Principal Technical Artist

Intrepid Studios is looking for a Principal Technical Artist with a passion for performance and optimization to help push the boundaries of what’s possible in Unreal Engine 5 for our epic MMORPG Ashes of Creation. This role is ideal for a detail-oriented developer who thrives at the intersection of art and engineering, with a focus on scalability, efficiency, and performance.

Responsibilities:

• Partner with engineers, artists, and designers to profile, analyze, and optimize game performance across CPU, GPU, and memory.
• Build and maintain scalable pipelines, tools, and automation to reduce overhead and improve content iteration speed.
• Define and enforce best practices for asset budgets, LODs, materials, lighting, and shaders to maintain a high visual bar while hitting performance targets.
• Use Unreal Insights, RenderDoc, and other profiling tools to diagnose bottlenecks and drive improvements in runtime performance.
• Own and advocate for engine and gameplay features from the Tech Art perspective with a focus on efficient implementation.
• Mentor and guide other Technical Artists and content creators on optimization workflows.

• 8+ years of experience supporting Technical Art needs in Unreal Engine, with proven expertise in performance optimization.
• Advanced skills in profiling/debugging CPU & GPU performance using Unreal Insights, RenderDoc, Visual Studio, and Rider.
• Deep knowledge of Unreal Engine 5 systems (Nanite, Lumen, Virtual Shadow Maps, etc.) and how they impact performance.
• Strong understanding of PBR, materials, and shader optimization techniques.
• Experience designing efficient pipelines and scalable content workflows.
• Proficiency in Blueprint scripting for automation and optimization tasks.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills for cross-disciplinary problem solving.
• Unreal C++ development experience for performance-critical features.

• Experience with Python, HLSL, VEX for tool and shader development.
• Houdini experience for procedural and optimized asset workflows.
• Familiarity with terrain systems and large-scale world optimization.

• 30 min interview with a member of our Talent Team
• 30 min interview with the hiring manager
• Test
• Panel interviews with several members of the hiring team
• Final interview with the executive team
• References calls & a background check

The Legal Bits:
We offer competitive pay based on market standards plus a significant annual bonus structure. The base salary for this role is between $100,000 - $160,000, depending on skills and experience. Individual compensation decisions are based on a number of factors, including experience level, skillset, and balancing internal equity relative to peers at the company. We expect the majority of the candidates who are offered roles at our company to fall throughout the range based on these factors.
We encourage individuals from all backgrounds, including race, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability status, to apply for positions. We are an equal opportunity employer and we're committed to a fair and consistent interview process and employer experience.

About Us:
Founded in 2015, Intrepid Studios is the independent developer and publisher of the upcoming and Most Anticipated MMORPG, Ashes of Creation. Based in beautiful Southern California, Intrepid has assembled a veteran AAA team of tremendous talent and experience in the MMORPG industry. The gaming industry can be a turbulent storm of hiring cycles and layoffs. We’ve set out to do something different, to break this cycle and create an independent studio capable of withstanding the chaos of this industry. We’ve brought on-board a team of professionals that hold a diverse set of skills, and who all share a singular goal: making fun games. The studio is designed to be an open place for collaboration and communication, a place that is conducive to team building and success. Our goal is to build a family that will laugh together, play together, succeed together, and stay together.

All posted positions are full-time with generous medical benefit options covered 100% by employer for employees and dependents plus paid vacation & sick days, and 401k with matching. 

We're proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer.

We are committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all employees and to providing employees with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment. All employment decisions are based on business needs, job requirements and individual qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion or belief, national, social or ethnic origin, sex (including pregnancy), age, physical, mental or sensory disability, HIV Status, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, marital, civil union or domestic partnership status, past or present military service, family medical history or genetic information, family or parental status, or any other status protected by the laws or regulations in the locations where we operate. Intrepid Studios will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics. Applicants of all ages, identities, and backgrounds are encouraged to apply. Intrepid Studios will provide reasonable accommodation to employees who have protected disabilities consistent with local law.

See more details on your right to work here: https://www.e-verify.gov/sites/default/files/everify/posters/IER_RighttoWorkPoster.pdf.

This employer participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S. See more details here: https://e-verify.uscis.gov/web/media/resourcesContents/E-Verify_Participation_Poster_ES.pdf.

Note to Recruiters and Placement Agencies: We do not accept unsolicited agency resumes. Unsolicited resumes received will be considered our property and will be processed accordingly.