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Graphic Programmer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Principal Graphics Engineer

Austin, TX ยท Remote

$143K - $177K/yr

About the Role We are seeking a passionate and resilient Principal Graphics Engineer to own a foundational piece of our infrastructure: the rendering and runtime layer that lets unmodified mobile ...

Principal Graphics Engineer

San Francisco, CA ยท Remote

$143K - $177K/yr

About the Role We are seeking a passionate and resilient Principal Graphics Engineer to own a foundational piece of our infrastructure: the rendering and runtime layer that lets unmodified mobile ...

Principal Graphics Engineer

New York, NY ยท Remote

$143K - $177K/yr

About the Role We are seeking a passionate and resilient Principal Graphics Engineer to own a foundational piece of our infrastructure: the rendering and runtime layer that lets unmodified mobile ...

Metric Engineering is seeking a Graphic Designer to support the development of high-quality, client-facing deliverables and branded materials across both Metric Engineering and Metric Consulting.

Neural Graphics Engineer

Santa Clara, CA ยท On-site

$164K - $203K/yr

At NVIDIA, our Neural Graphics team builds technologies at the intersection of AI and real-time rendering. We reach millions of developers and creators through products like Alpasim, open platforms ...

Graphics Engineer Senior I

Aberdeen, MD ยท On-site

$138K - $160K/yr

Overview The Graphics Engineer Sr I produces and reviews technical documentation reflecting ... graphic design, related industrial design, architecture, drafting, and interior design for the US ...

Neural Graphics Engineer

Santa Clara, CA ยท On-site

$164K - $203K/yr

At NVIDIA, our Neural Graphics team builds technologies at the intersection of AI and real-time rendering. We reach millions of developers and creators through products like Alpasim, open platforms ...

Neural Graphics Engineer

Santa Clara, CA ยท On-site

$163K - $201K/yr

At NVIDIA, our Neural Graphics team builds technologies at the intersection of AI and real-time rendering. We reach millions of developers and creators through products like Alpasim, open platforms ...

Engineering. We deliver award-winning mechanical contracting, construction, service, and ... Graphic Designer The Graphic Designer helps bring the U.S. Engineering brand to life through ...

Graphic Designer

Kansas City, MO ยท On-site

$58K - $83K/yr

Engineering. We deliver award-winning mechanical contracting, construction, service, and ... Graphic Designer The Graphic Designer helps bring the U.S. Engineering brand to life through ...

CAD Graphics Engine Software Engineer

Los Angeles, CA ยท On-site

$150K - $186K/yr

About The Role We're looking for a Graphics Engine Software Engineer to join our growing team to help us build out the core functionality of our next-generation CAD Graphics Engine! In this role, you ...

Graphic Designer

Kansas City, MO ยท Hybrid

$58K - $83K/yr

Engineering. We deliver award-winning mechanical contracting, construction, service, and ... OverviewThe Graphic Designer helps bring the U.S. Engineering brand to life through thoughtful ...

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Graphic Programmer information

See salary details

$110.5K

$135K

$156.5K

How much do graphic programmer jobs pay per year?

As of Jun 27, 2026, the average yearly pay for graphic programmer in the United States is $135,000.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $125,000.00 and $145,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

How does a Graphic Programmer typically collaborate with artists and designers during a game's development cycle?

Graphic Programmers work closely with artists and designers to ensure that visual concepts are both achievable and optimized for performance. They often translate creative ideas into technical solutions, developing shaders, rendering techniques, and visual effects that align with the team's artistic vision. Regular meetings and iterative feedback sessions help bridge the gap between technical feasibility and creative intent, making strong communication skills essential for success in this role.

What is the difference between Graphic Programmer vs Shader Developer?

AspectGraphic ProgrammerShader Developer
Required CredentialsBachelor's in Computer Science, Graphics, or related field; knowledge of graphics APIsSimilar educational background; specialized knowledge of shader languages
Work EnvironmentGame studios, visual effects companies, simulation firmsGame studios, graphics software companies, real-time rendering projects
Employer & Industry UsageUsed broadly across industries involving graphics programmingPrimarily in graphics and game development sectors
Common Search & Comparison IntentUnderstanding roles in graphics developmentFocusing on shader-specific tasks within graphics programming

Both Graphic Programmers and Shader Developers work in graphics-intensive environments, often requiring similar educational backgrounds and skills. While Graphic Programmers handle overall graphics systems and engine integration, Shader Developers focus specifically on creating and optimizing shaders for rendering effects. The roles are closely related, with Shader Developers often being a specialized subset within the broader scope of Graphic Programming.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Graphic Programmer, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Graphic Programmer, you need a strong background in computer science, mathematics, and graphics programming, often supported by a relevant degree or equivalent experience. Proficiency with programming languages like C++, graphics APIs such as DirectX or OpenGL, and familiarity with shader languages and game engines is typically required. Creativity, problem-solving, and effective collaboration with artists and developers are essential soft skills that set top performers apart. These skills and qualities are crucial for creating visually compelling, high-performance graphics that enhance user experiences in interactive applications.

What are graphic programmers?

Graphic programmers are specialized software developers who focus on creating and optimizing visual elements in computer programs, particularly in video games, simulations, and multimedia applications. They work on rendering engines, shaders, lighting, and other graphical effects to achieve high-quality visuals and efficient performance. Their expertise lies in graphics APIs, mathematics, and hardware acceleration to ensure smooth and realistic graphics. Graphic programmers often collaborate closely with artists and designers to bring visual concepts to life. This role requires strong programming skills, usually in languages like C++ and knowledge of graphics libraries such as DirectX or OpenGL.
More about Graphic Programmer jobs
What cities are hiring for Graphic Programmer jobs? Cities with the most Graphic Programmer job openings:
What states have the most Graphic Programmer jobs? States with the most job openings for Graphic Programmer jobs include:

Principal Graphics Engineer

Parallelz

Austin, TX โ€ข Remote

$143K - $177K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Retirement

Posted 17 days ago


Job description

About Parallelz

Parallelz is building a new technology platform that enables new ways of delivering, discovering, and extending mobile applications, ways that were never thought possible. We allow developers to, with no modifications to their code, transform existing mobile apps into web-native apps that can run anywhere, all without a walled garden app store.

You will be getting in at a pivotal stage, contributing to the technical strategic roadmap, helping build a world-class technical team, and working in a small, agile, flat organization to evolve our R&D initiatives into a live, scaled operational platform that will have an impact across the industry.

Parallelz is an AI-native organization. We expect every engineer to use AI tools and agentic systems as a core part of how they design, build, debug, and ship. Not as a side experiment, but as a multiplier on judgment, velocity, and quality.

Our founding team and advisors are serial entrepreneurs and technologists from Google, Mozilla, MIT Media Labs, and other top organizations. The company is joined by top-tier and global venture funds and angel investors.

About the Role

We are seeking a passionate and resilient Principal Graphics Engineer to own a foundational piece of our infrastructure: the rendering and runtime layer that lets unmodified mobile apps execute and stream pixel-perfect, low-latency experiences to any browser.

You will spend your time deep in graphics pipelines, shaders, GPU compositing, frame timing, and the cross-stack interactions between Android/Linux graphics, browser engines, and WebGL/WebGPU. The role demands first-principles thinking, an instinct for getting to the root of difficult problems, and the maturity to ship performance-critical code that holds up at scale.

We are equally interested in candidates with a deep graphics engineering background (game engines, browser graphics, GPU systems, real-time rendering) and candidates from adjacent low-level systems backgrounds with demonstrated graphics depth.

What You'll Do
  • Own the design, implementation, and evolution of our graphics and rendering stack across native (Android/Linux) and web (WebGL, WebGPU) targets.
  • Write efficient, maintainable, performance-critical C/C++ for system-level and rendering components, with hard requirements on frame budgets, memory, and latency.
  • Profile and tune the full pipeline: CPU/GPU bottlenecks, shader cost, texture and buffer management, compositor interactions, and end-to-end streaming latency.
  • Investigate and resolve faults in complex environments, tracing issues from the browser engine down through the runtime to the OS, kernel, and graphics driver.
  • Drive upgrades to the underlying platforms (AOSP versions, browser engines, GLES/WebGPU evolution) while keeping the system stable and shippable.
  • Partner with other teams to define and implement robust testing strategies for rendering correctness, performance regressions, and cross-device fidelity.
  • Operate as a senior independent contributor: scope your own work, drive it to completion, and communicate clearly with a small, high-trust team.
  • Work natively with AI coding agents and tooling (Claude Code, Cursor, agentic workflows, custom internal agents) to accelerate research, prototyping, code generation, debugging, and review, treating these tools as a junior pair you direct and verify, not a passenger.

Requirements

This is a technically demanding role that rewards resilience, creative problem-solving, and out-of-the-box thinking.

Must-Haves
  • Strong systems programming foundation: C/C++ proficiency on performance-critical, low-level codebases, with deep familiarity with Linux and OS-level internals.
  • Deep experience with one or more real-time graphics stacks: OpenGL ES, WebGL, WebGPU, Vulkan, Metal, or DirectX, including shader programming, GPU memory and pipeline optimization, and frame/latency budgeting.
  • Track record of owning complex, multi-component graphics or systems products end-to-end, from research prototype through production at scale.
  • Daily fluency with AI coding agents and LLM tooling, with a clear bias toward verifying and pushing back on AI output rather than accepting it.
  • A "dig until it bleeds" investigative instinct: the drive to understand every layer of the system.
  • Strong written communication and a self-directed working style suited to a small, senior, high-trust team.

We'd love to see depth in two or more of the following:

  • Browser engine internals (Chromium/Blink, Gecko, WebKit), particularly the graphics, compositor, or rendering subsystems.
  • Game engine internals, real-time renderers, or GPU compute frameworks.
  • Android internals and custom AOSP development (kernel, HAL, SurfaceFlinger, System Services, GMS, Android Build System).
  • Android/Linux graphics stack (EGL, Gralloc, DRM/KMS, Mesa) and graphics driver work.
  • Web platform technologies: WebAssembly, WebRTC, and the surrounding browser security/sandboxing model.
  • Containers and virtualization (LXC, namespaces, cgroups) and their interaction with hardware-accelerated graphics.
  • Real-time network and socket programming, including low-latency streaming protocols and frame pacing.
  • Linux device driver programming.
Nice-to-Haves
  • Experience building, fine-tuning, or evaluating internal AI/agent tooling that augments engineering work.
  • A data-driven mindset, relying on qualitative and quantitative signal to make informed decisions.
  • Mobile game development experience, including engines, SDKs, and the broader ecosystem.
  • Background in advanced compression, video codecs, or color management.
  • Graduate work or research background in computer graphics, systems, or a related area.

Benefits

  • Group Retirement Savings Plan matching and participation
  • Comprehensive benefits package (health, dental, vision), including Health and Wellness spending account
  • Generous time off policies
  • Access to leading AI tools and platforms