Unreal Engine Developer - Simulation & Graphics

About the role

Emirates Team New Zealand is seeking an Unreal Engine Developer to advance the visual front‑ends of its high‑performance yacht racing simulation tools. You will work at the intersection of real‑time graphics and simulation, creating immersive marine environments that support both internal design work and external commercial projects.

Key responsibilities

• Develop and maintain Unreal Engine applications used for yacht racing simulation.
• Create realistic marine environments, including water surfaces, waves, spray, weather, and lighting.
• Build landscapes and terrain assets that balance simulation fidelity with visual clarity.
• Animate objects and crew figures to support scenario visualisation.
• Work with textures, materials, and post‑processing to achieve high‑quality real‑time results.
• Collaborate with simulation engineers and naval architects to translate technical requirements into effective visual tools.
• Contribute to external commercial simulation projects alongside internal work.

Required profile

• Strong hands‑on experience with Unreal Engine, using both Blueprint and C++.
• Solid understanding of graphics pipelines, materials, lighting, textures, and post‑processing.
• Ability to create and iterate on animations of objects and characters.
• Interest or experience with marine environments, water shaders, and ocean systems is a plus.
• Good collaboration skills and ability to work closely with engineers.

Required skills

• Unreal Engine
• Blueprint visual scripting
• C++ programming
• Real‑time graphics (materials, lighting, textures, post‑processing)
• Animation implementation
• Water shaders / ocean system techniques
• Landscape and terrain development
• Networking between physics and graphics systems

What we offer

• Full‑time, on‑site role in Auckland within a small, technically excellent team.
• Opportunity to work on cutting‑edge simulation tools for a world‑class sailing campaign.
• Exposure to both internal tooling and commercial projects across new industries.