Careers 2023

OPEN ROLES

There are no job openings at the moment.

Secret Project

Content Developer

Remote

Job Description

We are looking for a content developer who can create engaging and interactive educational content in JavaScript/TypeScript. You will be working with a team of content experts, software engineers and designers to implement various types of learning activities, quizzes, simulations, games, and more.

You:

Write clean, well-structured and maintainable code in JavaScript/TypeScript
Software engineering skills such as data structures, algorithms, and design patterns
High work throughput and attention to detail
Have excellent communication and collaboration skills
Excited to work on a purely remote team, US Timezone aligned
Manage your time and tasks efficiently
Deliver on deadlines

You will:

Join a small, fast-paced team that owns their product and is empowered to build.
Implement various types of learning activities, such as quizzes, simulations, games and animations.
Collaborate with other developers and content experts to ensure consistency and alignment of content

You do not need any underlying knowledge of specific platforms or technologies, such as AWS, React or Angular. However, you should be willing to learn new tools and technologies as needed.

If you are a motivated individual who is passionate about front-end development, enjoys working fast and efficiently, and can meet project deadlines, we encourage you to apply.

If you are interested in this position and have a passion for learning and creating educational content, please apply with your resume and portfolio of previous work. We look forward to hearing from you!

Apply Here

Game Studio

2D Game Artist/Animator

Remote (N./S. American Timezones)

Synthesis is an online enrichment program that aims to cultivate a generation of supercollaborators: individuals with the capability to solve the most challenging problems of our civilization… together. We offer kids 8-14 the regular opportunity to practice what schools prevent: making consequential decisions, growing through reflection and course corrections, collaborating intensely with peers from around the world, and connecting powerful concepts with real-life application. School is largely a static and single-player experience, while the world demands a dynamic and extensively team-based approach. Consequently, we create team games that are inventive, unapologetically complex, and designed to surface many different kinds of collaboration and strategic decision making – only playable within Synthesis.

We are looking for an experienced 2D Game Artist / Animator to help us define this new genre of collaborative thinking games. In this role, you will work on multiple game titles within our internal game studio (15 people) to design the nextphase of Synthesis and define the style, quality, and gamefeel that will set the standard for every new game to come. The average game team is 3-6 people, so you will have significant influence over the process and end result. We are looking to establish an eclectic portfolio across a range of styles – none of which are kiddish or conventional. The aesthetic target is “premium indie”, and we are especially eager for candidates with small studio experience.

We are teaching the world’s most valuable skill: the ability to solve complex problems with a team. Our goal is to make an education experience so great that even billionaires couldn’t buy anything better for their kids, and then make that affordable for as many people as possible. Synthesis is a unique place for experienced gamemakers to create without the pulls of monetization loops, perverse design incentives, publishers, and crunch. We have a singular goal: to define a new genre that creates “supercollaborators”. Join us.

Responsibilities

As a 2D Game Artist / Animator working within the Studio team, you will:

Concept, illustrate, and animate all of the art requirements for a given game (we make 4-5 games/year). You will have primary responsibility for the gamefeel and clarity of every screen and interaction;
Collaborate and iterate quickly with a team of developers, designers, artists, producers, and other Synthesis platform teams;
Candidly validate your assumptions through regular playtesting with students. Our unique setup allows us to bring kids in on the process much earlier than a market-based platform would allow;
Create moodboards and concepts to explore the unique aesthetic of each game;
Our aim is to enable small, powerful production teams (3-6 people) so you should thrive on taking responsibility and pushing for quality.

Qualilfications

A professional portfolio with examples of past commercial games work and a range of styles. Thoughtful, professional quality is the primary criterion so a portfolio link is required below;
3+ years experience in game development. Experience with small studio (5-20) indie development is a bonus;
We are focused primarily on 2D game development and animation, so a background in traditional animation is a plus;
A breadth of aesthetics and genres informed by an insatiable curiosity for art, culture, history, science, and storytelling.

Compensation & Benefits

Competitive compensation (benchmarked to California regardless of location)
Meaningful equity (including optional early exercise)
100% covered health insurance for you & your dependents (including medical, dental, vision)
401(k) plan with company matching
Flexible time off
Flexible parental leave

Some benefits (such as medical and 401k) apply to US employees only.

How to Apply

To apply, please send your contact information (first and last name, phone number, email address, location of residence, LinkedIn profile), portfolio link and resume to hiring@synthesis.is.

2D Game Artist / Animator

Remote (North/South American Timezones)

Synthesis makes team thinking games that turn kids into effective decision-makers and communicators. Our co-founder Josh developed the concept for Synthesis when he was director of SpaceX’s Ad Astra school. We are seeking an experienced 2D Game Artist / Animator to help us create world-class collaborative problem-solving video games.

The individual filling this role will work on creating art and animation assets for multi-participant web-based games that bring together children and teens from all around the world. You will help define the style, quality, and gamefeel for a variety of games. We are looking to establish an eclectic portfolio across a range of styles, and we are especially eager for candidates with small studio experience. If you are a self-starter who enjoys working in a fast-paced, collaborative environment, then we want to talk to you!

Why making games at Synthesis is different:

Our job is to make compelling, rich games that keep students coming back;
Our games contain no monetization. Parents pay a subscription to have their kids play with us because they believe in our product. Dev teams don't need to focus on how to make money, they focus on how to provide the best experience for our users;
We have one of the best platforms in the world for iterating our game designs. We get to see our students playing our games weekly and get their feedback;
We don't spend years creating something that no one can touch. We launch games quickly and let our users help shape the product along the way;
We work on different styles and genres constantly. Our goal is to launch 3 or more games per year.
It's a joy to see the progress students make while playing our games. We're turning them into super-collaborators, one game at a time!

Primary responsibilities include:

Concept, illustrate, and animate all of the art requirements for a given game (we make around 3 games/year). You will have the primary responsibility for the gamefeel and clarity of every screen and interaction;
Collaborate and iterate quickly with a team of developers, designers, artists, producers, and other Synthesis platform teams;
Candidly validate your assumptions through regular playtesting with students. Our unique setup allows us to bring kids in on the process much earlier than a market-based platform would allow;
Create moodboards and concepts to explore the unique aesthetic of each game;
Our aim is to enable small, powerful production teams (3-5 people) so you should thrive on taking responsibility and pushing for quality.

Job requirements:

Candidates at a minimum must meet the following:

3+ years experience in asset/animation development for commercial video game projects;
A professional portfolio with examples of past commercial games work and a range of styles. Thoughtful, professional quality is the primary criterion so a portfolio link is required;
A breadth of aesthetics and genres informed by an insatiable curiosity for art, culture, history, science, and storytelling.

Compensation and benefits:

Competitive compensation (benchmarked to California regardless of location)
Meaningful equity (including optional early exercise)
100% covered health insurance for you & your dependents (including medical, dental, vision)
401(k) plan with company matching
Flexible time off
Flexible parental leave

Some benefits (such as medical and 401k) apply to US employees only.

How to Apply

You can submit your application here.

Game Content Designer

Remote (U.S. Timezones)

Why making games at Synthesis is different:

Our job is to make compelling, rich games that keep students coming back;
Our games contain no monetization. Parents pay a subscription to have their kids play with us because they believe in our product. Dev teams don't need to focus on how to make money, they focus on how to provide the best experience for our users;
We have one of the best platforms in the world for iterating our game designs. We get to see our students playing our games weekly and get their feedback;
We don't spend years creating something that no one can touch. We launch games quickly and let our users help shape the product along the way;
We work on different styles and genres constantly. Our goal is to launch 3 or more games per year.
It's a joy to see the progress students make while playing our games. We're turning them into super-collaborators, one game at a time!

Primary responsibilities include:

Define scenarios for 2D games that meet challenge objectives.
Use internal tools to create maps and define objectives for a wide variety of multiplayer online games, including strategy, sports and simulations.
Analyze user playtesting to rapidly iterate on ideas.
Receive feedback from multiple areas
Provide feedback for tool and game design improvements.
Collaboratively working with game designers, artists and developers.

Job requirements:

Candidates at a minimum must meet the following:

3+ years of professional experience working in video game development as a game designer or content designer.
A professional portfolio including at least one shipped product.
Documentation showing methodology used for past designs.
Extensive experience with design organization tools.

Desired skills:

Highly organized and productive within a remote working environment.
Able to clearly present complex ideas via documentation.
Work with an iterative mindset, being open and able to make continuous improvements.
Strong communication and collaboration with the development team and stakeholders.
Growth mindset with a desire to learn quickly from your more experienced peers.
Non-linear thinking and problem solving.
Experience with scripting and game data pipelines

Nice to have:

Experience with a variety of video game development tools.
Creation of high-order puzzles or challenges.
Ability to develop using abstractions and for unfinished products (documentation only).
A gamer at heart.

How to Apply

You can submit your application here.

Online Game Programmer

Remote (U.S. Timezones)

Why making games at Synthesis is different:

Our job is to make compelling, rich games that keep students coming back;
Our games contain no monetization. Parents pay a subscription to have their kids play with us because they believe in our product. Dev teams don't need to focus on how to make money, they focus on how to provide the best experience for our users;
We have one of the best platforms in the world for iterating our game designs. We get to see our students playing our games weekly and get their feedback;
We don't spend years creating something that no one can touch. We launch games quickly and let our users help shape the product along the way;
We work on different styles and genres constantly. Our goal is to launch 3 or more games per year.
It's a joy to see the progress students make while playing our games. We're turning them into super-collaborators, one game at a time!

Primary responsibilities include:

Building high-performance, web-based video games.
Rapid prototyping, feature development, UI implementation and integration of art assets.
Pragmatic technical decision-making to ensure we're delivering high quality software as quickly as possible.
Incremental improvements and simplifications to all aspects of the development process and codebase in order to improve development velocity, scalability, and deployment flexibility.
Collaboratively working with game designers, artists and fellow developers.

Job requirements:

Candidates at a minimum must meet the following:

2+ years of professional experience working in video game development.
A professional development portfolio including at least one shipped product.
In-depth game systems programming experience.
Extensive experience with programming languages (JavaScript and/or TypeScript experience is a huge plus).

Desired skills:

Highly organized and productive within a remote working environment.
Work with an iterative mindset, being open and able to make continuous improvements to the projects.
Strong communication and collaboration with engineers and stakeholders.
Growth mindset with a desire to learn quickly from your more experienced peers.

Nice to have:

Experience with video game development tools including engines, IDEs and middleware solutions.
Knowledge of current web programming technologies.
Network multiplayer development experience.
Development using Colyseus and Node.js.
A gamer at heart.

How to Apply

You can submit your application here.

Senior Online Game Programmer

Remote (U.S. Timezones)

Why making games at Synthesis is different:

Our job is to make compelling, rich games that keep students coming back;
Our games contain no monetization. Parents pay a subscription to have their kids play with us because they believe in our product. Dev teams don't need to focus on how to make money, they focus on how to provide the best experience for our users;
We have one of the best platforms in the world for iterating our game designs. We get to see our students playing our games weekly and get their feedback;
We don't spend years creating something that no one can touch. We launch games quickly and let our users help shape the product along the way;
We work on different styles and genres constantly. Our goal is to launch 3 or more games per year.
It's a joy to see the progress students make while playing our games. We're turning them into super-collaborators, one game at a time!

Primary responsibilities include:

Building high-performance, web-based video games.
Rapid prototyping, feature development, UI implementation and integration of art assets.
Pragmatic technical decision-making to ensure we're delivering high quality software as quickly as possible.
Incremental improvements and simplifications to all aspects of the development process and codebase in order to improve development velocity, scalability, and deployment flexibility.
Collaboratively working with game designers, artists and fellow developers.
Define architectures for new projects and lead teams through development.

Job requirements:

Candidates at a minimum must meet the following:

5+ years of professional experience working in video game development.
A professional development portfolio including at least three shipped products.
In-depth game systems programming experience.
Extensive experience with programming languages (JavaScript and/or TypeScript experience is a huge plus).

Desired skills:

Highly organized and productive within a remote working environment.
Work with an iterative mindset, being open and able to make continuous improvements to the projects.
Strong communication and collaboration with engineers and stakeholders.
Growth mindset with a desire to learn quickly from your more experienced peers.

Nice to have:

Experience with video game development tools including engines, IDEs and middleware solutions.
Knowledge of current web programming technologies.
Network multiplayer development experience.
Development using Colyseus and Node.js.
A gamer at heart.

How to Apply

You can submit your application here.

Engineering

Engineer (Front-End)

Remote

Job Description

We are looking for a software engineer with a focus on front-end development. You will work with a team of developers, designers and content authors to deliver high-quality curriculum that will change the future of education.

Translate designs and wireframes into high-quality code
Collaborate with cross-functional teams to design and implement new features
Build reusable components and libraries for future use
Have a design instinct and be able to make design decisions to improve user experience
Work fast and efficiently to meet project deadlines

Requirements

2+ years of experience in front-end development using React
Strong understanding of React and its core principles
Proficiency in HTML, CSS, JavaScript/TypesScript, and related web technologies
Experience with Git and version control systems
Ability to work independently and as part of a team
Excellent problem-solving skills and attention to detail

Bonus

Interest in education and creating new experiences for learning

If you are a motivated individual who is passionate about front-end development, enjoys working fast and efficiently, and can meet project deadlines, we encourage you to apply.

Compensation & Benefits

Competitive compensation (benchmarked to California regardless of location)
Meaningful equity (including optional early exercise)
100% covered health insurance for you & your dependents (including medical, dental, vision)
401(k) plan with company matching
Flexible time off
Flexible parental leave

Some benefits (such as medical and 401k) apply to US employees only.

How to Apply

To apply, please send your contact information (first and last name, phone number, email address, location of residence, LinkedIn profile) and resume to hiring@synthesis.is.

Sr Simulation Engineer

Remote

Requirements

Analyze user needs and software requirements to determine feasibility of design within time and cost constraints.
Interact and collaborate with the design and production teams to ensure the simulated design meets their specification needs.
Work with simulation designers and simulation developers to help evaluate and improve the feasibility of a given design.
Design and build full-stack simulations. Develop and modify computer software systems using analysis and mathematical models to predict and measure outcomes and consequences of design.
Responsible for data modeling and processing. Improve performance and scalability of software applications by analyzing information to determine, recommend, and plan installation of new system or modification of an existing system.
Confer with designers and developers to design systems and to obtain information on project limitations.
Perform incremental improvements and simplifications on all aspects of the development process and codebase in order to improve development velocity, scalability, and deployment flexibility. (Position will be headquartered in Scotts Valley, CA, and allows for telecommuting from various unanticipated worksites throughout the United States).

Qualilfications (educ./experience)

Master’s degree or foreign equivalent in Information Technology, Entertainment Technology or related field.
Two (2) years’ post-baccalaureate experience as Computer Vision Engineer/Developer or related role.
Experience must include Machine Learning, Computer Vision and Product Development using Unity, C#, Tensorflow, Python, PyTorch, Xcode, Objective-C, Git, iOS and Android. (Position will be headquartered in Scotts Valley, CA, and allows for telecommuting from various unanticipated worksites throughout the United States).

Compensation & Benefits

Competitive compensation (benchmarked to California regardless of location)
Meaningful equity (including optional early exercise)
100% covered health insurance for you & your dependents (including medical, dental, vision)
401(k) plan with company matching
Flexible time off
Flexible parental leave

Some benefits (such as medical and 401k) apply to US employees only.

How to Apply

To apply, please send your contact information (first and last name, phone number, email address, location of residence, LinkedIn profile) and resume to hiring@synthesis.is.

Life is complex and uncertain. Our pricing isn't.

Synthesis subscription:

$180 USD/month

Synthesis tuition: $180 USD/month

If you want your child to master the skills to thrive in this world, and have fun in the process, this program is for you.

Weekly cohorts

Global community

Annual tournaments

Open play sessions

Simulations for life

Clubs and activities

Cultivate A generation of supercollaborators

OPEN ROLES

Secret Project

Game Studio

Engineering

WHAT WE TEACH

Our Present Objectives

We need to scale faster

we need to RISE TO THE OCCASIOn

Who Thrives at Synthesis

BEST-IN-CLASS EXPERTS

SUPERCOLLABORATORS

CREATIVE INITIATORS

Life is complex and uncertain. Our pricing isn't.

Synthesis subscription:

$180 USD/month

Synthesis tuition: $180 USD/month

If you want your child to master the skills to thrive in this world, and have fun in the process, this program is for you.

Welcome! We're thrilled you're here.

Thanks for stopping by.

Weekly cohorts

Global community

Annual tournaments

Open play sessions

Simulations for life

Clubs and activities

Cultivate A generation of supercollaborators

OPEN ROLES

Secret Project

Game Studio

Engineering

WHAT WE TEACH

Our Present Objectives

We need to scale faster

we need to RISE TO THE OCCASIOn

Who Thrives at Synthesis

BEST-IN-CLASS EXPERTS

SUPERCOLLABORATORS

CREATIVE INITIATORS