Unreal 5 Technical Artist - Black Ember Games

About You

We are looking for a skilled and collaborative Technical Artist to join Black Ember Games in Berlin. This is a hybrid position requiring a minimum of 3 days per week in our Berlin office.

You are someone who sees the seams between art and engineering not as friction, but as opportunity. You think visually and reason technically, and you find genuine satisfaction in building the systems, tools, and pipelines that let a creative team do their best work without fighting the engine to do it. You have shipped real games, know what a well‑built asset pipeline feels like versus a chaotic one, and can prove the difference matters. You’re equally at home writing a Python tool to automate a tedious workflow, debugging a shader that’s tanking performance, or sitting with an artist to help them understand why their mesh is blowing the draw‑call budget. We’re a small team with big ambitions and an indie mindset. We move fast, share ownership broadly, and genuinely want to hear your ideas—not just execute a task list. If you’re energized by that kind of environment and want to help build something from the ground up, we’d love to hear from you.

About the Role

As a Technical Artist, you will act as the bridge between art and engineering—translating visual intentions into optimized systems, scalable pipelines, and tools that empower the whole team to create.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain efficient art pipelines and asset workflows that support artists across all disciplines—from concept through final integration.
• Develop and maintain tools, scripts, and automation solutions (Python, MEL, Blueprint, or similar) to reduce friction and improve team efficiency.
• Define, document, and enforce art standards and best practices across the project.
• Own the technical implementation and optimization of materials, shaders, and visual effects within Unreal Engine 5, ensuring they meet both aesthetic and performance targets.
• Manage and optimize asset integration across characters, environments, VFX, and UI, including polygon budgets, texture resolution, LODs, and draw‑call management.
• Profile and debug performance issues using Unreal Insights and other profiling tools, partnering with engineers to implement solutions.
• Implement and maintain material libraries, shader networks, and PBR workflows, ensuring consistency and reusability across the project.
• Support procedural content workflows using tools such as PCG, Houdini, or equivalent systems.
• Act as the primary technical resource for the art team, providing guidance, training, and hands‑on support across character, environment, VFX, and lighting pipelines.
• Partner closely with engineers to validate asset creation practices, monitor performance metrics, and ensure art and tech requirements are aligned.
• Review and validate outsourced and third‑party assets for technical compliance before integration.
• Contribute to technical documentation and help build a culture of shared knowledge across the team.

Qualifications

• Minimum 3 years of experience in game development, with a focus on technical art.
• Demonstrated experience with performance profiling and optimization, including the use of Unreal Insights, GPU Visualizer, and similar tools to identify and resolve CPU/GPU bottlenecks.
• Strong understanding of physically‑based rendering (PBR), real‑time rendering limitations, and cross‑platform optimization.
• Shipped at least 1 Unreal Engine game as a Technical Artist.
• Strong proficiency in Unreal Engine 5, including the Material Editor, Blueprint scripting, asset pipelines, and performance optimization tools.
• Familiarity with procedural tools such as Houdini or PCG (Unreal’s Procedural Content Generation framework).
• Demonstrated experience with scripting or tool development in Python, MEL, or a comparable language.
• Experience with version control systems (Perforce, Git, or SVN).
• A portfolio or demo reel demonstrating shipped work, with clear breakdowns of your technical contributions.
• Strong communicator across both technical and non‑technical disciplines.
• Self‑directed and proactive—able to identify problems and drive solutions without waiting to be asked.
• Collaborative and generous with knowledge; committed to raising the level of the whole team.
• High level of professional English proficiency (written and verbal) is required.
• Located in or near Berlin, Germany.

• Understanding the approaches to working with, and the limitations of Nanite Meshes and the Lumen Lighting System.
• Proficiency with UE5 World Partition and large world workflows, including data layers, level streaming strategies, and HLOD management.
• Proficiency in Substance Painter and/or Substance Designer.
• Solid experience with industry‑standard DCC tools such as Maya, Blender, or 3ds Max, including rigging, skinning, and scripting.
• Experience with Niagara VFX system within Unreal Engine.
• Knowledge of HLSL/GLSL shader programming.
• Experience working with outsourced or distributed international art teams.
• Experience on live‑service titles or post‑launch content pipelines.
• Fluency in German (English fluency required).

Background Check

For the Technical Artist, a certificate of conduct (Führungszeugnis)/background check is required because the role involves accessing confidential company data and ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements.

Benefits

We prioritize the physical, mental, and emotional well‑being of our employees through a comprehensive Benefits Program. This includes unlimited Flexible Time Off, gym membership, monthly train ticket, and a personalized career roadmap for each employee. We invest in professional development through training and educational opportunities, ensuring that our team thrives both personally and professionally.

Equal Treatment Statement

At Xsolla, we are committed to fostering an inclusive workplace culture that promotes equality and respect. In accordance with the German General Equal Treatment Act (Allgemeines Gleichbehandlungsgesetz – AGG), all qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment without regard to race, ethnic origin, gender, religion or belief, disability, age, or sexual identity. We welcome and encourage applications from all qualified individuals and are dedicated to ensuring a fair and transparent recruitment process.

Applicants are encouraged to inquire about their rights under the GDPR/Federal Data Protection Act (BDSG). If you have questions regarding our hiring practices, please contact (email protected) .

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.