Senior Software Engineer, Immersive and Interactive Media
Boston, MA (Hybrid)
Posted 10 days ago
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Job Description
Museum of Science, Boston
Innovation and creativity come from the unique perspectives of a diverse staff. We value your perspective.
Who We Are
As science and technology increasingly shape our lives, the Museum of Science strives to equip and inspire everyone to use science for the global good while keeping up with the pace of change. Among the world’s largest science centers and New England’s most attended cultural institution, we engage nearly five million people a year – at Science Park and in museums around the world, in classrooms, and online.
The Museum’s singular location connecting Boston and Cambridge puts us at the junction of some of the world’s most influential academic institutions and industries, local and state government, schools, and the public. Trusted by each sector, we are ideally positioned to convene, inspire, and create meaningful experiences for all. Come join us on our mission to inspire a lifelong love of science in everyone and living our vision for a world where science belongs to each of us for the good of all of us.
What You’ll Accomplish
Immersive & Interactive Software Development:
- Architect, design, develop, deploy, and maintain Unity-based immersive and interactive applications with attention to detail, quality, performance, reliability, and maintainability.
- Build rapid prototypes and evolve features into production software in an iterative design and development process.
- Develop and optimize real-time rendering, animation, UI, and data processing systems; profile and resolve performance bottlenecks with the CPU, GPU, and memory.
- Integrate software with audio, video, or sensor hardware; occasionally research new hardware and develop software interfaces.
- Test, debug, deliver, and maintain Windows desktop builds, addressing any functional, deployment, or platform-specific issues.
- Use version control effectively (Git-based workflows), manage branches/merges, and support release processes.
Media Preparation and Asset Export:
- Prepare media and design files for software development by slicing graphics, converting file formats, and exporting content into usable assets.
Communication & Collaboration:
- Collaborate and communicate effectively with cross-functional teams, external partners, and stakeholders.
- Analyze software requirements to determine the feasibility of a design within project timeline and budget, communicate potential risks and negotiate scope to stay within constraints.
- Document software, tools, and templates for easy use by other developers, collaborators, or partners.
- Participate in code review and team collaboration to share and improve skills, knowledge, and software development practices.
Applicants must currently reside in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, or Rhode Island. This is a hybrid position, requiring a minimum of 2 days onsite per week in Boston (with the potential of additional onsite days required during project phases.
What We’re Looking For (Competencies)
Technical skills:
- High proficiency with C#
- Working knowledge of C++
- Demonstrated experience developing software with game engines (Unity, Unreal, Godot, etc.)
- Demonstrated experience delivering immersive projects (projection mapped environments/XR/VR) and building interactive 3D experiences
- Proficiency with real-time 3D pipelines, shaders, and visual effects
- Working knowledge of 2D/3D math (vector math, linear algebra, trigonometry, geometry, coordinate systems, etc.)
- Working knowledge of basic algorithms and data structures
- Working knowledge of data representations (byte representation of common data types, byte serialization/deserialization, image data representations, etc.)
- Demonstrated experience with desktop application development on Windows
- Demonstrated experience with prototyping and understanding of agile or iterative development philosophies.
- Demonstrated experience with any of the following:
- Computer graphics
- Computer vision
- Machine learning
- Game development or design
- 2D graphic design
- 3D computer modeling and animation
- UI and UX design
- Graphics APIs (OpenGL, Vulkan, DirectX, WebGL, WebGPU etc.)
- GPU compute APIs (CUDA, OpenCL, etc.)
- Python, JavaScript
- Knowledge of the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) and software engineering best practices
- Strong understanding of hardware and technologies for interactive media or immersive experiences (computer components, displays, projectors, Arduino, etc.)
- Strong understanding of version control tools (Git, BitBucket, GitHub, etc.)
- Strong understanding of graphic design, video, and 3D content creation tools (Adobe Creative Suite, Autodesk, Blender, etc.)
- Working knowledge of slicing and exporting graphics
- Working knowledge of converting, modifying, and exporting media files
Collaboration:
- Demonstrated experience working closely with cross-functional and technical teams to deliver high-quality digital experiences and software.
Communication:
- Strong communication skills for cross-functional collaboration, team coordination, constructive feedback, and technical documentation.
Comfort with Ambiguity:
- Ability to understand, define, and clarify an ambiguous or uncertain problem so a technical solution can be developed.
- Excellent judgement and analytical skills to make technical decisions despite ambiguity and uncertainty.
Strategic Problem Solver:
- Ability to identify challenges, develop solutions, and drive continuous improvement in our software engineering practices and technology platforms.
How We Work-Our Values
Mission-Focused: We inspire a lifelong love of science in everyone.
Audience-Driven: Everything we do begins with the people we serve.
Innovative: We are curious, take smart risks, share responsibility, and own outcomes.
Generous: We offer time and energy towards common goals.
One of the world's largest science centers and New England’s most attended cultural institution, the Museum of Science, Boston introduces 1.5 million visitors a year to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) via dynamic programs and hundreds of interactive exhibits. The Museum of Science carries out its mission as a leader in transforming the nation’s relationship with science and technology through world-class exhibits, industry-leading curriculum, and innovative programming. As science and technology shapes our lives, it means we: • Promote active citizenship • Inspire lifelong appreciation of the importance of science • Make STEM accessible to young people of all backgrounds and abilities These principles manifest every day in all we do within the Museum walls as well as around the world, as a steward of our community, as informal and formal educators, and as advocates for scientific advancement. Since its founding in 1830, the Museum of Science has been at the cutting edge of scientific study and education. Today it has become an iconic symbol of the city’s long cultural and technological history – and future. Within its 3⁄4 mile long building, the Museum of Science includes: • 10,000 square foot Hall of Human Life, allowing visitors to explore how they engage with their own bodies • Thomson Theater of Electricity, home to the world’s largest Van de Graaf generator which makes indoor lightning • Charles Hayden Planetarium, the most technologically advanced theater in New England • Mugar Omni Theater, New England’s only dome IMAX screen • Award-winning pre-K – 8 engineering curriculum, EiE, reaching 1.3 million students each yearAs a leader in the world’s museum community, we use our role as educator and communicator to bring diverse communities together to learn, share, and consider our collective role in the future of our planet.
