Senior Technical Artist

🚀 Univrse is a Barcelona-based content creation VR studio developing premium multi-user immersive and interactive XR experiences. Our multidisciplinary and international team combines the physical, digital, and virtual worlds to create fascinating experiences.❤️ We love to open new paths to find unconventional solutions in the field of XR technologies.

We are now looking for a Senior Technical Artist who will play a pivotal role in bridging the gap between art and technology. You’ll work closely with artists and developers to ensure that our creative visions are translated into innovative, high-performance experiences. This is a full-time, on-site role, requiring your presence in the office for optimal collaboration and creativity. The role reports directly to the Head of Art, supporting the team in creating high-quality, innovative VR experiences and adaptations, with a focus on both artistic and technical solutions.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide technical follow-up to the art team, ensuring optimal performance and adherence to established guidelines.
• Design and develop new art pipeline tools with a focus on usability and efficiency, enforcing best practices and coding standards within the team.
• Analyze the creative process to identify and implement opportunities for enhancing tools and optimizing workflows.
• Initiate and lead research and development efforts, contributing to technical pipeline development.
• Create and maintain comprehensive technical documentation to support tools, workflows, and processes.
• Act as the primary liaison between the art and programming teams to ensure seamless collaboration.
• Mentor junior and intermediate team members, fostering their growth and professional development.
• Specialize in the use of XRoam (Univrse internal technology platform) to create immersive experiences and adapt them to meet project needs.
• Support content production art teams in achieving top-quality results.
• Develop technical tools and solutions to solve performance issues while ensuring the artistic and gameplay vision is executed.
• Identify and develop art-pipeline optimizations and tools for new and existing production workflows.
• Optimize memory and performance while respecting project constraints.
• Implement technical art features with the help of the programming team.
• Cooperate with other programmers, contributing to a multidisciplinary team.
• Offer technical support to the art team on day-to-day production issues.
• Create and maintain detailed technical documentation.
• Share best practices and new tools with other artists and programmers.
• Act as a bridge between artistic complexities and development, collaborating closely with the Head of Art to ensure smooth integration of both areas.

Required Qualifications:

• 5+ years of experience in high-level coding languages (Python, C#).
• Extensive hands-on experience with Unity Engine and strong proficiency in its application for developing high-quality experiences, particularly for standalone virtual reality projects.
• Experience in shader development, including HLSL, and a solid understanding of the URP pipeline for VR Mobile applications.
• Solid understanding of code architecture to develop maintainable tools, streamline workflows, and optimize pipeline efficiency.
• Experience with Blender, Houdini, and Painter.
• Solid knowledge of the digital art content creation pipeline, including high and low-poly modeling, unwrapping, baking, texturing, and level building.
• A collaborative team-oriented mindset, with a strong desire to participate in a team-based pipeline across multiple locations.
• Experience in real-world VR projects, specifically standalone VR.
• Passionate about fun and constantly looking for opportunities to learn and improve.
• Open to new ideas and perspectives, and willing to collaborate with diverse teams to build the future of entertainment.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Significant experience in the video game/interactive entertainment industry, with expertise in a digital art content creation pipeline.
• Strong experience with Unity 3D and understanding of the strengths and limitations of mobile platforms.
• Proven experience working on standalone VR projects and a solid understanding of VR-specific design and performance optimization.
• Proficiency in using Unity3D, C#, or C++.
• Proven experience in a full digital art content creation pipeline, including modeling, unwrapping, baking, texturing, and level art.
• Solid scripting skills (C#, Python).
• Knowledge and interest in the following tech-art areas: Shading, VFX/Particles, Scripting, Lighting, Rendering and Post-Effects, SFX, Rigging, Physics.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to liaise between technical and non-technical teams.
• Attention to detail, organizational skills, and the ability to multitask and adapt to change.
• Fluent in English.

Nice to have:

• Experience with profiling tools.
• Experience with game editors, engines, and multiple art and animation pipelines.
• Background in various tech-art areas.
• Familiarity with the latest advancements in procedural content creation.
• Knowledge of mathematics, including trigonometry and linear algebra, and the ability to apply these concepts effectively.
• Multiple shipped projects as a Technical Artist.
• Training and mentoring skills are a plus.
• Knowledge of Spanish or Catalan is a plus.

🚀 What do we offer?

💫 A young, international, and dynamic work environment that is constantly growing.

😎 The chance to work on cutting-edge experiences.

🎯 Work with talented people who are industry pioneers.

🤓 Opportunities to experiment with innovative technologies.

✅ A competitive salary based on knowledge and experience.

🍌🍏 Breakfast, fruit & snacks.

🏃🏽‍♀️ Beach volleyball on Tuesdays (during the summer).

🌱 Creative retreat with the whole team.

👌🏽 Frequent cultural and leisure activities.