Technical Artist

About Steamroller Animation

It’s different here. We’re a fun-loving bunch, passionate about our craft. We grow together, learn together, play together, and work on some of the coolest projects on the planet. If you’re looking for a welcoming atmosphere, a culture that’s dedicated to helping you grow and thrive, and ample opportunity to advance, we’d LOVE to hear from you. 

About the role
At Steamroller Animation, Technical Artists play a vital role in connecting the art and engineering teams. You’ll be responsible for building and maintaining efficient pipelines, integrating art into game engines, and optimizing assets for performance—enabling the team to deliver stunning, high-quality visuals on time and at scale.

Strong preference for candidates who can work on-site in Mount Dora, FL. Will consider remote candidates within a few hours difference from US Eastern time zone. This is a full-time, contract (1099) position to start.

Responsibilities:

• Define, implement, and maintain efficient workflows for 3D art production.
• Create and maintain clear technical documentation for tools, processes, and pipelines.
• Support continuous improvements to the art pipeline, incorporating feedback from artists and engineers.
• Determine project tooling requirements and assist with setup and integration.
• Implement and verify finished assets in game engines (e.g., skeletons, shaders, physics barriers, cloth simulations, ragdoll systems).
• Troubleshoot and resolve issues with materials, collisions, and asset performance.
• Ensure assets are optimized for performance while maintaining visual fidelity.
• Collaborate with developers to identify and resolve technical issues and bottlenecks.
• Support the team in validating assets at final resolution and performance standards.
• Foster cross-team collaboration by sharing technical knowledge and best practices.
• Conduct training sessions on tools, workflows, and engine functionality.
• Communicate technical concepts clearly to both artists and engineers.
• Stay current with industry trends, tools, and techniques.
• Research and implement advanced rendering methods and shader techniques to enhance visual quality.
• Contribute to team efforts and perform additional tasks to support department goals as needed.

Requirements:

• Solid understanding of 3D art production pipelines and optimization techniques.
• Proficiency in industry-standard software: Maya, 3DSMax, Photoshop.
• Experience implementing assets in game engines (e.g., Unreal Engine, Unity).
• Basic proficiency in scripting/programming languages such as Python, MaxScript, or C#.
• Strong troubleshooting skills, with the ability to identify and resolve aesthetic and performance-related issues.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work collaboratively with multidisciplinary teams and take direction from leads and supervisors.
• Strong documentation and presentation skills.
• Enthusiastic about games, animation, and emerging technologies.
• Self-motivated, proactive, and detail-oriented.
• Comfortable sharing knowledge and mentoring others.
• Ability to effectively communicate in English.