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Shader Programming Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Principal Graphics Engineer

Santa Clara, CA · Remote

$143K - $177K/yr

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 ...

Principal Graphics Engineer

New York, NY

$153K - $189K/yr

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 ...

Principal Graphics Engineer

San Francisco, CA · Remote

$143K - $177K/yr

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 ...

Principal Graphics Engineer

New York, NY · Remote

$143K - $177K/yr

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 ...

Principal Graphics Engineer

Santa Clara, CA · On-site

$164K - $203K/yr

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 ...

Senior Graphics Engineer

Bellevue, WA · On-site

$158K - $195K/yr

Demonstrated programming skills in C++ and modern shader languages * Knowledge of real-time 3D graphics and modern computer APIs. * Ability to collaborate with developers, customers, and leadership ...

DirectX, OpenGL, or Vulkan APIs, (including GLSL/HLSL shader programming) * Advanced software algorithms for hi-performance computer graphics * 2D/3D data pre-processing/visualization algorithms to ...

New

Shader & API Depth : Strong understanding of shader languages (HLSL/GLSL/Metal) and graphics APIs ... Systems-First Engineer: You prioritize building stable, scalable, maintainable systems over chasing ...

Showing results 41-60

Shader Programming information

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$14K

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$66K

How much do shader programming jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 17, 2026, the average yearly pay for shader programming in the United States is $45,991.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $41,500.00 and $53,500.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is shader programming?

Shader programming involves writing specialized code that runs on a computer's graphics processing unit (GPU) to control how images, lighting, and colors are rendered in computer graphics. Shaders are essential for creating realistic visual effects in video games, movies, and virtual reality. Programmers use languages like GLSL, HLSL, or Cg to write vertex, fragment, or compute shaders, which manipulate geometry, textures, and lighting in real time. This field requires strong mathematical and programming skills, especially in linear algebra and computer graphics concepts.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a shader programmer?

To thrive as a Shader Programmer, you need strong proficiency in computer graphics principles, mathematics (especially linear algebra), and experience with shading languages like GLSL or HLSL, often supported by a degree in computer science or a related field. Familiarity with graphics APIs (such as OpenGL or DirectX), real-time rendering engines, and version control systems is typically required. Creative problem-solving, attention to detail, and effective collaboration with artists and developers are standout soft skills in this role. These competencies are vital to create visually stunning and efficient visual effects that enhance real-time applications and games.

What are some common challenges shader programmers face when optimizing graphics performance?

Shader programmers often encounter challenges related to balancing visual quality with real-time performance. Optimizing shaders requires a strong understanding of hardware limitations, such as processing power and memory bandwidth, as well as efficient use of GPU resources. Debugging and profiling shader code can be complex, especially when dealing with platform-specific differences. Collaboration with artists and other developers is essential to ensure that the visuals meet creative goals without exceeding performance budgets.

What is the difference between Shader Programming vs Graphics Programmer?

AspectShader ProgrammingGraphics Programmer
Required credentialsKnowledge of GLSL/HLSL, graphics APIsKnowledge of graphics APIs, C++, shader languages
Work environmentFocus on writing shaders for rendering pipelinesDeveloping graphics engines, rendering techniques
Industry usageUsed in game development, real-time renderingUsed in game studios, visual effects, simulation
Common search intentUnderstanding shader coding differencesUnderstanding graphics pipeline development

Shader Programming primarily involves writing small programs that run on the GPU to control rendering effects, while Graphics Programming encompasses broader development of rendering engines and graphics systems. Both roles require knowledge of graphics APIs and shader languages, but Shader Programmers focus more on creating visual effects at the shader level, whereas Graphics Programmers develop the overall graphics architecture.

More about Shader Programming jobs

What cities are hiring for Shader Programming jobs?

Cities with the most Shader Programming job openings:

What states have the most Shader Programming jobs?

States with the most job openings for Shader Programming jobs include:

Infographic showing various Shader Programming job openings in the United States as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 5% Internship, 68% Full Time, 11% Part Time, 5% Temporary, and 11% Contract. Highlights an 79% In-person, and 21% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $45,991 per year, or $22.1 per hour.

Principal Graphics Engineer

Parallelz

Santa Clara, CA • Remote

$143K - $177K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Retirement

Re-posted 7 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