Senior VFX Artist (Contract)

*Please note that this is a contract role.

The Role

We are building a new AAA First-person shooter for a global audience, and we are looking for a Senior VFX Artist (Contract).

This role is ideal for a technical self-starter who thrives in early development environments and enjoys building systems, pipelines, and visual language from the ground up.

You will play a key role in shaping the gameplay feel, visual clarity, and production workflows for all VFX across the project. Working closely with Design, Art, and Engineering, you will ensure VFX supports gameplay readability while reinforcing the world and tone of the IP.

This is a rare opportunity to define the VFX foundation of a new AAA franchise.

Responsibilities

• Create high-quality, gameplay-focused visual effects for a AAA first-person shooter
• Develop VFX that prioritizes clarity, responsiveness, and player readability
• Collaborate closely with Design to support combat feedback, weapon systems, abilities, and environmental interactions
• Build scalable VFX systems and tooling inside Unreal Engine
• Establish workflows that allow outsourced VFX assets to integrate smoothly into the game
• Define technical standards and best practices for VFX production
• Help unlock production velocity by identifying efficient approaches to effect creation and optimization
• Partner with Engineering and Technical Art to solve performance and pipeline challenges
• Contribute to the visual language and identity of the game’s world
• Help define the long-term VFX team structure and outsourcing strategy
• Support the development of production methodologies that will scale with the team

Requirements

• Experience shipping AAA titles, preferably first-person shooters
• Strong technical knowledge of real-time VFX pipelines
• Expertise with Unreal Engine Niagara
• Strong understanding of gameplay-driven VFX design
• Ability to balance visual impact with gameplay readability
• Experience building modular and scalable VFX systems
• Comfortable working in early development environments with evolving requirements
• Strong communication skills and the ability to collaborate across multiple disciplines
• Self-motivated and capable of identifying and solving problems without heavy oversight

Preferred Experience:

• Experience building VFX pipelines for outsourcing teams
• Experience mentoring or helping build VFX teams
• Experience working on live service or multiplayer shooters
• Technical scripting knowledge
• Strong understanding of performance optimization for real-time effects
• Experience with Houdini or Experience with EmberGen
• Co-Founder or Studio Building experience

Why Join Us

You will be joining a small, experienced AAA team building a new IP from the ground up. As the first VFX artist on the project, your work will shape the visual identity of the game, the production pipelines, and the team that supports it. If you enjoy ownership, creative influence, and solving real production problems, this is an opportunity to have an outsized impact on a new franchise.