Shader Programming Jobs in Pasadena, CA (NOW HIRING)

Riot VFX Artists design and implement the sleek, dynamic and dramatic special effects that add atmosphere and depth to gameplay, enabling teams to build beautiful, performant, and expressive game experiences.
As a VFX Artist II on an unpublished R&D product, you will be foundational in developing the visual identity of new gameplay experiences. Your work will empower rapid iteration, unblock engineering and design, and establish the visual groundwork for the product's long-term development. You will partner across disciplines to contribute to a cohesive and exciting end product. You will create aesthetically astounding visual effects that communicate essential game information, and define the workflows that enable scalable content creation. You will operate directly inside the game engine, leveraging your experience to accelerate delivery, reduce iteration time, and create a strong foundation for future art direction and team expansion. This role will report to the Senior Manager of Art Direction.
Responsibilities:

• Design and implement sleek, dynamic, and dramatic special effects spanning the entire game from the game scene to the UI that is aligned with the art direction of the team.
• Balance gameplay needs and thematic direction while hitting craft quality benchmarks for VFX consistently.
• Create aesthetically astounding visual effects that communicate essential game information.
• Implement and integrate art assets directly in the engine including, VFX, particles, and UI-related visual elements.
• Surface visual/technical risks early, proposing pragmatic solutions that enable the team to avoid rework and maintain rapid velocity.
• Provide artistic feedback to outsourced VFX vendors to ensure creative alignment
• Rapidly creating temporary FX to prototype new gameplay mechanics.
• Proactively engage with discipline and team rituals including regular feedback and iteration cycles.
• Collaborate on creative and complex assignments with multiple disciplines to achieve a shared vision.
• Use your craft skills to draw, paint, animate and or model with equal proficiency as-needed.

Required Qualifications:

• 3+ years as a VFX artist creating stylized real-time VFX in the game industry
• Professional experience implementing assets directly into game engines like Unreal, Unity, etc.
• Experience working within software such as Photoshop, Maya, AfterEffects
• Proficiency in VFX fundamentals like timing, shape language, and color theory.
• Experience optimizing content, solving cross-discipline integration issues, and improving real-time performance.
• Demonstrated ability to partner effectively with engineers, designers, and artists in a fast-moving environment.
• Strong foundational art skills, including expertise in shape design, color theory, anatomy, and visual hierarchy.

Desired Qualifications

• Experience working in small, high-velocity strike teams or pre-production prototyping environments.
• Experience creating in-game motion graphics assets.
• Experience shipping cross-platform games.
• Experience with modeling, rigging and animating.
• Experience making complex materials for use on characters.
• Knowledge of shader authoring, texture optimization, or procedural workflows.
• Strong understanding of performance constraints for cross-platform real-time content.
• Ability to reason about the intersection of art, gameplay intention, and engine constraints balancing clarity, performance, and production speed.

For this role, you'll find success through craft expertise and a collaborative spirit that prioritizes the delight of players. We will look at your past studies and experience, but for this role, we also look for dedicated people with a personal relationship with games. If you embody player empathy and care about players' experiences, this is the role for you!
Our Perks:
Riot focuses on work/life balance, shown by our open paid time off policy and other perks such as flexible work schedules. We offer medical, dental, and life insurance, parental leave for you, your spouse/domestic partner, and children, and a 401k with company match. Check out our benefits pages for more information.
At Riot Games, we put players first . That mission drives every decision in our quest to create games and experiences that make it better to be a player. Whether you're working directly on a new player-facing experience or you're supporting the company as a whole, everyone at Riot is part of our mission. And just like in our games, we're better when we work together. Our goal is to create collaborative teams where you are empowered to bring your unique perspective everyday. If that sounds like the kind of place you want to work, we're looking forward to your application.
It's our policy to provide equal employment opportunity for all applicants and members of Riot Games, Inc. Riot Games makes reasonable accommodations for handicapped and disabled Rioters and does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, handicap, veteran status, marital status, criminal history, or any other category protected by applicable federal and state law. We consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with applicable federal, state and local law, including the California Fair Chance Act, the City of Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, and the Washington Fair Chance Act.
Per the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance, the following core duties may create a basis for disqualifying candidates with relevant criminal histories:

• Safeguarding confidential and sensitive Company data
• Communication with others, including Rioters and third parties such as vendors, and/or players, including minors
• Accessing Company assets, secure digital systems, and networks
• Ensuring a safe interactive environment for players and other Rioters

These duties are directly related to essential operations, safety, trust, and compliance obligations within our organization. Please note that job duties may evolve based on business needs and additional responsibilities may be assigned as necessary to maintain operational efficiency and security.
(Los Angeles Only) Base salary range between $122,600.00 - $171,800.00 USD + incentive compensation + equity + 401K with company match + medical, dental, vision, and life insurance + short and long-term disability + open PTO.

• (Los Angeles Only) Base salary range between $122,600.00 - $171,800.00 USD + incentive compensation + equity + 401K with company match + medical, dental, vision, and life insurance + short and long-term disability + open PTO.