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Keynote Shader & Effects Engineer

Client: Apple

Duration: 12-Month Contract

Start Date: October 2026

Apple's Keynote team is seeking a highly skilled Shader & Effects Engineer to help design, develop, and optimize the advanced visual effects and animations that power Keynote's custom rendering engine. This role is ideal for an engineer who thrives at the intersection of graphics programming, visual design, and creative technology. The successful candidate will bring deep expertise in real-time rendering and shader development while demonstrating the artistic sensibility needed to transform creative concepts into visually compelling experiences. This individual will play a key role in creating the high-impact effects, transitions, and animations seen by millions of users across Apple's ecosystem.

Responsibilities

• Design, prototype, and implement advanced shader-driven visual effects and animations.
• Develop and maintain high-performance graphics solutions optimized for Apple Silicon devices.
• Create visually compelling real-time effects while maintaining strict rendering and performance requirements.
• Collaborate closely with designers and engineers to translate creative vision into polished user experiences.
• Apply modern graphics techniques to solve complex visual and technical challenges.
• Optimize GPU performance to achieve smooth, high-fidelity rendering across a variety of hardware platforms.
• Research and implement state-of-the-art rendering technologies and industry best practices.
• Own graphics features and effect systems throughout the full development lifecycle, from concept through production.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or equivalent practical experience.
• Minimum of 5 years of professional experience in graphics, rendering, or shader development.
• Proven experience developing and optimizing real-time graphics applications.
• Strong understanding of rendering pipelines, rasterization, compute shaders, render passes, resource binding, and GPU/CPU synchronization.
• Experience writing production-quality shader code using Metal, GLSL, HLSL, Vulkan, or similar technologies.
• Demonstrated ability to optimize graphics workloads for performance-sensitive applications.
• Experience shipping graphics features, visual effects, or rendering systems in production environments.
• Strong communication skills and ability to collaborate effectively across technical and creative teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• Deep expertise with Metal Shading Language (MSL) and the Apple graphics ecosystem.
• Experience working with Core Animation, Core Graphics, or related Apple technologies.
• Familiarity with modern graphics research, including SIGGRAPH and GDC content.
• Experience with Motion, Adobe After Effects, or other visual effects and animation tools.
• Exposure to machine learning, computer vision, or image-processing applications within graphics workflows.
• generative art, creative coding, procedural graphics, or interactive media.
• Artistic, design, or motion graphics experience.

Ideal Candidate Profile

This is not a traditional software engineering role. The ideal candidate combines advanced graphics engineering expertise with a strong appreciation for visual design and aesthetics. They understand how to create art through code and have a track record of developing sophisticated visual effects rather than simply implementing graphics features. Successful candidates often come from backgrounds such as:

• Graphics Engineering
• Rendering Engineering
• GPU Engineering
• Technical Art
• Creative Technology
• Real-Time Visualization
• Visual Effects Engineering
• Interactive Media Development
• AR/VR Graphics

Candidates with experience in creative coding communities, generative art projects, or graphics-focused technical communities are especially encouraged to apply.

Portfolio Submission Required

• ShaderToy projects
• GitHub repositories
• Personal portfolio websites
• Graphics demonstrations
• Visual effects breakdowns
• Shipped products featuring custom rendering or shader work
• Interactive graphics projects
• Generative art or creative coding examples

Interview Process

• Initial phone interview focused on technical experience and portfolio review.
• Three 45-minute technical interviews with team members.
• Final interview round may be scheduled based on team feedback.

Job Type & Location

This is a Contract position based out of Cupertino, CA.

Pay and Benefits

The pay range for this position is $143.28 - $143.28/hr.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment.

Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms.

• Medical, dental & vision
• Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital
• 401(k) Retirement Plan
• Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available
• Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents)
• Short and long-term disability
• Health Spending Account (HSA)
• Transportation benefits
• Employee Assistance Program
• Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

Workplace Type

This is a fully onsite position in Cupertino,CA.

Application Deadline

This position is anticipated to close on Aug 14, 2026.

Equal Opportunity Statements

TEKsystems is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regards to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.