Technical UI Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Technical UI Designer

Company: Devoted Studios

Location: Canada

Job Type: Full-time, Contract

Category: Game Development / UI/UX Design

Date Posted: May 26, 2026

Experience Level: Mid-Level (2-5 years)

Remote Status: Fully Remote

🚀 Role Summary

• Design, implement, and polish user interface (UI) features and systems within the Unreal Engine environment, utilizing UMG and Blueprints for a seamless player experience.

• Drive UI animation excellence, focusing on motion design, dynamic transitions, and reactive states from initial concept through to final product implementation.

• Foster robust collaboration with UX designers, UI artists, and software engineers to translate specifications into high-quality, shippable game features.

• Proactively identify and resolve UI performance bottlenecks, contributing to the reduction of technical debt within existing UI frameworks.

• Develop and maintain a library of reusable UI components and comprehensive documentation to empower other designers and streamline development workflows.

• Execute rapid iterations based on feedback from leads and Quality Assurance (QA), ensuring high-quality deliverables for live-service game titles.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is explicitly a "hands-on implementation role" focused on Unreal Engine. The emphasis on "shipping quality on a live-service cadence" indicates a need for efficiency, iteration, and a strong understanding of real-time game development cycles, particularly for ongoing titles. The "Contract" employment type suggests project-based work with potential for extension.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Build, implement, and meticulously polish UI features and complex UI systems using Unreal Engine, specifically leveraging UMG (Unreal Motion Graphics) and Blueprints for dynamic and interactive user interfaces.

• Take ownership of UI animation, encompassing motion design principles, sophisticated transitions, responsive visual states, and overall UI "feel," from initial conceptualization to final in-engine implementation.

• Engage in close, cross-functional collaboration with UX designers, UI artists, and game engineers to effectively transition UI features from initial design specifications through to a polished, shippable product.

• Proactively diagnose, troubleshoot, and resolve UI performance issues, including frame rate optimization and memory management, while actively contributing to the reduction of technical debt within the codebase.

• Create, document, and maintain a library of reusable UI components, templates, and best practices to facilitate efficient development and consistency across multiple projects and team members.

• Embrace an agile development approach, iterating rapidly based on constructive feedback from design leads, engineering, and QA teams, ensuring the delivery of high-quality, production-ready UI elements for live-service titles.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a strong emphasis on practical implementation and polish within Unreal Engine. The expectation to "own UI animation" and "ship quality on a live-service cadence" suggests a need for candidates who can not only design but also execute and optimize UI elements efficiently and to a high standard, often under tight deadlines.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a strong educational foundation or demonstrable equivalent experience in Computer Science, Game Design, Human-Computer Interaction, or a related field is highly beneficial.

Experience: A minimum of 2-5 years of professional experience in a Technical UI Design or similar role, with a proven track record of implementing UI within shipped video games.

Required Skills:

• Proven professional experience in implementing UI elements within a shipped video game, with a strong command of Unreal Engine, specifically UMG and Blueprints.

• Exceptional animation sensibility, including a deep understanding of timing, easing, motion hierarchy, and the practical ability to create these animations directly in-engine.

• Proficiency with visual scripting languages, such as Unreal Engine's Blueprints, or equivalent scripting systems like Lua.

• Demonstrated ability to comfortably receive, interpret, and act upon feedback from design leads, UX specialists, and QA teams without friction.

Preferred Skills:

• Prior experience working on a live-service title that involves frequent content updates and ongoing UI development.

• Familiarity with advanced UI architectural patterns such as view models or data-driven UI architectures.

• Experience utilizing 3D packages like Maya or 3ds Max for asset preparation and integration into the UI pipeline.

• Exposure to performance profiling tools and an understanding of GPU/CPU cost implications for UI elements.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "implementation quality" in the portfolio and the requirement for direct in-engine animation skills are critical differentiators for this role. Candidates should focus on showcasing their ability to build and animate UI within a game engine, rather than just concepting or wireframing.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Demonstrations of implemented UI features within shipped game titles, clearly showcasing the technical execution and functionality.

• Case studies detailing the process of building and integrating complex UI systems in Unreal Engine, highlighting problem-solving and optimization efforts.

• Examples of UI animations, transitions, and reactive states, emphasizing motion design principles and in-engine implementation.

• Documentation or explanations of created reusable UI components and their impact on development efficiency.

Process Documentation:

• Workflow examples illustrating the end-to-end process of taking UI designs from handoff to a polished, shippable product within Unreal Engine.

• Documentation of developed reusable UI assets, including their structure, usage guidelines, and integration methods.

• Case studies on performance optimization for UI elements, detailing the identification of issues and the implemented solutions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio requirement is heavily skewed towards practical implementation and demonstrable results within a game engine. Candidates should be prepared to showcase not just finished UI screens but the actual in-game implementation, animations, and the technical processes behind them.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: As this is a remote, contract position based in Canada, the salary will be competitive and commensurate with experience. Based on industry benchmarks for Technical UI Designers with 2-5 years of experience in Canada, a potential range could be CAD $70,000 - $100,000 annually, or an equivalent hourly rate for contract work.

Benefits:

• Opportunities for knowledge sharing and professional self-development within a collaborative team.

• Remote work flexibility, allowing for a global talent pool and work-life balance.

• Flexible working hours to accommodate personal schedules and optimize productivity.

• An attractive remuneration package, reflecting the specialized skills and contributions required.

• Exposure to a dynamic team working on a wide range of international game production projects.

Working Hours: Full-time, with flexible working hours, implying a standard 40-hour work week with adaptability in scheduling.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary estimate is based on typical mid-level Technical UI Designer roles in Canada, considering the remote nature and contract status. Actual compensation will vary based on the specific duration of the contract, the candidate's precise experience, and negotiation. The benefits focus on professional growth and work flexibility, common for remote contract roles.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Game Development, specializing in Co-development, Porting, and End-to-End Art Production.

Company Size: Devoted Studios operates as a globally remote company, indicating a distributed workforce rather than a traditional, large physical office. The specific headcount is not provided but likely ranges from small to medium-sized, enabling agility and direct impact.

Founded: The founding date is not specified, but the company positions itself as a trusted, flexible extension of partners' internal teams, suggesting established expertise in the co-development space.

Team Structure:

• The UI team is likely integrated within larger development teams, working closely with UX Designers, UI Artists, and Engineers.

• Collaboration is emphasized, with a focus on cross-functional partnerships to bring features from concept to completion.

Methodology:

• Emphasizes pipeline optimization and creative problem-solving, crucial for efficient co-development and porting.

• Operates with a focus on efficiency, collaboration, and impactful outsourcing.

• Iterative development and rapid feedback loops are integral to their live-service approach.

Company Website: https://jobs.workable.com/company/dSRKPm7p5EVi8arn4yqYRG/jobs-at-devoted-studios

📝 Enhancement Note: Devoted Studios positions itself as a strategic partner for major game publishers, highlighting its expertise in external development. The remote-first culture implies a need for strong self-management and communication skills among employees.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned as a Mid-Level Technical UI Designer, requiring 2-5 years of experience. It is an implementation-focused role rather than a purely conceptual design or leadership position.

Reporting Structure: The Technical UI Designer will likely report to a Lead UI Designer, a Lead UX Designer, or a Technical Director, depending on the specific project team structure. They will collaborate closely with UX Designers and Engineers.

Operations Impact: The role directly impacts the player's experience by building and polishing the user interface, ensuring it is functional, performant, and aesthetically aligned with the game's vision. High-quality UI implementation is crucial for player engagement and retention, particularly in live-service titles.

Growth Opportunities:

• Specialization: Opportunity to deepen expertise in Unreal Engine's UMG and Blueprints, becoming a go-to specialist for complex UI implementations.

• Technical Skill Advancement: Potential to grow into roles with more responsibility in UI architecture, performance optimization, and potentially leading UI implementation efforts on larger projects.

• Cross-Disciplinary Learning: Gaining deeper insights into UX design principles and engineering challenges through close collaboration.

• Lead Role: With significant experience and demonstrated leadership in implementation, progression to a Senior Technical UI Designer or Lead UI Designer role is possible.

📝 Enhancement Note: While this is an implementation role, the "Nice to have" skills like data-driven UI architecture and performance profiling point towards potential growth paths in more technical or architectural UI design positions.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: This is a fully remote position, meaning there is no central office for this role. Work is conducted from the employee's own location.

Office Location(s): The role is open to candidates located in Canada.

Workspace Context:

• Remote Collaboration: The work environment is entirely digital, relying heavily on communication platforms (e.g., Slack, Discord) and project management tools.

• Tooling: Access to Unreal Engine, UMG, Blueprints, and potentially 3D software and version control systems is essential.

• Team Interaction: While remote, opportunities for interaction will be through scheduled meetings, asynchronous communication, and virtual team-building activities.

Work Schedule: Full-time with flexible working hours. This allows employees to structure their workday around core collaboration times, accommodating different time zones within Canada and personal preferences, while ensuring project deadlines are met.

📝 Enhancement Note: The remote and flexible nature of the work environment requires candidates to be highly self-motivated, disciplined, and proficient in remote communication and collaboration tools.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: Review of resume and portfolio to assess core qualifications, especially Unreal Engine implementation experience.

• Technical Interview: Deep dive into Unreal Engine (UMG, Blueprints), UI animation principles, performance optimization, and visual scripting. This may involve live coding or problem-solving exercises.

• Portfolio Review: Detailed walkthrough of the candidate's portfolio, focusing on implementation quality, animation, and problem-solving within shipped games.

• Cultural Fit/Team Interview: Discussion about collaboration style, experience working in remote teams, and alignment with Devoted Studios' values.

• Final Interview: May involve discussions with higher-level management or project leads.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Show, Don't Just Tell: Prioritize showcasing actual implemented UI within game engines. Use video captures with clear annotations explaining your role and technical contributions.

• Highlight Implementation: For each project, clearly articulate your specific responsibilities in building, animating, and optimizing the UI within Unreal Engine.

• Animation Focus: Dedicate a significant portion to demonstrating your UI animation skills – transitions, reactions, micro-interactions – and explain the timing and easing choices.

• Technical Depth: Be prepared to discuss performance considerations, technical challenges overcome, and any reusable components or systems you developed.

• Clarity and Conciseness: Ensure your portfolio is well-organized and easy to navigate, with clear descriptions of each piece.

Challenge Preparation:

• Unreal Engine Proficiency: Practice common UI implementation tasks in UMG and Blueprints. Be ready to explain your thought process for creating complex widgets, animations, and logic.

• Performance Scenarios: Prepare to discuss how you would diagnose and fix UI performance issues (e.g., frame drops, excessive memory usage).

• Animation Principles: Understand how to apply animation principles to UI to create a responsive and engaging feel. Be ready to discuss your approach to timing and easing.

📝 Enhancement Note: Given the "hands-on implementation" focus, expect interviewers to heavily scrutinize the portfolio for practical Unreal Engine work and animation execution, not just conceptual design.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Unreal Engine: The core engine for UI implementation.

• UMG (Unreal Motion Graphics): The primary toolset within Unreal Engine for creating UI.

• Blueprints: Unreal Engine's visual scripting system for UI logic and interactivity.

• Version Control Systems: Such as Git, Perforce, or SVN for managing code and assets in a team environment.

Analytics & Reporting:

CRM & Automation:

• Not directly applicable to this UI design role, but familiarity with project management and communication tools is essential.

📝 Enhancement Note: Proficiency with Unreal Engine, UMG, and Blueprints is non-negotiable. Experience with 3D packages and performance profiling tools are significant advantages.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Collaboration: Devoted Studios emphasizes being a "trusted, flexible extension of our partners’ internal teams," highlighting a strong collaborative ethos.

• Efficiency & Optimization: The company specializes in "pipeline optimization" and making outsourcing "more efficient," indicating a value placed on streamlined processes and performance.

• Problem-Solving: The role requires "creative problem-solving" and the ability to "diagnose and resolve UI performance issues."

• Quality & Polish: The expectation to "build, implement, and polish UI features" and ship "shipping quality" underscores a commitment to high standards.

• Iteration & Adaptability: Working on live-service titles requires a culture of rapid iteration and adapting to feedback and evolving project needs.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional: Close collaboration with UX designers, UI artists, and engineers is a defining characteristic.

• Remote-First: Communication is primarily asynchronous and digital, requiring clear, concise written and verbal communication.

• Feedback-Driven: The team embraces feedback from leads and QA to iterate and improve work rapidly.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company culture is built around effective remote collaboration, efficiency in game development pipelines, and delivering high-quality results for external partners.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Remote Collaboration Dynamics: Effectively communicating and collaborating on complex UI implementations in a fully remote setting can be challenging.

• Performance Optimization: Balancing feature richness and aesthetic polish with strict performance budgets in real-time game engines.

• Rapid Iteration: Adapting quickly to feedback and iterating on UI elements under tight deadlines for live-service games.

• Technical Debt Management: Contributing to the ongoing maintenance and improvement of existing UI systems to prevent long-term issues.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Unreal Engine Specialization: Deepen expertise in advanced UMG features, Blueprint optimization, and engine-specific UI performance best practices.

• Live-Service Development: Gain invaluable experience in the unique demands of developing and maintaining UI for games with ongoing content updates and player bases.

• Cross-Disciplinary Exposure: Learn from experienced UX designers and engineers, broadening your understanding of the game development ecosystem.

• Portfolio Expansion: Consistently contribute to high-profile game projects, building a strong portfolio with major industry titles.

📝 Enhancement Note: The primary challenge lies in mastering the technical implementation and animation within Unreal Engine while working effectively in a remote, collaborative, and fast-paced environment.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a complex UI feature you implemented in Unreal Engine. What were the technical challenges, and how did you overcome them?" (Focus on UMG, Blueprints, and problem-solving).

• "How do you approach UI animation to ensure it feels responsive and enhances the player experience?" (Discuss timing, easing, and motion design principles).

• "Walk me through your process for diagnosing and optimizing UI performance issues in Unreal Engine." (Prepare to discuss profiling tools and specific techniques).

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you about Devoted Studios and our co-development model?" (Research their partners and specialization).

• "How do you handle receiving critical feedback on your work, especially in a remote setting?" (Emphasize adaptability and constructive engagement).

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structured Walkthrough: For each portfolio piece, clearly state the project, your role, the tools used (Unreal Engine, UMG, Blueprints), and the specific contributions you made.

• Visual Emphasis: Use video recordings of your implemented UI in action. Highlight animations, transitions, and interactive elements.

• Technical Explanations: Be ready to explain the "how" behind your UI implementation. Discuss Blueprint logic, UMG widget structure, and any performance considerations.

• Problem/Solution Narrative: For more complex pieces, frame it as a problem you solved (e.g., performance bottleneck, complex interaction) and how your implementation addressed it.

• Concise and Focused: Keep explanations focused and relevant to the technical implementation aspects of UI design.

📝 Enhancement Note: Expect a strong focus on demonstrating practical skills within Unreal Engine. Be prepared to discuss the technical details of your UI implementations and animations.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this operations position:

• Submit your application through the provided link on Workable.

• Portfolio Preparation: Curate your portfolio to prominently feature your best work in Unreal Engine UI implementation. Prioritize showcasing actual in-game UI, animations, and UMG/Blueprint examples. Ensure video demonstrations are clear and highlight your technical contributions.

• Resume Optimization: Tailor your resume to highlight keywords such as "Unreal Engine," "UMG," "Blueprints," "UI Animation," "Visual Scripting," "Technical UI Design," and "Game Development." Quantify achievements where possible, e.g., "Optimized UI performance by X%."

• Interview Practice: Rehearse answers to common technical and behavioral questions, focusing on your experience with Unreal Engine implementation, UI animation, and remote collaboration. Practice explaining your portfolio pieces clearly and concisely.

• Company Research: Familiarize yourself with Devoted Studios' work, their partners (e.g., 2K, Xbox, Meta), and their specialization in co-development and art production. Understand their remote-first culture and focus on efficiency.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and operations industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with the hiring organization before making application decisions.