Technical Director.

Job Description
At AREA 35, you will collaborate with some of the industry's most talented professionals, including Kenichi Iwao (Resident Evil [Biohazard], FINAL FANTASY XI/XIV), Yusuke Kozaki (Pokemon GO, Fire Emblem), Takuya Suzuki (Diablo III, StarCraft II, FINAL FANTASY XV), and Michael Chu (Overwatch, Diablo III, World of Warcraft).

Working in a small, tight-knit team, you'll play a pivotal role in crafting visually stunning and thematically coherent environments that push the boundaries of design and technology. Your responsibilities will include:

  • Develop and implement technical solutions that align with creative goals, ensuring seamless collaboration between artists, designers, and producers.

  • Lead the technical team, including technical artists and engineers, to deliver high-quality results on schedule.

  • Craft custom shaders, materials, and cutting-edge graphical techniques to achieve distinct visual effects and styles.

  • Optimize rendering pipelines to reduce performance bottlenecks while maintaining visual fidelity across platforms.

  • Extend Unreal Engine functionality using advanced programming languages such as C++ and Python.

  • Document workflows, develop tools, and train team members on new pipelines and processes.

  • Present technical concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders, including external clients.

  • Stay up-to-date with industry trends and adapt to project challenges requiring innovative or unconventional techniques.

Application Requirements

  • Extensive knowledge of Unreal Engine, including rendering, blueprints, shaders, animation, and advanced scripting.

  • Proven experience creating unique visual styles for games or media projects.

  • Expertise in optimizing rendering pipelines and maintaining visual fidelity across platforms.

  • Proven experience in designing, implementing, and optimizing rigging pipelines for diverse projects, creating robust and flexible rigs that facilitate integration with Unreal Engine workflows.

  • Advanced skills in programming languages relevant to game development (C++, Python, etc.).

  • Experience leading technical teams and delivering results on high-visibility projects.

  • Strong communication skills for interfacing with diverse teams and external stakeholders.

  • Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent, or 10 years working in the games industry in any capacity (required for Japanese VISA).

  • Business-level Japanese language skills

Preferred Skills

  • Ability to implement cutting-edge graphical techniques that push the boundaries of realism or artistic expression.

  • Familiarity with training team members and documenting technical workflows.

  • Pre-existing Japanese language skills or a willingness to learn.

Base Salary

  • Salary is based on qualifications and experience. TBD during the interview.

Employment Status

  • Full-time employee, contract Worker (both have a 6-month probationary period)

  • 10:00-19:00 (8 hours per day, 1 hour lunch break)

  • Core hours: 11:00-16:00

  • This role is primarily on-site at our Tokyo office

    • Office location:
      7F NTF Takebashi Building, 3-15 Kanda Nishiki-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
      From the nearest stations:
      Subway Takebashi station 7 min. walk
      Subway Jimbocho station 5 min. walk
      Subway Ogawamachi station 10 min. walk
      Subway Shin-ochanomizu station 10 min. walk
      Subway Otemachi station 10 min. walk
      JR Kanda station approx. 13 min. walk

  • Visa sponsorship available

Vacation and Holidays

  • Saturdays, Sundays, and national holidays

  • Year-end and New Year holidays

  • Summer holidays

  • Paid vacation

  • Marriage, bereavement

  • Maternity leave before and after childbirth

  • Childcare leave

  • Nursing care leave

Benefits

  • Reimbursement for transportation expenses

  • Medical checkups

  • Congratulatory and condolence payments

  • Retirement allowance

  • Employee discount for products on our e-commerce site

  • Beer Day (In-house lecture from prominent industry figures)

  • Movie viewing allowance

  • Company support for visiting museums

  • Company support for attending lectures and seminars

  • Company support for certification acquisition and examination fees

  • Japanese lessons offered, subject to workload

Other

  • Bonuses available, paid twice a year based on performance (full-time employees only)

  • Wage revision once a year, based on evaluation and performance

  • Retirement plans/severance packages available

  • Health insurance, employee pension, unemployment insurance, worker's compensation insurance

  • No dress code. There are no restrictions on hairstyle or hair color. Aside from Japanese many of our team members speak English.

If you are interested in applying, please submit your resume/CV and portfolio (art-related positions only) ,along with documentation of pertinent qualifications and referrals. Using the contact form below.
*Portfolios should include the URL of a website where they can be viewed or a data-sharing service.

Applicants are responsible for ensuring submitted materials do not breach any existing NDAs or copyrights.