Senior Graphics Programmer

Role Description

We are looking for a Senior Graphics Programmer with an obsessive focus on performance and visual fidelity to push Unreal Engine 5 to its absolute limits. Reporting directly to the Chief Technical Officer, you will be responsible for:

• Diving into the Unreal Engine C++ source code to implement complex refactors and engine upgrades that support massive open-world gameplay.
• Profiling GPU performance and resolving severe rendering bottlenecks related to draw calls, level of detail (LOD) transitions, and overdraw.
• Diving deep into the specific hardware profiles of modern consoles (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S), pushing the limits of their architecture while adhering to their unique VRAM constraints, memory bandwidths, and certification standards.
• Enhancing and optimizing Unreal Engine 5's rendering ecosystem, working intimately with features like Lumen, Nanite, and hardware ray tracing.
• Collaborating directly with the Technical Art and VFX teams to build and optimize custom rendering systems for dynamic in-world elements.
• Partnering with the Creature Art and Tech Animation teams to pioneer new rendering techniques, including advanced fur, skin shaders, and deformation.
• Defining scalability scenarios across different GPU tiers to manage VRAM budgets and hit strict performance targets.
• Integrating, tweaking, and optimizing modern upscaling and frame generation technologies (such as DLSS, FSR, PSSR, and TSR).
• Co-defining engine-level technical artist tooling and creating documentation or best practices to raise the rendering capability floor for artists across the studio.
• Vigorously investigating, debugging, and solving complex low-level graphics crashes and rendering anomalies across PC and modern console platforms.
• Performing periodic memory tracking, deep performance analysis, load time analysis, and critical race condition/deadlock fixes.
• Developing internal tools and extending engine features to improve iteration times and support the development pipelines for massive survival ecosystems.
• Managing and optimizing large-scale asset pipelines, packaging, and streaming architectures to handle the massive data footprint of a dense open-world survival game.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of professional C/C++ experience focusing entirely on real-time rendering and low-level GPU systems.
• Deep expertise in shaping rendering architecture using modern graphics APIs, specifically DirectX 12 (DX12).
• Hands-on experience profiling, debugging, and identifying frame time optimizations using tools like PIX.
• Strong proficiency in authoring HLSL shaders, compute shaders, and PBR materials.
• Deep, hands-on experience modifying and extending the Unreal Engine 4/5 source code.
• Deep experience working with version control platforms, specifically Perforce.
• Ability to work core hours of 10:00 AM PST to 4:00 PM PST.
• Willingness to be on-call for live issue firefighting and to crunch around critical shipping periods to support major content launches.

Pluses

• Shipped titles credited as a Senior Graphics Programmer, Senior Rendering Engineer, Principal Graphics Engineer or similar technical role.
• Familiarity with the ARK franchise (Survival Evolved / Survival Ascended).

Required Application Materials

• Resume
• Cover Letter including:
  • Why you are interested in this role
  • Why are you interested in working for Studio Wildcard
  • What other games are you currently playing

Company Description

Studio Wildcard was founded in 2014 by industry veterans Jeremy Stieglitz and Jesse Rapczak, with the mission of bringing AAA quality to ambitious indie productions designed for core gamers. With countless years of combined industry experience across multiple independent and studio-backed titles, Wildcard's core team continues to grow, with offices in Redmond, WA and Gainesville, FL including distributed team members across multiple continents.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Wildcard is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, or any other characteristics protected by applicable laws, regulations or ordinances. If you need assistance and/or reasonable accommodations due to disability during the application or the recruiting process, please let us know.

Pay Transparency Information

The expected annual base pay range(s) for this position vary based on a variety of factors, which include: (but aren't limited to) skills, competencies, qualifications, knowledge, and experience. Each pay range is only relevant to those residing in WA state and can vary based on geographical location.

Benefits

• We pay 100% of all premiums for the employee and discounted rates for dependent premiums.
• Our coverage includes:
  • Medical (3 different plans to choose from)
  • Dental
  • Vision
  • Short Term and Long Term Disability
  • Life Insurance
  • 401(k) option
  • 100% covered Parental Leave
  • PTO
  • Paid Holidays
  • Unlimited Sick Time
  • FSA/HSA options