Unreal Supervisor

Swaybox Studios•New Orleans, LA

About The Position

Swaybox Studios is seeking an Unreal Supervisor to lead their real-time pipeline and enhance the visual quality of work produced in Unreal Engine. This role combines look development, lighting, and technical execution. The supervisor will guide a team of artists in building and refining assets, materials, environments, and lighting shots within Unreal, while also actively engaging in problem-solving, workflow optimization, and pushing visual fidelity within the engine. The ideal candidate will be adept at directing the creative look of a scene and understanding its underlying technical systems. This is a hands-on leadership position focused on translating artistic intent into efficient, scalable, and innovative real-time results, fostering a collaborative and efficient team environment.

Requirements

5+ years of experience in VFX, animation, or game development, with 3–5 years in a supervisory or lead role.
Expert-level fluency in Unreal Engine, including real-time rendering, lighting, materials, and scene optimization.
Deep understanding of shading/material systems and how they impact final visual output.
Extremely knowledgeable in environment building.
Strong artistic eye for lighting, composition, and cinematic presentation.
Proven ability to lead teams and provide clear, actionable creative and technical direction.
Experience working in real-time pipelines for film, episodic, or games.
Strong problem-solving skills and ability to work hands-on in production.
Understanding of performance optimization for real-time environments.
In-depth knowledge of texture mapping techniques.
Deep understanding of visual language- texture, color, dimension, scale, perspective, shade, motion blur, depth of field, proportion, spatial awareness, etc.
Strong problem-solving skills, attention to detail, and the ability to adapt quickly to unique or proprietary workflows.

Nice To Haves

Experience with virtual production workflows, including LED volumes and in-camera VFX.
Familiarity with asset pipelines between DCC tools (Maya, Houdini, etc.) and Unreal Engine.
Understanding of CG modelling and rigging workflows.
Experience with photogrammetry, shooting your own HDRIs, and scanning.
Scripting or technical experience (Blueprints, Python, C++) to support workflow improvements.
Experience working in hybrid pipelines that blend real-time and offline rendering.
Background in both stylized and photorealistic rendering approaches.
Working knowledge of on-set camera work, including understanding of lenses, lighting setups, and performance tracking.
Familiarity with digital matte painting and the compositing process.
Traditional art background or fine arts education.

Responsibilities

Lead and oversee all Unreal Engine-based workflows across production.
Define and drive the visual look of scenes through lighting, shading, and real-time rendering techniques, ensuring a smooth replication of lighting from live action plates onto our CG environments.
Contribute to the execution of CG environments, set extensions, and DMP projections, while utilizing different techniques and cheats to save on render time and budget.
Guide artists in achieving high-quality results, while maintaining performance and pipeline integrity.
Partner closely with the VFX Supervisor to translate creative direction into real-time implementation.
Troubleshoot scenes, assets, and technical issues directly in Unreal alongside the Unreal TD.
Optimize scenes for efficiency without sacrificing visual quality.
Collaborate with TDs and Pipeline teams to improve tools, workflows, and scalability.
Contribute to early R&D and look development inside Unreal.
Support production needs including reviews, planning, bidding, recruiting, and team mentorship.