HTML5 Game Developer

HOMER Learning

HOMER has a newly created opportunity for a Remote (US or Toronto) Contract HTML5 Game Developer to join our growing team! This role will be a 9-12 month contract.

HOMER, a BEGiN brand, is the proven early learning program that provides the best educational start possible. We offer personalized, fun, and proven learning products for kids ages 2-8 to help build confidence, mastery, and a love of learning. We are deeply committed to our members and to their children, and we are building a creative and strategic team to develop a portfolio of early learning products that support learning everywhere.

Reporting to our Content Engineering Manager, the HTML5 Game Developer will primarily contribute to the software design and development of our cross-platform interactive game system and related tools and services, including content for our partnership with Sesame. As a member of the Content Engineering team, you will often serve as a technical liaison with content creators (designers, animators, and learning specialists) and other engineering teams.

During this contract at HOMER, you will:

• Develop engaging, interactive experiences for our young audience to learn literacy, numeracy and social-emotional skills.
• Work with a game framework like Phaser.io, and 2D bone-based animation (i.e. Spine) to extend the capabilities of our game platform.
• Make direct technical contributions (writing, debugging, and reviewing code).
• Provide insights and feedback as a game developer specialist to our organization using agile project management methodologies.
• Contribute to technical design and architecture of interactive software, and participate in larger system design efforts.

Must Haves:

• Demonstrable expertise designing and building interactive web-based experiences using WebGL/canvas/JavaScript.
• Experience with modern HTML5 game engines including PixiJS and Phaser.io.
• Sound computer science fundamentals (Bachelor’s degree in CS or related field preferred).
• Experience working with Git version control system.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
• At least 3 years of software development experience (or undergraduate degree in Computer Science and 1 year of relevant experience).

Nice-to-Haves:

• Experience working with physics engines like box2d, matter.js, or Phaser Arcade Physics.
• Familiarity with WebKit/Android WebView technology, its capabilities and limitations.
• Familiarity with vector graphics and After Effects animation playback via Lottie.
• Experience bundling frontend applications with technologies like Webpack.

We like people who:

• Collaborate effectively with stakeholders and other team members (product managers, UI/UX designers, engineers, animators, illustrators, data scientists, and others) to define and refine requirements and then execute on them.
• Have an entrepreneurial mindset and know-how to balance speed to market and elegance in technical design.
• Are passionate about and thrive in a culture of learning and teaching. You love challenging yourself to constantly improve, and sharing your knowledge to empower others.
• Care about solving big, systemic problems. You look beyond the surface to understand the root causes so that you can build a complete and long-term solution for the whole ecosystem.

What you’ll get:

• HOMER offers competitive rates
• Smart, passionate, and engaged co-workers.
• The chance to have a big impact, quickly.
• Help bring a love of reading and learning to children globally!

HOMER is an equal opportunity employer and enthusiastically encourages people from a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences to apply. HOMER does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), gender, national origin, citizenship, age, mental or physical disability, veteran status, marital status, sexual orientation or any other basis prohibited by law.

At HOMER, we are committed to building a diverse team of talented people who are passionate about creating educational content kids love. We believe in fostering a culture where productivity can flourish, one that is empathetic, respectful, and inclusive. At HOMER, we know that diversity, equity, and inclusion aren’t just an idea, a one-time initiative, or phrases to throw into a job post: they’re a daily practice and an ongoing conversation. We survey our team about inclusivity, run trainings on DEI topics, and have a committee to ensure we are all continuing to learn and grow.