About Paulo
Product Designer and AR / VR / XR Engineer - Unity Developer for High-Impact Immersive Products
I am a senior AR/VR/XR Engineer, Unity Developer, and Product-driven Creative Technologist with over 9 years of international experience delivering immersive applications for startups, studios, and enterprise clients across Europe and North America.
I specialize in Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, Mixed Reality, and real-time 3D development, building scalable, high-performance XR products from concept to production. My work spans location-based AR, interactive VR experiences, gamified applications, and AI-powered immersive systems, with more than 100 XR applications successfully launched on iOS, Android, and Web platforms.
What I do best:
- AR / VR / XR Development using Unity, OpenXR, AR Foundation, ARKit, ARCore, Niantic Lightship, and Spatial Anchors.
- Unity & C# Engineering with strong software architecture, performance optimization, and clean code practices.
- Location-Based AR & Spatial Computing (geospatial anchoring, point clouds, persistent AR worlds).
- Game Development & Gamification for engagement, retention, and monetization.
- Product-Led XR Design combining UX/UI, prototyping, and technical feasibility.
- AI-Driven Experiences, including generative AI, computer vision, and intelligent interaction systems.
Why clients hire me:
Clients work with me when they need more than just a developer. I bring a product mindset, a research-driven approach, and the ability to translate complex technology into usable, engaging experiences. I am comfortable working independently as a freelancer or leading cross-functional teams in fast-moving environments.
If you are looking for a top-tier freelance AR/VR engineer who can design, build, optimize, and scale immersive products with business impact, I can help.
English
Fluent
Spanish
Fluent
Portuguese
Fluent
Remote only
Primarily works remotely
Experience
- Yaga StudioSoftware developerVIDEO GAMES AND ANIMATIONOctober 2024 - December 2025 (1 year and 2 months)Leipzig, GermanyMy role focuses on end-to-end VR development, from system architecture and real-time performance optimization to hands-on implementation in Unity and C#. I work across multiple concurrent XR projects, building scalable, reusable components and pipelines that improve development efficiency and user experience.I am responsible for core infrastructure and engineering standards, including version control workflows, build pipelines, scripting, and custom plug-in development. This includes designing and maintaining robust technical architectures that support complex interactive experiences and cinematic VR productions.At Yaga Studio, I collaborate closely with creatives, designers, and producers to translate narrative and artistic vision into technically sound, immersive VR experiences, ensuring high performance, stability, and cross-platform compatibility.
Key focus areas include:
- Virtual Reality and XR development in Unity.
- Real-time performance optimization and system architecture.
- Reusable component and pipeline development.
- Interactive and cinematic VR experiences.
- Technical leadership and engineering best practices.
This role strengthens my positioning as a senior freelance VR developer capable of delivering production-ready immersive experiences for studios and clients seeking reliable, high-performance XR solutions. - ARPlaceSenior XR Developer / Product ManagementENTERTAINMENT AND LEISUREOctober 2023 - Today (2 years and 8 months)Viena, Austria
I worked as a Senior XR Developer at ARPlace, specializing in the design and implementation of location-based Augmented Reality and spatial computing systems for scalable, real-world XR applications.
My core responsibility was the architecture and development of persistent AR experiences, including AR anchoring systems, point-cloud features, and user-generated content pipelines. I led the integration of industry-leading AR platforms such as Niantic Lightship, Google Geospatial Anchors, Google Cloud Anchors, and Microsoft Spatial Anchors, enabling reliable, cross-platform location-based AR experiences.Beyond engineering, I contributed as a creative and product-oriented XR specialist, designing AR game mechanics, interaction models, and live-ops systems that supported engagement, retention, and long-term scalability. I worked closely with product, design, and cloud teams to ensure technical feasibility, performance, and smooth deployment across mobile platforms.My role required a strong balance between advanced XR engineering, product thinking, and system reliability, positioning me as a senior contributor capable of delivering production-ready AR solutions in complex, real-world environments.Key focus areas included:
- Location-based and geospatial Augmented Reality.
- Spatial Anchors and persistent AR worlds.
- Unity and C# XR development.
- User-generated content systems for AR.
- AR game design, live-ops, and cloud integration.
- Scalable, cross-platform AR architecture.
This experience reinforces my profile as a senior freelance AR/XR developer with deep expertise in geospatial AR, spatial computing, and immersive product development, making me a strong match for clients seeking advanced, real-world AR solutions. - AR VisionXR Tech Lead – AR VisionENTERTAINMENT AND LEISUREJanuary 2022 - September 2023 (1 year and 9 months)Granada, Spain
I worked as an XR Tech Lead at AR Vision, where I was responsible for defining and scaling the company’s Augmented Reality development strategy and ensuring the reliable delivery of high-performance, production-ready AR applications.
In this role, I led the technical coordination of multiple AR projects, enabling the successful delivery of 100+ AR applications published on iOS and Android. I worked closely with engineering, 3D, and product teams to establish scalable development pipelines, engineering standards, and best practices across the organization.A key part of my work involved performance optimization for mobile AR, supporting the 3D team with mesh optimization, shader tuning, texture management, and rendering strategies, resulting in up to a 35% performance improvement on mobile devices.I also acted as an internal XR consultant, contributing to Virtual Reality initiatives, architectural decisions, and technology evaluations. In parallel, I managed and optimized live ops and platform services, including Unity Services, Google Firebase, and analytics systems, ensuring stability, scalability, and data-driven product decisions.Key focus areas included:
- AR technical leadership and development strategy.
- Unity and C# AR engineering.
- Mobile AR performance optimization.
- Scalable AR pipelines and engineering standards.
- Live-ops, analytics, and cloud services.
- Cross-team collaboration and technical mentoring.
This experience positions me as a senior freelance AR/XR engineer and technical lead capable of scaling teams, optimizing complex AR systems, and delivering large volumes of production-grade immersive applications for clients with ambitious XR roadmaps.
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Education
- Máster Universitario, Computer Graphics, Virtual Reality & SimulationU-tad2023Máster Universitario, Computer Graphics, Virtual Reality & Simulation
- Master of Business Administration - MBA, Strategic Planning and Business AdminsitrationPontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná2006Master of Business Administration - MBA, Strategic Planning and Business Adminsitration
Certifications
- Business of Games and EntrepreneurshipCoursera2017
- Principles of Game DesignCoursera2017