--- title: 'Senior Technical Artist (UE5) at SkyBox Labs' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/senior-technical-artist-ue5-skybox-labs-burnaby-fe18bf0s9ebt' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-10-19' --- # Senior Technical Artist (UE5) at SkyBox Labs - **Company:** SkyBox Labs - **Location:** Burnaby, Canada - **Employment:** full-time - **Work type:** hybrid - **Posted:** 2026-10-09 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-19 - **Apply:** https://jobs.lever.co/skyboxlabs/99da50d1-0e03-451c-a8cf-d69ff30cd3c4 ## Job description Who is SkyBox Labs? Recognized as one of BC's Top Employers (2025), SkyBox Labs is a game development studio that works on some of the world’s most iconic games. The studio is currently working on projects in the Minecraft universe, supporting the dev team at Bungie on Destiny 2, supporting development of Fallout 76, in addition to work on unannounced IP. Since our inception in 2011, SkyBox Labs has evolved from a small team of eight individuals to a fully established team of Engineers, Artists, Animators, Designers, Producers, and more. Come join our hybrid team in our Burnaby, BC studio today! PLEASE NOTE: At this time, we are only able to hire candidates who are legally eligible to work in Canada and reside within Canada. Interested? Let’s talk about what we’re hiring for: SkyBox Labs is looking for a Senior Technical Artist to join our team on an ambitious AAA co-development project set within a highly anticipated universe. Working in close collaboration with our partner studio, you’ll play a pivotal role in establishing the technical foundations, worldbuilding workflows, and real-time optimization strategies for large-scale UE5 environments. You will be responsible for defining modern procedural pipelines, optimizing open-world performance, and crafting custom editor tooling that empowers our art and level design teams to iterate efficiently. Using your deep knowledge of Unreal Engine 5, Houdini, and PCG, you'll tackle complex technical challenges on an active codebase. This role is ideal for an experienced, proactive technical artist who excels in an autonomous environment: you thrive when taking high-level, open-ended requirements, communicating proactively across disciplines to resolve ambiguity, and guiding artists with practical, high-impact technical solutions. This team works in a hybrid capacity, with three days a week at our studio in Burnaby, BC. A snapshot of your role: - Real-Time Performance & Optimization: Establish and enforce content creation best practices for large open-world environments in UE5; perform real-time profiling, diagnose bottlenecks, and drive optimization solutions across geometry, materials, and streaming. - Worldbuilding & Procedural Pipelines: Design, build, and support high-level procedural systems (PCG, Blueprints, Houdini) for open-world environment creation, including terrain workflows, road/spline tools, and automated asset placement systems. - Editor Tooling & Artist Efficiency: Develop custom Unreal Engine editor tools, utility widgets, actor workflows, and workflow automations that maximize iteration speed and team efficiency for level artists and environment teams. - Cross-Discipline Collaboration & Guidance: Act as a technical guide and force multiplier for the art team—providing clear documentation, establishing standards, and offering day-to-day technical direction to bridge artistic goals with engine performance limits. - Proactive Problem-Solving & Communication: Navigate high-level design concepts and incomplete specs with autonomy—taking ownership to investigate technical paths, communicate proactively across disciplines to resolve ambiguity, and deliver robust technical solutions. Sound like you? This is what we're looking for: - Relevant Experience: 7+ years of professional game development experience in Technical Art or Environment Art (with a heavy focus on technical workflows, environment pipelines, and performance optimization), including at least one shipped major AAA title. - Deep UE5 & Procedural Mastery: Deep hands-on expertise with Unreal Engine 5, Houdini, and Unreal's Procedural Content Generation (PCG) framework. - Open World Optimization: Proven track record of optimizing complex UE5 environments and implementing content pipelines that balance high visual fidelity with strict runtime performance targets. - Editor Tooling & Automation: Strong experience developing editor utility tools, custom editor interfaces, and automated workflows within Unreal Engine. - Strong Social & Communication Skills: Excellent interpersonal and communication skills with a natural ability to guide artists, convey complex technical concepts clearly, and act as an informal technical lead across teams. - Self-Motivated & Autonomous Mindset: Comfort operating in an environment where solutions aren't spoon-fed. You enjoy tackling high-level, open-ended challenges and driving them to completion. - Artistic Eye: A strong eye for visual quality and aesthetics, ensuring technical optimizations and automations never compromise the artistic vision. Nice-to-Haves: - Scripting & Shading Foundations: Strong programming/scripting foundations in Blueprints, Python, HLSL, or C++. - Broad Tech Art Experience: Technical experience across adjacent disciplines, such as graphics/lighting, character pipelines, animation systems, or VFX. And here is why we think you'll love working at SkyBox: - Annual bonus and up to 3% RRSP matching available - Comprehensive health benefits, along with a supportive Maternity and Parental Leave policy - Flexible hybrid working arrangements: leverage our beautiful studio spaces as needed and have the ability to work from home on certain projects - Take care of your mental health with our Employee Assistance Program, 3 weeks of vacation leave, and our free gym at our Burnaby Studio - We relentlessly support your growth and development! Level up your C++ skills at SkyBox University, explore other disciplines through our Guild Program, and expand your game dev knowledge with Lunch & Learns. You’ll join a culture of empowerment, collaboration, and personal growth. - Social events! Have fun with the team at trivia nights, karaoke nights, movie nights, and various group activities. Join our soccer team, game jams, or a board game sesh after work. You name it, we’ve got it! - Get involved with our diverse community through Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) that champion Diversity, Equity & Inclusion initiatives and promote a supportive environment - You’ll contribute to industry-leading titles! The base salary range for this position is $102,000 to $140,000. The stated pay scale reflects the range that SkyBox Labs reasonably expects to pay for this position. Your base salary and level will be determined by various factors including, but not limited to, qualifications, skills, experience, and demonstrated competencies. Our commitment to you: SkyBox Labs is proud to be an equal opportunity employer, committed to developing and maintaining a diverse workforce. You’ll join a collaborative, inclusive culture where we succeed together, and like-minded people work naturally together to achieve great things (and games!). Only candidates who reside in Canada or are willing to relocate will be considered for this role. Additionally, although we appreciate all interest, only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted. Learn more about us at https://skyboxlabs.com/ ## About SkyBox Labs ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: A full-service co-development game studio based in Vancouver, specializing in AAA franchises such as Halo, Minecraft, Destiny, and Fallout. - **Entity Type**: Private (subsidiary of NetEase Games, acquired January 2023) - **Headquarters**: Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada - **Founded**: 2011 - **Founders**: Derek MacNeil, Shyang Kong, Steven Silvester ## Core Business - **Primary industry**: Video game development (co-development / outsourcing for major publishers) - **Target customers**: B2B – large game publishers (Xbox Game Studios, Bungie, Electronic Arts, Microsoft) - **Mission statement**: Not explicitly stated, but the studio emphasizes “contributing to industry-leading titles without compromising on culture” and maintaining a “small studio feel” with flat structure. ## Products & Services SkyBox Labs does not ship its own IP; it acts as a co-developer and support studio for major titles: - **Halo Infinite** (co-development with Xbox Game Studios) - **Minecraft** (Bedrock version for Nintendo Switch – cross-play implementation) - **Destiny 2: The Final Shape** (supporting Bungie) - **Fallout 76** (supporting Bethesda / Xbox) - **Age of Empires** (previous work, not detailed on current site) ## Market Standing - **Valuation / Market Cap**: Not disclosed (acquired by NetEase for an undisclosed sum in 2023) - **Key Metric**: ~235+ employees (2025, per about page); 200+ in 2021 (Wikipedia) - **Notable Investors / Partners**: NetEase Games (parent company), Xbox Game Studios, Bungie, Microsoft, Electronic Arts - **Growth Signals**: - Acquired by NetEase in 2023 – provides financial stability and access to larger network - Recognized as one of BC’s Top Employers two years in a row (2024, 2025) - Expanded to three offices in Burnaby and Victoria (2022) - Continues to work on multiple AAA projects simultaneously ## Competitive Advantages - **Deep co-development expertise**: Proven track record with iconic franchises (Halo, Minecraft, Destiny, Fallout) - **Strong publisher relationships**: Long-term partnerships with Xbox Game Studios and Bungie, rare for a studio of this size - **Technical specialization**: Expertise in Nintendo Switch porting and cross-play implementation (Minecraft Bedrock) - **Flat structure**: Retains a “small studio” culture despite growth, enabling impactful contributions at all levels ## Strategic Focus - Continue co-developing blockbuster AAA titles with top-tier publishers - Leverage NetEase ownership to expand into new projects and potentially original IP - Maintain culture of learning and growth (SkyBox U, Guilds) to attract and retain talent - Geographic expansion within British Columbia (three offices) ## Why Work Here - **Culture**: Flat structure, open communication, mutual respect, authenticity – described as “small studio feel” - **Learning & Development**: SkyBox University (internal courses), leadership programs, learning lunches, personal interest clubs (outdoor, sports, movies, MTG) - **Benefits**: - RRSP matching - Generous maternity/parental leave top-up - Hybrid and on-site work options (Burnaby, Victoria, BC) - **Recognition**: Named BC’s Top Employer 2024 and 2025 - **Hiring Process**: Transparent stages (screen, interview, assignment, decision); uses AI tools to assist with resume review, but final decisions are human - **Diversity & Inclusion**: Committed to fostering diverse and inclusive workplace, valuing different backgrounds and perspectives ## Sources 1. [skyboxlabs.com](https://skyboxlabs.com/) – Official site, co-development projects, awards 2. [skyboxlabs.com/about](https://skyboxlabs.com/about/) – History, team size, NetEase acquisition, culture 3. [skyboxlabs.com/jobs](https://skyboxlabs.com/jobs/) – Careers page, benefits, hiring process, values 4. [jobs.lever.co/skyboxlabs](https://jobs.lever.co/skyboxlabs) – Job listings (AI use disclosure) 5. [wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SkyBox_Labs) – Founders, founding details, parent company, employee count ## Other roles at SkyBox Labs - [Senior Studio Coordinator (18-month contract)](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-studio-coordinator-18-month-contract-skybox-labs-burnaby-r0fxbdypkm1f) — Burnaby, Canada - [UI/UX Software Engineer (UE5)](https://feeny.ai/job/ui-ux-software-engineer-ue5-skybox-labs-burnaby-094xk1trznmb) — Burnaby, Canada - [Senior UI/UX Software Engineer (UE5)](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-ui-ux-software-engineer-ue5-skybox-labs-burnaby-z96vqxjr1y2r) — Burnaby, Canada - [Senior Gameplay Software Engineer (UE5)](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-gameplay-software-engineer-ue5-skybox-labs-burnaby-4tb5mr38g9r6) — Burnaby, Canada