Sr. Technical Artist

Who we are
At Fortis Games we aspire to make great games that bring people together while redefining how game companies work. We believe in building a sense of belonging through our games, their communities, and how we operate and treat each other. Through our game communities, we will create powerful connections and lasting memories. We will foster a culture of diversity, equity and belonging where together our diverse skills, experiences and backgrounds impact the games we make.
We are an early but mighty organization with a leadership team of game industry veterans. There are many opportunities for you to have a big impact on the products we’ll be making as well as the overall direction of the company. If you’re passionate about tackling difficult problems with direct and thoughtful communication and team first mentality, we may be the right place for you.

About the Role

As a Senior Technical Artist at Fortis Games, your mission is to bridge the gap between art and technology by developing efficient tools, optimizing asset pipelines, and ensuring seamless integration between art and engineering. You will be instrumental in developing and maintaining rigging systems, shader workflows, and automation tools, helping the art team create high-quality visuals while keeping performance in check. This role allows you to work across multiple projects, collaborating with designers, engineers, and other artists to ensure technical excellence and consistency across all game assets.

• Develop and maintain tools and pipelines for efficient asset creation and integration.
• Identify and communicate technical limitations and potential solutions for art assets and game systems.
• Responsible for developing and implementing rigging systems to support character and creature animation.
• Collaborate with other departments, such as engineering and design, to ensure consistency and quality across the game.
• Lead the development and maintenance of advanced shader systems for the game, optimizing them for performance on target platforms while maintaining high visual fidelity.

What you’ll achieve 

• Implement advanced rigging and animation techniques that increase the efficiency of the production pipeline, resulting in a more streamlined development process.
• Implement and refine pipeline tools and workflows to enable seamless asset creation and level building, reducing errors and improving collaboration between art and design teams.
• Develop and implement advanced VFX features and systems, collaborate with the team to maintain a consistent visual style, quality and efficiency.
• Develop and maintain technical documentation for optimization techniques and share knowledge with the team to ensure best practices.
• Work with programmers to identify bottlenecks and optimize systems, and ensure the project runs at a high level of performance across multiple platforms.
• Effective mentorship and guidance for junior technical artists. 
• Effective communication and collaboration with the art, design, and programming teams. 

What you’ll need to be successful 

• Advanced knowledge of the Unity game engine and scripting.
• Excellent knowledge of modeling programs such as 3DSMAX, Maya, Blender, Zbrush and texture/material authoring tools such as Photoshop and Substance.
• Extensive experience in rigging and animating characters and objects in various styles and workflows.
• Ability to troubleshoot and optimize rigs and animations for maximum performance and quality.
• Basic knowledge of shader creation via node graph, HLSL or GLSL.
• Base proficiency with Python, C# or C++
• Proficiency in creating and optimizing real-time game assets, including characters, environments, and particle effects.
• Strong understanding of game mechanics and ability to implement complex game systems.
• Ability to provide technical guidance and mentorship to junior technical artists.
• Strong ability to debug complex technical issues and find creative solutions to problems.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work independently and manage multiple projects simultaneously.

Why join us
There are many reasons to join us, but here are a few:

• We strongly believe we are changing how games studios operate and at the core of what we do is making great games that create a connected community
• We’re not just about making Games Where You Belong. We’re also about building communities where our people belong. That’s why Fortis is a thriving environment that celebrates diversity, embraces inclusivity, and fosters growth.
• Build and grow with a seasoned team of accomplished talent who have left an impactful mark in their disciplines, both in and out of gaming

Fortis is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, protected veteran status, or any other basis protected by applicable law, and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability.