As a Senior Unity Developer at Illuminate Literacy, you’ll be a pivotal contributor to our game-based learning experiences. Collaborating closely with a dynamic team of designers, educators, and engineers, you will harness the power of Unity 3D to create and optimize our next-generation educational games. With your deep knowledge of game development and WebGL, you’ll ensure our games are accessible to students on Chromebooks and tablets. Moreover, your familiarity with JavaScript game engines like Pixi or Phaser will drive the seamless integration of our content across platforms. This role is a blend of technical prowess, creativity, and a passion for making reading education more engaging and effective. As part of our team, your contributions will resonate with learners across the globe, making a tangible impact on their educational journey.

• 5+ years of professional experience in game development, with a deep focus on Unity 3D.
• Proficiency in optimizing Unity games for web deployment, especially targeting WebGL for browser compatibility on Chromebooks and tablets.
• Familiarity with JavaScript game engines, preferably Pixi or Phaser.
• Solid understanding of best practices for Unity Development.
• Proven ability to contribute to team projects and collaborate effectively with diverse teams, including designers, developers, and educators.
• Excellent problem-solving, debugging, and troubleshooting skills.
• Commitment to creating user-centric, engaging, and educational game content.
• Demonstrated ability to stay updated with emerging technologies and industry trends in game development.
• Strong communication skills, both written and verbal, to convey complex technical ideas clearly.
• A passion for technology’s role in education and a drive to contribute to innovative learning solutions.

 Our ideal candidate is based in the US and has experience working in remote-first, distributed teams

What you’ll do

• Develop and optimize immersive, interactive learning games using Unity 3D, ensuring they are tailored for web deployment.
• Collaborate closely with the design team to translate game concepts and educational goals into playable experiences.
• Integrate and adapt games to be compatible with various devices, especially focusing on Chromebooks and tablets, using WebGL.
• Contribute to the development and refinement of our in-house game authoring tools.
• Engage with the broader development team to integrate games with our learning platform, leveraging JavaScript game engines when necessary.
• Continuously test, debug, and optimize games to ensure smooth performance and a captivating user experience.
• Share insights, best practices, and innovations with the team, fostering a culture of continuous learning and improvement.
• Keep abreast of the latest trends and technologies in game development to ensure Illuminate Literacy remains at the forefront of educational gaming.

About the Organization

We are on a mission to unlock the great reader in every child to end illiteracy in our country — centering the experiences of Black, Latino, and Native American students and students experiencing poverty. We are developing research-based, identity-affirming PK-8+ digital literacy tools that leverage student uniquenesses to help every child master the foundational reading skills needed to become strong, confident readers. We’re currently hiring our founding team of mission-driven individuals committed to helping us develop a scalable, impactful reading product that helps us eradicate illiteracy in America.

Illuminate Literacy is fiscally sponsored by Cambiar Education, a 501c3 that supports transformative leaders of public school systems and educational entrepreneurs to develop innovative solutions that disrupt the patterns of educational inequity.

 Key Highlights 

• Two fully digital prototypes built and currently being tested with a dozen schools and out-of-school partners; MVP kindergarten offering will be released fall 2023
• Fully-funded sister R&D organization, AERDF Reading Reimagined, to explore major unknowns in literacy learning for priority students and to bridge cutting-edge research to practice
• Founding team with deep expertise in teaching kids to read, on technology, at scale, comprised of literacy experts, practitioners, designers, engineers, and former education systems leaders. Founded and led by Rebecca Kockler, former Assistant Superintendent of Academic Content for the Louisiana Department of Education and developer of the nationally recognized ELA Guidebooks
• Extensive relationships with major systems leaders across the country requesting to be co-designers and first adopters; 100% retention of current partners year over year
• Commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion and to an inclusive R&D and product development approach that centers Black, Latino and Native American students and those experiencing poverty

• Salary range of $130,000 – $150,000 per annum
• Competitive medical, dental, vision benefits
• Opportunity to work remotely for a mission-driven company full of change-makers
• 401k with 4% guaranteed match
• Work environment that values balance and harmony with a deep commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion
• Opportunity to travel and meet your team members in-person 2x per year