About the Role
<h2>Senior Technical Lighting Artist - Unreal Engine</h2><p><strong>Remote · Full-time · B2B or employment · Co-dev model</strong></p><p>We are looking for a <strong>Senior Technical Lighting Artist</strong> with strong Unreal Engine experience and a solid understanding of real-time lighting, rendering, and environment systems.</p><p>This role is not about relying on plugins or presets to quickly create a good-looking result. We are looking for someone who understands the <strong>core Unreal Engine components behind the look</strong>, knows what key parameters do, and can diagnose lighting, rendering, exposure, shadow, fog, and Time of Day issues in production.</p><p>This is a hands-on co-development role focused on lighting execution, technical awareness, and close collaboration with client-side Art, Lighting, Tech Art, and Engineering teams. It does not require production ownership or lead-level management support.</p><h2>You’ll know this is for you if…</h2><ul><li><p>You have strong Unreal Engine lighting experience and understand how real-time lighting systems are built</p></li><li><p>You understand Time of Day systems beyond using plugins, presets, or black-box tools</p></li><li><p>You know how direct light, skylight, fog, atmosphere, exposure, shadows, Lumen, Nanite, and performance settings affect each other</p></li><li><p>You can navigate Blueprints, Sequencer, World Partition, Data Layers, levels, and sublevels</p></li><li><p>You are comfortable diagnosing problems, identifying likely causes, and communicating clearly with Tech Art or Engineering</p></li></ul><h2>What you’ll do</h2><ul><li><p>Create, polish, and troubleshoot lighting directly in Unreal Engine</p></li><li><p>Work with Time of Day lighting systems and understand how their components interact</p></li><li><p>Adjust and balance key components such as Directional Light, Skylight, Sky Atmosphere, Skybox, Exponential Height Fog, Post Process Volumes, Local Exposure, and atmospheric settings</p></li><li><p>Use Sequencer to control lighting setups, Day Sequence Volumes, and Time of Day parameters</p></li><li><p>Diagnose visual and technical issues related to lighting, rendering, exposure, shadows, fog, atmosphere, and performance</p></li><li><p>Work with Unreal rendering systems such as Lumen, Virtual Shadow Maps, Nanite, LODs, draw distances, and light complexity</p></li><li><p>Navigate Blueprints to understand how lighting or environment systems are built and where issues may come from</p></li><li><p>Work within level, sublevel, World Partition, and Data Layer setups</p></li><li><p>Collaborate with Art Directors, Lighting Artists, Technical Artists, and Engineers to solve production issues</p></li></ul><h2>What we’re looking for</h2><ul><li><p>Strong portfolio or reel showing real-time lighting work in Unreal Engine</p></li><li><p>Professional experience as a Lighting Artist, Technical Lighting Artist, Technical Artist, Environment Artist with lighting focus, or similar role</p></li><li><p>Strong understanding of Unreal Engine lighting workflows and rendering fundamentals</p></li><li><p>Practical knowledge of Time of Day systems and how they are usually structured</p></li><li><p>Understanding of how direct light, skylight, sky, fog, atmosphere, exposure, post process, and shadows work together</p></li><li><p>Good knowledge of Lumen, Virtual Shadow Maps, Nanite, LODs, draw distances, light complexity, and platform limitations</p></li><li><p>Ability to diagnose visual and technical problems, even when the final fix requires Tech Art or Engineering support</p></li><li><p>Ability to use plugins when helpful, without relying on them as a black box</p></li><li><p>Clear written English and comfort working in a fully remote, client-facing co-development model</p></li></ul><h2>Key technical knowledge</h2><p>The ideal candidate should understand how these systems work, why they are used, and how they affect each other:</p><ul><li><p>Time of Day Lighting Systems</p></li><li><p>Directional Light, Skylight, Sky Atmosphere, Skybox, Exponential Height Fog</p></li><li><p>Post Process Volumes, exposure, and Local Exposure</p></li><li><p>Sequencer and Day Sequence Volumes</p></li><li><p>Lumen, including limitations and supported platforms</p></li><li><p>Virtual Shadow Maps and shadow-related artifacts</p></li><li><p>Nanite, LODs, draw distances, visibility, and light complexity</p></li><li><p>Blueprints used for lighting, environment, or Time of Day systems</p></li><li><p>Level structure, sublevels, World Partition, Data Layers, and streaming</p></li></ul><h2>Nice to have</h2><ul><li><p>Experience with dynamic Time of Day systems</p></li><li><p>Experience with large open-world or semi-open-world Unreal Engine projects</p></li><li><p>Experience profiling or debugging lighting and rendering performance</p></li><li><p>Strong cinematic and gameplay lighting sense</p></li><li><p>Console or performance-constrained platform experience</p></li><li><p>Basic Blueprint scripting knowledge</p></li><li><p>Experience working closely with Tech Art or Engineering teams</p></li></ul><h2>What we offer</h2><ul><li><p>Co-development work on technically interesting Unreal Engine projects</p></li><li><p>Direct impact on lighting quality, readability, and rendering consistency</p></li><li><p>Close collaboration with experienced client-side Art, Lighting, Tech Art, and Engineering teams</p></li><li><p>Fully remote work with flexible contract options: B2B or employment</p></li><li><p>Opportunity to work on hard-to-find, technically demanding lighting challenges</p></li><li><p>Collaborative, production-focused environment</p></li><li><p>Annual team retreat focused on alignment, learning, and team bonding</p></li></ul><p><strong>To apply:</strong> send your portfolio or lighting reel and a short note describing one Unreal Engine lighting setup you worked on, what systems were involved, and what technical challenges you had to solve. No cover letter required.</p>