Animation Software Engineer Volunteer Jobs in Massachusetts

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)

Required 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.
• 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

Nice-to-have technical skills:

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

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.