

Create and maintain scripts/tools for Maya (Python, PyMEL, or MEL)

Improve the asset export/import pipeline

Support DCC‑to‑Unity workflows, validation, and data consistency

Build automations and utilities that reduce manual labor for the art team

Help ensure scenes and assets stay organized, clean, and performant

Assist artists when they encounter Git issues, including diagnosing conflicts and resolving problematic repo states

Fix broken Unity scene files or assets caused by incorrect merges or version‑control pitfalls

Contribute to improving internal Git workflows and tools

Skills & Requirements

Strong Git literacy and experience working in multi‑disciplinary production environments

Solid understanding of Unity’s art pipeline (prefabs, scenes, materials, VFX, shaders, lighting)

Familiarity with writing or modifying shaders (Shader Graph or HLSL)

Experience with Maya and scripting (Python/PyMEL or MEL)

Strong problem‑solving and debugging skills, especially for art workflow issues

Ability to communicate clearly with artists, designers, and engineers

A collaborative mindset and service‑oriented attitude

Nice‑to‑Have Skills

Experience building Unity Editor tools (C#)

Experience with VFX Graph

Experience improving content pipelines and automation

Exposure to CI/CD or automated build systems

Who you are

You enjoy supporting artists and solving complex pipeline problems

You want to grow in either a Technical Art or Tools Engineering direction

You think like an engineer but communicate smoothly with artists

You stay calm and methodical when a scene or repo gets into a bad state

You value team uptime, communication, and making workflows easier for everyone

What We Offer

Fully remote, full‑time position.

Opportunity to work on a high‑profile IP with a talented and passionate team.

Great benefits, including company‑paid premiums, 401(k) match, and unlimited PTO.

Supportive work environment that values a healthy work‑life balance.

Referrals increase your chances of interviewing at Smile Break by 2×

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