Locations available: Burlingame, Seattle, Los Angeles, or NYC
Required Skills & Experience
• Minimum 5 years of experience
• Strong shader authoring experience (HLSL/GLSL or node-based) and real-time material/rendering work
• Experience in game/real-time engines; Unreal Engine preferred (Unity a plus)
• Solid grasp of real-time rendering fundamentals — lighting, materials, optimization, frame budgets
• Software development experience, ideally Python and C++
• Exposure to AI tools or workflows, ideally Claude Code
• Strong time management and the ability to operate in a fast-paced, evolving environment
• Comfortable being embedded in a VR org and navigating ambiguity with confidence
Nice to Have Skills & Experience
• Real-time VFX / motion-graphics systems experience
• UI / interaction shader & motion work (interactive states, feedback, transitions)
• Lighting & environment art for real-time or spatial experiences
• Performance profiling & optimization for standalone/mobile VR
• Android development; React Native; strong C++ background
Job Description
We're looking for a Technical Artist with deep real-time shader and rendering expertise to join a fast-moving VR organization, working hands-on in a proprietary engine. You'll build the visual systems that bring our interfaces and immersive environments to life — authoring shaders and materials, crafting the real-time effects and motion behind UI systems, and shaping the look of immersive spatial environments. This role demands a strong balance of technical depth, artistic eye, product judgment, and the confidence to manage scope, timelines, and expectations in a complex environment.
Key Responsibilities
• Author and optimize shaders and materials in the engine — surface treatments, lighting, and visual effects across UI systems and immersive environments
• Build the real-time effects and motion behind UI systems — panels, surfaces, interactive states, transitions, and feedback — performing within strict VR frame budgets
• Develop technical art for spatial environments — environment shading, lighting, atmosphere, and ambient effects
• Partner closely with engineering on the rendering pipeline; profile and optimize for performance on constrained hardware
• Partially manage and collaborate with external vendors, ensuring shader/asset quality and alignment with internal standards
• Provide technical guidance and thoughtful pushback to cross-functional teams; advocate for realistic timelines and scope
• Apply strong product sense to technical decisions — balancing visual fidelity with feasibility and performance