Senior Technical Artist

Konami Gaming is looking for a Senior Technical Artist to join our team!

This onsite position is responsible for blending artistic expertise and technical ability, creating visually stimulating content that will enhance game play and showcase original experiences to a wide player audience. The Senior Technical Artist fits in between the technical team and the art team, enabling the highest quality artwork to be implemented in games, while ensuring all technical requirements including overall game size and performance are met. Working collaboratively with game teams, the Senior Technical Artist strives to provide improvements for tools, workflows and process within a Unity based development environment. This role will guide artists not experienced in the Unity in developing art optimally for the platform and will support other Technical Artists in building their Unity knowledge and experience.

What you'll be doing:

• Integrate assets into games without sacrificing artistic vision or exceeding technical limits of the platform.
• Collaborate with artists and engineers to implement assets effectively, facilitate communication, and build working relationships.
• Develop and maintain art production workflow/pipeline by writing scripts/tools to aid artists to create visually stunning work more effectively.
• Prepare data for game integration with fidelity to the artistic vision and within the platform’s technical limits.
• Align each game’s asset creation with the functional specification/graphic proposal.
• Create graphic data focusing on visual reinforcement of game rules and game flow.
• Applies cost effective, effort-maximizing techniques and tools.
• Produce particles, shaders and other VFX for Unity applications.
• Efficiently solve problems, communicate, and educate other team members as needed.
• Proactively self-trains to remain at the forefront of Unity engine technology.
• Help build rapid prototypes of experimental features using Unity 3D.
• Iterate on Unity 3D scene implementation to finalize product and other creative requirements.
• Analyzes Konami and competitor products and field performance from a player’s perspective to find industry trends, consider players in art design, and discern which art approaches are most effective to appeal to gamblers. This includes:
  • Attending field research trips to casinos monthly or as required. Researching via online methods (e.g., YouTube) to build familiarity with the industry.
  • Attends and provides input on follow-up team analysis discussions.
  • Attending G2E and other tradeshows or conferences as required.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Konami Offers

Competitive Wages

Great 401(k) plan with company match

Comprehensive health benefits package

Generous Company paid Holidays and Paid Time Off (PTO)

Tuition reimbursement program

About Konami Gaming, Inc.:

For Players. For Operators. For Each Other.

Konami Gaming, Inc. entered the US gaming market in the 2000s and we have spent the last two decades moving the industry forward with breakthrough games, head turning cabinets, and a casino management system that brings it all together. Over that time, we have garnered our share of awards and established a corporate culture of success and innovation.

A world leader in systems and game development, Konami can offer you the best of both worlds - stability within a dynamic, creative environment. We are excited to announce that Konami Gaming Inc. is growing and expanding into new product lines, including premium and standard games, and new market segments. As we enter a new growth period for the Company, we are expanding our reach to attract top talent in game studio operations, technology and product development.

Qualifications

What we'll want you to have:

• Bachelor’s degree in Graphics, Game Development, or related field; or equivalent experience.
• Master’s degree and art-related certifications or awards desirable.
• 8+ years of related experience and/or training.
• 4+ years of experience working with cross functional development teams creating multimedia-rich games, ideally slots.
• 2+ years of experience in game production as a game artist or engineer.
• 2+ years of experience developing and maintaining tools and writing scripts within the Unity development environment.
• Ability to communicate professionally and efficiently, both verbal and written with all levels of the business.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain Gaming licensure(s).
• Accountable for developing and maintaining art production workflow/pipeline by writing scripts/tools to aid artists to create more efficiently.
• Profiling and performance optimization of applications will be required.
• Strong ability to problem-solve and help guide development of slot titles from concept to launch.
• Understanding of interactive game art standards (UI/UX design and appeal).
• 2+ years of experience with C# and use of the Unity Engine professionally.
• Experience with C++, C# and Unity-based slot development.
• Demonstrated experience in producing particles, shaders and other visual effects for Unity applications.
• Comprehensive knowledge of rendering fundamentals: modeling, texturing/shading/surfacing, rigging, animation, lighting, rendering.
• Significant experience using the MS Office suite including Excel is required.

Additional Requirements:

• Minimal travel necessary. 0-10%, or as business requires. Employee must be flexible to the travel needs of the business. Must possess a valid driver’s license.

Work Environment:

• Full-time / 40+ hours per week. Must be flexible to work overtime, including nights, weekends, and holidays as required.
• Must be comfortable working in an area with limited working space for long hours with the ability to remain seated at computer terminal for extended periods of time. Extreme repetitive motion using keyboard, mouse, and telephone. Must be able to work at assigned location to enable direct communications and interactions with team members, management, and others as necessary, unless traveling for a business-related purpose.
• Ability to work effectively and efficiently in a high-stress, fast-paced, and high-pressure environment while maintaining high standards of accuracy, paying attention to detail, and meeting assigned deadlines. Demonstrates high integrity, trust, and strict confidentiality. Ability to maintain excellent communication and a positive, respectful, and professional attitude and relationship with clients, employees, peers, co-workers, all levels of management, and all outside organizations conducting business or otherwise interacting with the company. Ability to always act autonomously while adhering to overall department and company policies and procedures.
• Position shall work primarily in a smoke free office environment. The noise level is low to moderate. Position shall maintain a cubicle or office in close proximity to other cubicles and offices.
• Position must attend monthly Field Research trips to casinos, tradeshows, or as needed. Must be able to tolerate areas containing varying noise and temperature levels, illumination, vibration, crowds, and air quality. Must be able to tolerate areas containing secondhand smoke.

Konami Gaming is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to diversity in the workplace. All qualified employees and applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, national origin, disability, marital status, protected veteran status, gender identity or any other factor protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws.

If you need a reasonable accommodation because of a disability for any part of the employment process, please call 702-616-1400 and let us know the nature of your request and your contact information.