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3D Content Creator

AvaCon seeks an experienced 3D content developer to model, texture, and build in virtual environments. This position offers a wide variety of opportunities to apply your creativity and skills, including designing, storyboarding, and inspiring the visual elements of our virtual environments and experiences; developing hard surface and organic models, sets, and props; creating 2D textures and skins for 3D models; rigging and animating characters and NPCs; applying lightmapping and shading elements to scenes and sets; and working with a team of artists, programmers, and developers to create the best virtual experience possible within time and budget constraints. Preference will be given to applicants who have experience with the OpenSimulator or Second Life platforms and/or experience with Blender or Maya. The ideal applicant has a great sense of humor and attitude, a strong work ethic, enjoys working independently or in a team environment depending upon the project, and is passionate about gaming, virtual environments, and the emerging metaverse. Position provides flexible scheduling.====
Responsibilities:

  • 3D modeling, texturing, shading, and lightmapping; developing hard surface and organic models, sets, and props.
  • Creating 2D textures, UV maps, and skins for 3D models.
  • Conduct business and user requirements analysis to design virtual experiences that meet stakeholder needs.
  • Design and storyboard concepts prior to construction, present design ideas to stakeholders for feedback and critique.
  • Coordinate with artists, programmers, and developers in a completely virtual team environment.

Minimum qualifications:

  • High energy and passion for AvaCon’s mission is essential, including the ability to work remotely with a globally distributed team.
  • A professional and resourceful style; the ability to work independently and as a team player, to take initiative.
  • Experience with Maya, Blender, or 3DS Max.
  • Experience with Adobe Creative Suite, including 2D texture design for 3D models.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills, particularly the ability to convey design ideas in concise, concrete terms.

Preferred qualifications:

  • Experience in planning, leading and managing 3D development projects, including tracking progress and reporting to senior managers/board of directors.
  • Demonstrated excellence in organizational and communication skills, effective at working with others to reach common goals and objectives.
  • Knowledge of or previous experience with 3D content pipelines a plus.
  • Experience sculpting in Zbrush or Mudbox a plus.
  • Ability to sculpt, rig, and animate character models.
  • Drawing, sculpting, painting, and other traditional fine arts skills a plus.
  • Formal education in fine arts, graphic design, game design, or related fields preferred.

Director of Development

The Director of Development serves as a key leadership team member and an active participant in making strategic decisions affecting AvaCon, Inc. In partnership with the leadership team, this position is responsible for all fundraising and development activities. The successful candidate will help forge new relationships to build AvaCon’s visibility, impact, and financial resources, and will also design and implement a comprehensive plan for developing key external alliances by cultivating individual and philanthropic support, including the solicitation of major gifts, federal and state grants, special events, and corporate, government, and foundation support. The person who fills this position will work closely with the Executive Board and other team members to strengthen the organization’s overall fundraising capacity and secure funding for new initiatives.
Responsibilities:

  • Design and implement a development strategy for AvaCon, Inc. in consultation with the Executive Board and other team members.
  • Form and manage a development team, including identifying staffing needs for ongoing development and overseeing development team once formed.
  • Conduct research, prospecting, and applications to multiple donor sources.
  • Build a robust donor base and maintain key long-term relationships with donors and prospects.
  • Train and mentor development staff and communicate fundraising goals and progress within the organization.

Minimum qualifications:

  • High energy and passion for AvaCon’s mission is essential, including the ability to work remotely with a globally distributed team.
  • Skilled in creating powerful, compelling written and oral communications for fundraising. Ability to convey complex ideas through brief, simple materials.
  • Proven success in development for nonprofits, including experience running successful campaigns and fundraising from multiple donor channels.
  • A professional and resourceful style; the ability to work independently and as a team player, to take initiative, and to deepen current donor relationships and to forge new ones.
  • A Bachelor’s degree in a related field OR an Associates degree in a related field with two (2) years previous professional experience OR five (5) years previous professional experience. Experience must be in fundraising and development in a professional capacity.

Preferred qualifications:

  • A Master’s degree OR more than five (5) years previous professional experience in fundraising and development.
  • Experience in planning, leading and managing development projects, including tracking progress and reporting to senior managers/board of directors.
  • Demonstrated excellence in organizational and managerial operations, effective at working with others to reach common goals and objectives.
  • Demonstrated experience expanding and cultivating donor relationships over time.
  • Ability to construct, articulate, and implement an annual strategic development plan.
  • Prior experience with donor relationship management software.

General Volunteer

AvaCon invites people passionate about the metaverse and virtual worlds to help us showcase all of the terrific work being done in OpenSimulator, Second Life, Unity3D, Open Wonderland, Utherverse and other metaverse-y platforms. We’re also planning workshops and events that explore other immersive technologies, from beacons and location-aware devices, to gesture controls like the Kinect and Leap Motion, to the Oculus Rift and Google Glass. We believe bringing developers and users together for great conversations will make a better metaverse!
If this sounds right up your alley, we especially need volunteers with great organizing skills who love to meet and work with people in multiple worlds, and who love to play with new immersive technologies.
Minimum qualifications: Should have experience with at least one but preferably multiple virtual world platforms. Must have a high comfort with using online web-based tools such as Google Docs, blogs, wikis, Twitter, and other social media technologies.
Preferred qualifications: The ideal applicant will be very experienced using virtual worlds and immersive technologies, and have a good sense of humor, strong work ethic, enjoy working with a team, and be passionate about virtual worlds and the emerging metaverse.

Web Development Engineer

AvaCon seeks an experienced web development engineer who will serve as a key leadership team member and an active participant in making strategic decisions affecting AvaCon’s web services. In partnership with the leadership team, this position will lead the architecture, design, coding, and deployment of AvaCon’s web services and infrastructure, including opportunities to work with emerging and immersive virtual/augmented reality technology. The successful candidate will have experience with hands on development programming and writing clean, testable and well-designed code, but also be comfortable leading technical discussions and generating new ideas, gathering business and user requirements, and have project management and mentoring experience. The person who fills this position will work closely with the Executive Board and other team members to deliver innovative web services that facilitate the development and growth of the metaverse developer and user community.
Responsibilities:

  • Lead the architecture, design, coding, and deployment of AvaCon’s web services and infrastructure, including collaborating on the development of new web services and applications.
  • Form and manage a web services team, including identifying staffing needs for ongoing web development and overseeing team once formed.
  • Conduct business and user requirements analysis to design scaleable, supportable, and secure web services.
  • Develop and implement comprehensive backup and disaster recovery plans, oversee implementation and perform periodic audits to ensure compliance.
  • Provide reports, statistics, and analytics information to senior leadership, assist with strategic and tactical decision-making.

Minimum qualifications:

  • High energy and passion for AvaCon’s mission is essential, including the ability to work remotely with a globally distributed team.
  • A professional and resourceful style; the ability to work independently and as a team player, to take initiative.
  • A Bachelor’s degree in a related field OR an Associates degree in a related field with two (2) years previous professional experience OR five (5) years previous professional experience. Experience must be in web development, software engineering, system administration, or some combination thereof.
  • Experience implementing and managing source control tools and performing unit testing.
  • Advanced experience building web applications that utilize PHP, Java, .NET, MySQL, JavaScript or related web development languages or standards.

Preferred qualifications:

  • Experience in planning, leading and managing web development projects, including tracking progress and reporting to senior managers/board of directors.
  • Demonstrated excellence in organizational and managerial operations, effective at working with others to reach common goals and objectives.
  • Formal education in advanced programming, database concepts, and networking preferred.
  • Previous experience with virtual worlds or virtual reality technologies a plus.

Lead A/V Technical Manager

AvaCon, Inc. seeks an experienced A/V Technical Manager for volunteer position with the Second Life Community Convention 2011. This position will be responsible for the
overall technical requirements of the convention including communicating and coordinating with vendors regarding the specific needs of the convention, management of the A/V, networking, internet and media streams in the main venue and individual break-out rooms, troubleshooting configurations and problems as they arise, and recruitment and management of technical staff. The successful candidate will have technical expertise in networking, internet streaming, a variety of A/V equipment including projectors, sound mixing boards, microphones and video camera connections. This person will report to the Director of Operations & Logistics.

Minimum qualifications: 2-3 years professional A/V experience with knowledge of networks and internet streaming. Applicant must have experience working on live events and mixed-reality situations including streaming directly into virtual worlds. Must be highly organized, methodical and be able to troubleshoot under pressure.

Preferred qualifications: A/V or networking professional with expertise in current audio and video broadcast technologies and equipment.

The ideal applicant will also have a good sense of humor, strong work ethic, enjoy working with a team, and be passionate about virtual worlds and the emerging metaverse.