Key Skills

Job Description

Solliciteer nu About This Job As a Technical Artist (0.8-1 FTE), you will mainly work for Cradle, which is the research and development lab of the Academy for AI, Games & Media (AGM) at Breda University of Applied Sciences (BUas). Cradle focuses on developing the next generation of serious games, applications and digital twins. It combines cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), motion capture and game technology with creative design and storytelling. Cradle is the hub that brings together students, researchers and industry professionals, including programmers, artists and designers. As part of the R&D department, you will work on a range of projects, which all vary in objective and content. The projects come from the domains of Media, Animation, Mixed Reality, Entertainment Games, Digital Twins, and Applied and Serious Games. They will always fit one or more of our professorships, involve external partners and aim to drive innovation. Responsibilities You will be responsible for creating high-quality art assets and ensuring they work seamlessly within the Unreal and Unity engines. Your activities focus on: Advising on technical standards and developing best practices for the team; Developing and integrating digital human systems and assets, including facial rigs, skin shading and realistic movement; Developing and refining high-quality 3D assets within complex technical requirements; Designing, building and optimising Houdini-based pipelines for procedural assets, simulations and effects; Developing and implementing R&D software features to extend or improve 3D character workflows, and proposing technical solutions; Working with programmers to design and develop tools and pipelines, translating technical constraints into practical solutions; Building, optimising and maintaining content within the Unreal and Unity engines, including shaders/materials, visual scripts and technical setups; Acting as a technical point of contact for clients and stakeholders, interpreting and translating requirements into feasible technical solutions; Ensuring assets meet performance and quality requirements across target platforms, and independently troubleshooting complex technical issues; Mentoring and supporting other team members and documenting workflows and tools to support knowledge-sharing across the team. You love to work with experts and enjoy the benefits of working in an educational environment. As part of a small, close-knit team, you'll sometimes find yourself picking up tasks outside your usual remit – and you're the kind of person who takes that in your stride. BUas aims to create a stimulating workplace for both students and staff, to enable them to integrate knowledge and skills, to develop their talents to the fullest and apply these to society in a professional and responsible manner. What do we offer? The salary for this position amounts to a monthly minimum of €3,826.54 and a monthly maximum of €5,699.76 (gross amounts based on full-time employment); This position is classified in scale 10 of the cao-hbo (collective labour agreement). Your official job title will be Researcher; This position involves a one-year employment contract with the possibility of conversion into an indefinite employment contract; Your commuting expenses will be fully reimbursed when you travel by public transport; You will receive a contribution towards your health insurance costs; You will receive an end-of-year bonus of 8.3% in December and an annual holiday allowance of 8% in May; You will also be awarded professional development hours every year and almost 11 weeks of holiday entitlements in a full-time position; You have the option to work partly from home, which can help improve your work-life balance; You will build an attractive pension through the ABP pension fund; Working at BUas means always striving for ‘the plus’. BUas aims to be more than just a university of applied sciences, continuously focusing on development and creating meaningful experiences; You will be working at a top-ranked university of applied sciences on a green, sustainable campus near the city centre of Breda; You will be working in an attractive and friendly working environment together with enthusiastic colleagues from the industry and students from around the world. Moving from abroad to Breda in the Netherlands? We provide support and financial compensation for relocation and settling in the Netherlands. Dutch tax authorities may offer tax reductions to applicants from abroad, making tax rates comparable to those in the UK and US. What do we ask of you? You have proven experience as a Technical Artist or in a similar technical/art hybrid role, including experience in independently developing and delivering technical solutions; You are curious and innovative. You are comfortable working on research projects that run into challenges without an existing 'best solution'; You have extensive experience with Houdini, including procedural workflows and simulations, rigging for 3D characters and/or digital humans, including complex or custom rig systems and experience with artist workflows in the Unreal and Unity engines, including shaders/materials, visual scripting and technical setup; You have experience with 3D modelling software like Maya or Blender and an understanding of digital human pipelines, including facial rigging, realistic animation and lifelike shading; You have solid scripting knowledge for tool development (Python) and are able to build tools independently and contribute to pipeline development with programmers; You have good communication and organisational skills, including experience in communicating with clients or external stakeholders, and translating technical requirements and solutions for non-technical audiences; You have a positive and proactive attitude, with a team-oriented mindset and versatility. With your strong solution engineering abilities, you are able to independently scope, design and deliver technical solutions to complex open-ended problems. You are comfortable contributing across a range of technical-art tasks within this small team; You will be working in an international and intercultural setting. Therefore, having excellent verbal and written communication skills in English is a necessity. The application process Please send us your application before 26 October 2026 via the online application form. Do you have any questions? Feel free to contact Joey Relouw via [email protected] with questions about the job itself, or [email protected] for questions about the application process. You will receive a reply to your application no later than two weeks after the closing date. The submission of a certificate of good conduct (in Dutch abbreviated to VOG) is a condition for commencing employment at BUas. We will initiate a request for this after the terms of employment meeting. Among candidates with equal qualifications and experience, preference will be given to the internal candidate. Solliciteer nu More about us Breda University of Applied Sciences (hereafter referred to as BUas) is a specialist, small-scale and international university of applied sciences. BUas offers bachelor's and master's degree programmes at both professional and academic levels, with expertise in closely interrelated fields: Tourism, Leisure & Events, Hotel & Facility, Logistics & Built Environment, Media & Creative Business, Games, and Data Science & AI. Our strength lies in the ability to connect these fields. We aim to create added value in our education and research for our students, and therefore also for business and society. We provide our students with knowledge as well as ‘BUas Skills for Life’, empowering them to thrive in a constantly changing world and contribute to making it a better place. We encourage our employees to lead by example, fostering independence, collaboration and practical research that can be applied in real-world contexts. We are curious about the world around us, considerate of each other, and committed to creating a healthy living and working environment for students and staff. This ethos defines how we operate on our campus. Within our inspiring learning community, we encourage each other to optimally develop our talents, combine knowledge and skills, and apply them in society in a sustainable manner. External recruiters need not inquire.

Core Responsibilities

Create and integrate high-quality 3D assets, digital human systems, procedural content, simulations, and technical features for projects in Unreal and Unity. Develop and maintain tools and pipelines, advise on technical standards, troubleshoot performance and quality issues, and support clients and teammates through communication, mentoring, and documentation.

Requirements

Candidates need proven experience in a technical-art or similar hybrid role, extensive Houdini experience, and practical skills in character rigging, digital human workflows, Unreal Engine, Unity, 3D modeling, and Python tool development. They must be able to independently solve open-ended technical problems, communicate effectively with stakeholders, and work proactively in an international team.

Benefits

• Full reimbursement of public transport commuting expenses
• Health insurance contribution
• 8.3% end-of-year bonus
• 8% holiday allowance
• Professional development hours
• Almost 11 weeks of annual leave for full-time employees
• Option to work partly from home
• ABP pension plan
• Relocation and settling-in support and financial compensation