Job Description

Job Summary:
The Unity Game Developer will be responsible for independently creating game prototypes using Unity and programming languages such as C#, JavaScript, and Python. The role involves collaborating with cross-functional teams, producing clear code documentation, and contributing to game design. Additionally, the developer may engage in digital music composition and will apply mathematical modeling to create simulations.

Responsibilities:
Software Engineer/Developer I (IT002)
Software Engineer/Developer II (IT003)
Institutional Statement on Diversity:
Diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for UW-Madison. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, background, experience, status, abilities, and opinion enrich the university community. We commit ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, outreach, and diversity as inextricably linked goals.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison fulfills its public mission by creating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from every background - people who as students, faculty, and staff serve Wisconsin and the world.

For more information on diversity and inclusion on campus, please visit: Diversity and Inclusion

Education:
Preferred
Bachelor's Degree

Qualifications:
Required:
- Expertise in Unity with a deep understanding of game design principles.
- Proficiency in C#, JavaScript, and Python with an ability to adapt to new programming languages as needed.
- Proven experience building game prototypes independently, from concept to implementation.
- Ability to read, understand, and refactor code efficiently.
- Comfortable working with teams outside of the core development group and adapting to different work styles.
- Strong communication skills, both verbal and written, with experience in writing and maintaining clear documentation.
- Ability and comfort at moving across domains and mathematically model them into simulations.
- Ability to teach and mentor other team members, helping to improve the overall team's skill set.
- Experience with audio editing and recording software is a plus.

Preferred:
- Experience composing digital music and familiarity with recording and audio editing software
- Computer Science Degree or Modeling background.

Work Type:
Full Time: 100%

It is anticipated this position requires work be performed in-person, onsite, at a designated campus work location.

Appointment Type, Duration:
Ongoing/Renewable

Salary:
Minimum $55,000 ANNUAL (12 months)
Depending on Qualifications

Additional Information:
Housed within the School of Education, the Wisconsin Center for Education Research (WCER), established in 1964, is one of the first, most productive, and largest university-based education research and development centers in the world. WCER's researchers and staff work to make teaching and learning as effective as possible for all ages and all people.

WCER's mission is to improve educational outcomes for diverse student populations, impact education practice positively and foster collaborations among academic disciplines and practitioners. To this end, our center helps scholars and practitioners develop, submit, conduct, and share grant-funded education research.

At WCER, all employees share five fundamental organization values to guide the purpose and quality of our work and interactions within ourselves and our outside stakeholders. The values that the work and people of WCER strive to uphold are:

- Innovation and Excellence. Continuous improvement is a driver for excellence. We innovate and improve in our work to advance education through leading research and development.

- Equitable Education. Equitable education is essential to a healthy society. We aim to reverse imbalances and injustices in education through our work.

- Affirming and Increasing Diversity. Individual differences and group diversity inspire creative and equitable outcomes. We actively affirm and seek to increase such diversity in our center.

- Healthy Workplace. The well-being of our workplace enhances success for all. We commit to a workplace based on mutual respect and transparency.

- Partnering Across Differences. Diverse backgrounds and expertise improve the quality of our work. We collaborate across disciplines, methodologies, organizations, and communities to strengthen our research and development outcomes.

Field Day Lab is a research and development group at the University of Wisconsin-Madison that creates educational games and digital tools for teaching and learning. Their focus is on designing interactive experiences that blend game-based learning with academic research, aiming to engage students and teachers in subjects such as science, history, and social studies.

The lab collaborates with educators, scientists, and other researchers to develop these digital tools, often grounded in real-world data and classroom environments. They explore how games can enhance learning by providing students with interactive, immersive environments where they can experiment, explore, and apply concepts in new ways.

Some of Field Day Lab's projects include curriculum-aligned games, virtual simulations, and community-based learning platforms. They are known for their interdisciplinary approach, combining expertise in design, education, and technology.