Technical Art Lecturer - Programming

Position title: Technical Art Lecturer - Programming

Reports to: Dean of Creative Technology and VFX

Contract type: Permanent

Location: 6 Mitre Passage, North Greenwich, London, SE10 0ER (hybrid option available)

Escape Studios is one of the UK's leading animation, games and VFX schools, with several BAFTA and Oscar winners counted amongst our alumni. We are not the typical HE provider, we are unique and do things differently, our courses are designed and delivered with industry experts within a welcoming, close-knit and successful community.

Our world-class industry partners include Industrial Light & Magic, Creative Assembly, PlayStation London Studio, Framestore, The Mill, DNEG, Milk VFX Cinesite, Blue Zoo and MPC, while our partnership with Epic Games means we're also one of the UK's only Unreal Authorized Training Centres.

Approved and endorsed internationally as a Rookies School, we came No 1 in the world for Production Excellence in Immersive Media in the Rookies 2023 rankings and 4th in the UK for Games Design. We are also a Houdini certified school.

We offer a range of undergraduate, postgraduate and short courses. Our graduates (Escapees) have worked on games such as, Assassin's Creed, Lords of the Fallen, Forza Horizon 5, the new Fable, and GTA6.

Our Escapees, work at companies such as Framestore, Rare, Sumo digital, Playground Games, Climax, Rebellion, Electric Square, Fire without Smoke, Super Massive, Studio Gobo, Natural Motion, Lucid Games, Dimension Studio, nDreams, XR Games and many more!

About the department

As a Technical Artist - Programming Tutor, you will be part of the Creative Technolgy and VFX department, which delivers courses in Programming, Game Design, Technical Art, Character Creation, Realtime FX, Experience Design, and VFX. The department is expanding its technical curriculum and requires industry-experienced practitioners to help develop and deliver leading-edge content.

Our tutors are development veterans who work hard to create the most up to date and relevant courses for the Games, Animation and Realtime industries. We bring our experience and passion to Escape and are looking for individuals who want to help shape the next generation of technical artists and developers.

Escape Studios is committed to remaining at the forefront of industry-led, AI-enabled creative education. We are particularly interested in candidates who are excited by emerging technologies and their role in preparing students for modern production environments.

Technical Artist - Programming Tutor Key Responsibilities

• The Technical Artist - Programming Tutor will be part of a team responsible for the development and delivery of technical art and programming content across Undergraduate, MA and Professional courses, working closely with the Dean of Creative Technology and VFX and other members of the team.
• We are looking for Technical Artists, Pipeline Developers, Tools Programmers, Technical Directors or experienced educators with strong practical knowledge of production workflows within Games, VFX, Animation or Realtime industries.
• You should have experience developing tools, automation systems, editor extensions, pipelines or technical workflows used in a professional production environment.
• You will be capable of teaching Python programming from foundational through to advanced levels, including Object-Oriented Programming, software architecture and production-quality coding practices.
• You will be comfortable introducing students to HLSL, shader mathematics and graphics pipeline fundamentals, with practical applications inside Unreal Engine.
• You will help students understand technical art workflows including data exchange, procedural systems, content pipelines, tooling and optimisation.
• You will guide students through industry projects, providing formative feedback, technical mentorship and assessment.
• Delivering training courses to students in classroom, hybrid and online environments.
• Providing one-to-one feedback, portfolio reviews, technical support and mentoring to students with a range of backgrounds and abilities.
• Creating teaching material, practical exercises, documentation, guides and demonstrations.
• Organising workloads to schedule and working under pressure when required.
• Cooperation with Marketing, Sales and Recruitment teams to support promotional activities and showcase student outcomes.
• You will help students understand the role of AI within modern Games, VFX and Technical Art pipelines, including workflow integration, automation, content generation and production considerations.
• You will contribute to the ongoing development of curriculum content relating to Creative AI, ensuring teaching reflects current industry practices and emerging technologies.

Experience and Qualifications

If you do not possess all the experience below, we will still consider applicants who demonstrate strong technical ability, industry experience and a willingness to develop as an educator.

• Strong Python programming skills with a clean, maintainable and Pythonic coding style.
• Excellent understanding of Object-Oriented Programming principles and software development best practices.
• Understanding of game development and/or VFX production pipelines.
• Experience with Python modules and frameworks such as:
• PyGame
• PySide6 / Qt
• OpenUSD (pxr)
• OpenMaya
• maya.cmds
• PyMEL
• Unreal Engine Python API
• Knowledge of UI/UX principles for internal tools, plugins and production software.
• Experience writing user-facing documentation, guides and technical training materials.
• Ability to explain complex technical concepts clearly to learners of varying skill levels.
• Experience running user testing sessions and collecting feedback for software or tools.
• Degree or postgraduate qualification in a relevant discipline, or equivalent professional experience.
• A working understanding of current AI technologies and their application within Games, VFX, creative software development or content production pipelines.
• Experience evaluating workflows and identifying opportunities for process improvement, automation and emerging technology adoption.
• Professional experience with Maya, Unreal Engine and Houdini.
• Understanding of HLSL, shader mathematics and real-time rendering concepts.
• Knowledge of graphics pipeline fundamentals.
• Experience teaching shader development concepts in Unreal Engine.
• Familiarity with Blueprint visual scripting.
• Experience with C++ programming.
• Understanding of Agile methodologies and project management practices.
• Previous teaching, mentoring or training experience.
• Fellowship, membership or willingness to work towards recognition through Advance HE.
• Experience integrating AI tools, APIs or machine learning-assisted workflows into production pipelines or creative software tools.
• Experience delivering workshops, presentations or training sessions on emerging technologies and AI-assisted creative workflows.
• Understanding of ethical, legal and professional considerations relating to the use of AI within Games, VFX and creative technology industries.

Research and Development

• Learning and development are a key part of the role. We want tutors to stay current with industry practices and pass this knowledge to students and colleagues.
• You will be given time to research emerging technologies, develop curriculum content and build new learning materials.
• Unreal Engine 5 forms a significant part of our realtime technology ecosystem, although experience in alternative engines and software is welcomed.
• We actively support professional development through training, online learning, industry events and technical research.
• Development plans are aligned to both course requirements and personal growth objectives.
• We encourage tutors to actively investigate advances in Creative AI and evaluate how emerging technologies can enhance learning, production workflows and industry readiness.
• Tutors may contribute to curriculum reviews, recommendations and pilot initiatives focused on the integration of AI-assisted workflows across Games, VFX and Creative Technology programmes.
• We actively support staff knowledge-sharing, workshops and collaborative research activities exploring the role of AI in creative practice and technical production.

Working Hours

• The working day is typically 9am to 6pm, five days per week (flexibility available depending on circumstances).
• Teaching contact hours vary depending on Undergraduate and Postgraduate timetables.
• Non-teaching time is allocated to curriculum development, student support, marking, research and departmental activities.
• Teaching delivery may include Undergraduate, MA, Professional and Short Courses.

We know that one size doesn't fit all, so our workplace programmes meet the different needs of our diverse teams and their families.

• Hybrid working approach
• Starting holiday allowance of 25 days, increasing to 30 days
• Industry networking and event participation
• Access to training and learning resources