Technical Lead - LiveOps

Prodigy Education is a global leader in game-based learning. Our mission is to help every student in the world love learning, motivating more than 20 million students a year to practice standards-aligned math and English. More than 800,000 teachers use Prodigy as a free instructional tool. Fun, motivating, and research-based, Prodigy is the EdTech platform students actually ask to use. Visit www.prodigygame.com to learn more.

The Engineering team builds and operates a high performance, scalable, reliable, and secure technology platform that will allow us to transform education and deliver effective learning experiences to every student in the world. We do this by building for tomorrow, failing fast and early, and empowering each other to make things better. Interested in learning more about what we're working on? Visit the Prodigy Engineering blog at https://medium.com/prodigy-engineering

Our Math game has evolved from a small-scale application into one of the most widely played MMORPGs globally, and our newly launched English game is in its early stages. As a Technical Lead on our flagship Math game feature team, boasting a vibrant monthly user base of approximately 7 million active students, you will play a pivotal role in crafting captivating online adventures. Our students engage in thrilling quests, level up, and collect pets, all while mastering a wide spectrum of 1500 math concepts.

Leveraging your seasoned expertise, you will lead the charge in pioneering innovative features and optimizing our team's workflow. Your impact extends beyond writing code; it encompasses identifying opportunities for technological advancements and nurturing the professional growth of fellow developers through mentorship.

Your Impact

• Be the technical backbone of the team - coding alongside them, setting the bar for quality, reviewing the team's code and making sure everyone (including stakeholders) stays in the loop as you bring games to life.
• Troubleshoot and resolve complex technical issues that may arise during game development. Advocate for best practices in testing, continuous integration, and deployment.
• Identify and address technical debt, architectural issues, and performance bottlenecks to enhance overall project efficiency.
• Play a key role in preparing the team for upcoming sprints, breaking down intricate technical tasks into manageable units of work.
• Effectively communicate technical concepts and decisions to team members, providing accurate initial estimations for future work with an acceptable margin of error post-grooming.
• Stay involved with industry trends, emerging technologies, and best practices in game development.
• Promote knowledge-sharing and foster a culture of continuous learning within the team.

About You

• With a genuine passion for gaming and over 8 years of expertise in the game development industry, you will contribute invaluable skills by creating captivating game features from the ground up.
• You excel at providing technical leadership by guiding development efforts, making critical architectural decisions, and mentoring fellow engineers to deliver high-quality gaming experiences on schedule and within scope
• With an extensive background in mobile gaming and a deep understanding of live-service games, your expertise extends to proficiency in any game engines like Unity, Unreal, Phraser or Godot that equips you to enhance our proprietary engine effectively.
• Your proficiency extends to game development principles, game mechanics, architecture, design patterns, algorithms, memory management, and performance optimization.
• You have a solid background in multiplayer and live games, showcasing a nuanced understanding of the unique challenges they present.
• Your outstanding communication skills facilitate seamless collaboration with cross-functional teams, enabling you to articulate technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders effectively.
• As a proactive learner, you actively seek out emerging technologies and willingly share your knowledge with the team, contributing to a culture of continuous improvement and innovation.

Bonus Points

• Experience working with Live Games
• Experience working with multiple engines
• Experience working with React

Core Technologies

• Our game is built using a bespoke HTML5 game engine and editor built on top of PixiJS and written in TypeScript.
• Our Game Editor is an Electron App written using React/Typescript.

Working at Prodigy

• Be part of a mission-driven organization dedicated to helping every student in the world love learning! At Prodigy Education, your work positively impacts the lives of millions of students and teachers worldwide.
• Join a company which empowers a Growth Mindset among its team members, so you grow as we do. You'll also work on award-winning products which harness the magic of math and power of language for students in grades 1st-8th.
• We understand that a thriving team is at the core of our success. So, on top of an inspirational mission and rewarding work, our Total Rewards Program reflects our commitment to your financial, physical, and mental well-being.
• It's not just about the work though; it's about the culture. As the Toronto Star reports in a recent feature on Prodigy: "Prodigy's secret sauce is that it sees its corporate culture as something that is built slowly from the ground up and is always evolving." Check it out here.
• #LI-Hybrid

Prodigy Math is used by almost one million teachers a year, and was named the most popular supplemental education platform in classrooms in the United States! Our products have also won numerous consumer awards, including the Mom's Choice Award, Parent and Teacher Choice Awards, and National Parenting Product Award.

Come as you are. We believe the power of our collective potential will transform education. We are building towards a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace to empower and create access and opportunity for all. We welcome applications from people from all underrepresented groups, including (but not limited to) people of any gender, age, or religion, members of the LGBTQIA2+ community, BIPOC and other underrepresented races and nationalities, people with disabilities, veterans, and anyone who may contribute to the further diversification of Prodigy Education. If you feel like you don't have all the qualifications for this position and are willing to use your initiative to learn the rest, we'd still love for you to apply!

We are an equal opportunity employer and are committed to providing employment accommodation in accordance with the Ontario Human Rights Code and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA). Prodigy Education will provide accommodations to job applicants with disabilities throughout the recruitment process. If you require accommodation, please notify us at jobs@prodigygame.com, and we will work with you to meet your needs.