Senior UI Tech Artist

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior UI Tech Artist

Company: 2K (Gearbox Entertainment)

Location: Frisco, Texas, United States

Job Type: Full-time

Category: Technical Art / UI Development

Date Posted: 2026-10-01

Experience Level: 6+ Years Industry Experience

Remote Status: Remote Eligible (within the United States)

🚀 Role Summary

• Spearhead the implementation of foundational UI systems and key UI materials to define future game experiences.

• Drive the creation of efficient and user-friendly shaders within the game engine, ensuring optimal performance and visual quality.

• Collaborate closely with UI programmers to develop and integrate new engine features specifically for UI functionality.

• Analyze and communicate technical challenges and opportunities related to UI art and UX design concepts to cross-functional teams.

• Establish and promote best practices and optimized workflows for UI art creation and implementation within the team.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is critical for bridging the gap between UI art and programming, focusing on technical execution and system design within Unreal Engine 5. The "Senior" title implies a leadership component in defining technical standards and mentoring junior team members.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain best practices and optimal workflows for UI art asset creation and implementation.

• Partner with UI programmers to design, develop, and integrate new engine features and functionalities that enhance UI capabilities.

• Conduct thorough analysis of memory usage and performance metrics throughout the project lifecycle, identifying and resolving bottlenecks.

• Create efficient, high-quality, and user-friendly shaders for in-game UI elements, leveraging Unreal Engine's material editor.

• Proactively analyze and articulate the technical feasibility and challenges of proposed UI art and UX design concepts to stakeholders.

• Research, prototype, and develop innovative art pipelines and tools to improve efficiency and bring creative ideas to fruition.

• Own the delivery of shippable quality UI content and systems that are memory-efficient and highly performant.

• Contribute to the technical direction and implementation of UI features for current-generation gaming platforms.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a blend of technical art skills, performance optimization, and collaborative development, emphasizing ownership of complex UI systems and features.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is listed, a Bachelor's degree in Computer Graphics, Game Design, Fine Arts, or a related technical field is often preferred for senior technical roles. Equivalent industry experience will also be considered.

Experience: Minimum of 6 years of professional experience in the video game industry, with a significant focus on UI technical art.

Required Skills:

• Expert-level proficiency in Unreal Engine 5, with a deep understanding of its material editor and UMG (Unreal Motion Graphics) UI designer.

• Proven ability to collaborate effectively with cross-disciplinary teams including UI artists, UX designers, programmers, and producers.

• Demonstrated experience in creating and optimizing shaders for real-time applications, specifically within a game engine context.

• Strong analytical skills for memory and performance analysis, with a track record of implementing memory-efficient and performant UI systems.

• Capacity to think creatively and develop innovative solutions to complex technical challenges in UI development.

• High degree of autonomy and self-direction, with the ability to manage tasks and projects independently.

• Experience in developing and implementing UI best practices and optimized workflows. Preferred Skills:

• Working knowledge of shader programming languages such as HLSL or GLSL.

• Familiarity with scripting languages like Python for tool development or automation.

• Proficiency with 3D modeling software (e.g., Maya, 3ds Max) and image editing tools (e.g., Photoshop, Substance Painter).

• Experience developing for current-generation gaming platforms (Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5).

• Exposure to other game engines such as Unity.

• A strong balance of creative artistic vision and robust technical capabilities.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "expert knowledge" of Unreal Engine 5 and specific tools like UMG and the material editor indicates a highly specialized role. The inclusion of programming languages and 3D/image editing tools suggests a need for a versatile technical artist.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Showcase of complex UI systems implemented within Unreal Engine 5, demonstrating proficiency with UMG and the material editor.

• Examples of efficient and visually appealing shaders created for in-game UI elements, highlighting performance considerations.

• Case studies detailing the technical challenges encountered in UI art and UX design, and the innovative solutions developed.

• Demonstrations of work on current-generation platforms, if applicable, showcasing an understanding of their technical constraints and capabilities.

• Prototypes or examples of developed art pipelines and tools that improved workflow efficiency or enabled new creative possibilities.

• Evidence of strong collaboration with programming and design teams on UI feature development. Process Documentation:

• Documentation or examples of established UI art best practices and optimized workflows.

• Case studies illustrating the process of analyzing and improving UI memory usage and performance.

• Examples of research and development efforts for new UI technologies or artistic techniques.

• Documentation of shader creation processes, including optimization strategies.

📝 Enhancement Note: A strong portfolio is paramount for this role, requiring tangible evidence of technical UI art skills, problem-solving abilities, and collaborative contributions within the game development pipeline.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Based on industry benchmarks for Senior Technical Artists with 6+ years of experience in a high-cost-of-living area like Frisco, Texas, and the specific demands of Unreal Engine 5 expertise, the estimated salary range is $120,000 - $170,000 per year. This range can vary based on the candidate's specific experience, portfolio, and negotiation.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance plans.

• Generous paid time off (