Job Description

Tin Drum is a collective of artists, engineers, designers and technologists. Since 2016, we have been producing content for wearable augmented/mixed reality devices, working in collaboration with exceptional artists from every discipline. We blend uniquely dimensional form with the real world to create experiences that are impossible through other media. Our content is without modern precedent and is changing the definition of engagement within recorded performance.

Mixed reality is a new medium that blends our physical world, bound by physical limits, with the limitless potential of digital creativity. It integrates intuitive human behavior, computer, and environmental interactions to unlock deeper experiences and understandings. It changes the way audiences interact not only with the world, but also with each other.

We are seeking a Technical Lead to lead our current production with a premier slated for Summer 2023. This is a deeply personal artistic collaboration between legendary pianist and composer Ryuichi Sakamoto, with digital artist Daito Manabe, directed by Tin Drum's Todd Eckert. This production is the most ambitious MR production ever undertaken: a transportive concert event creating a series of moments that are at once beautiful, intimate, and lasting.

The Technical Lead be responsible for assembling and leading a technical team of software developers and hardware designers to build and align the technology required to flawlessly execute an ambitious, one-of-a kind AR/MR visual and musical arts experience involving world-class artists for 250 attendees. Project time commitment is 8-10 months with the ability to work on other consulting projects. This position will require travel to Pittsburgh/New York City up to one week per month.

Responsibilities

1.     Develop technical solutions to the key creative needs of the project.

2.     Collaborate with senior project team, artists, and other key partners to bring the project from vision to reality.

3.     Build and execute project plan to successfully produce a fully synchronized visual and audio concert performance experience from the moment attendees enter the performance venue to the time they leave.

4.     Recruit, train, and direct an agile team of software designers to write elegant code, producing high-quality features for mixed reality frameworks, tools, and applications.

5.     Recruit, train, and direct a team of hardware architects to build, debug, and deploy mixed reality frameworks, tools, and applications.

6.     Design and deploy the needed server architecture and infrastructure to control, trigger, and assess the status of up to 250 synchronized AR devices.

7.     Instruct and direct the work by teams of developers and designers to produce customized 3D assets incorporating volumetric capture, motion capture, and CG assets. Serve as a subject matter expert in 3D tools.

8.     Contribute to team success through code and architectural reviews,

9.     Develop and implement testing process to debug all HW/SW technical and user issues (e.g., device, server, network, training).

Develop and execute a plan to resolve any issues in real time during the performance to ensure a flawless experience from start to finish for attendees, honoring the artists, their talent, and the project vision.

Qualifications

1.     Applicants should be experienced in XR development within the Unity environment targeting mobile-class hardware (specific experience with mixed reality development a plus), network design for real-time communication and synchronization, and shader development. Fluent in C / C++, Python, C#, and Javascript.

2.     Deep understanding of 3D graphics and rendering, modern shader design, wireless network communication and optimization, multi-view computer vision and projective geometry, and development for mobile architectures.

3.     Solid foundation in software engineering principles and common paradigms for development, comfortable with providing specific targets and benchmarks for development teams.

4.     Solid understanding of vector mathematics for 3D graphics, should be very comfortable with standard matrix transforms and quaternion mathematics.

5.     Able to learn quickly and develop rapid prototypes.  

6.     Self-motivated and flexible, able to handle multiple and shifting priorities.

7.     Strong communication skills, able to drive a small, agile team in a fast-paced environment.

8.     Able to interpret subjective high-level aesthetic direction and translate this into actionable technical goals; comfortable with breaking down technical approaches and constraints for a non-technical audience. 

Experience

1.     Bachelor’s Degree in computer science, software development, engineering, or related field. Relevant experience may be substituted for education. A higher degree in a relevant field is a plus.

2.     Minimum of 10 years experience with 3D graphics development and 3 years of experience with development for headset technologies.  

3.     Minimum 5 years of experience in mobile software development and C/C++ code writing.

4.     Minimum of 3 years of experience with real-time and time-critical systems.

5.     Minimum of 3 years of lead tech/supervisory experience leading, advising, and mentoring multidisciplinary teams in hybrid/remote/onsite settings.