North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
Primary Purpose of Position:
The Interactive Exhibit Developer works with technical and non-technical Museum staff to develop compelling interactive exhibit experiences both onsite and online. Development projects may include, but are not limited to, exhibit multimedia applications, online immersive experiences, and digital signage.
Key Responsibilities:
Duties include but are not limited to:
- Collaborating in the development of interactive content in support of a major new paleontology exhibit with world-wide appeal and exposure
- Developing engaging and inclusive interactive digital experiences for in-gallery and remote audiences using innovative technology and digital storytelling techniques. Applications include, but are not limited to, exhibit multimedia applications, online immersive experiences, and digital signage
- Coordinating work with exhibit content developers, UI and graphic design, fellow digital media staff, and fabricators throughout the exhibit design and development stages
- Creating concept wireframes, storyboards, and digital prototypes to present concepts and ideas
- Translating approved wireframes and functional requirements into functional HTML5/CSS/Javascript/C++/and/or Python code
- Defining, leading and participating in user, accessibility and acceptance testing for Museum applications
- Ensuring new and legacy software development projects follow industry standards and best practices including maintaining currency with industry trends
- Developing, managing, and testing back-up and recovery plans for new online and exhibit applications
- Performing routine inspections of all interactive components
- Leading or assisting maintenance of digital multimedia applications
- Diagnosing/troubleshooting digital media, web and software related problems, and coordinating hardware and software solutions on exhibition projects
- Participating in collaborative exhibit development and design meetings; presenting and articulating design concepts and intent to internal and external stakeholders
- Maintaining leading-edge knowledge in emerging technologies; driving knowledge sharing and lessons learned from previous projects
- Coordinating and managing work to meet project timelines
Section/Unit Description:
The Exhibits and Digital Media Section is responsible for the creation and upkeep of both classic and state of the art public galleries spread across seven floors of the main building downtown complex as well as three satellite museum locations. The section champion’s the Museum’s mission and advances operational plans. It provides cross-sectional collaboration to support the network across the State and contribute to total quality management.
Digital Media Unit: Under the day-to-day management of the Head of Digital Media, the six person highly collaborative unit shares responsibilities alongside the Exhibits Unit in the development, upfit, creation and maintenance of media experiences in the museum. It also provides training and advanced professional expertise to the museum’s online digital programing efforts. The unit operates a professional recording and streaming studio with full 4K editing capacity. The unit supports museum researchers in the field with their endeavors as well as the museum’s educational and social media units. Unit expertise spans music, voice and sound engineering, animation, 3D and AR modeling, high quality photography, 360-degree image capture for online interactive experiences, and oversight of three state of the art digital theaters.
Division Description:
The state’s museum devoted to science and nature, North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in central Raleigh, is the largest institution of its kind in the Southeastern United States and, with over a million visitors a year, the state’s most visited museum. Its 300,000 square foot downtown campus is augmented by Prairie Ridge Ecostation and satellite facilities in Whiteville, Greenville, and Contentnea Creek. Together, they provide a variety of curriculum-focused classes onsite, offsite, outdoors, and online for pre-kindergarten through graduate students across the state.
As a museum of nature, we integrate the dual concepts of illumination and inspiration with the work we do and the many stories we tell. In a time of unprecedented environmental challenges, nothing could be more critical. This nexus of ideas makes us unique. Across three vibrant floors of laboratories and exhibitions, our Nature Research Center provides an unparalleled opportunity to see science in action by watching museum researchers studying the natural world in real time. In the Nature Exploration Center, exhibits and live animal displays reveal North Carolina’s rich natural habitats, wildlife, and geology from the Appalachian Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean.
Department Information:
The North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR) takes care of the things that people love about North Carolina, literally from A to Z. The Arts to the Zoo, and so much else – parks, aquariums, historic sites, archaeology, African American Heritage Commission, science and history museums, the state Symphony, Library and Archives, historic preservation, land and water stewardship, and more. These places, and the ideas they represent, create a shared identity in North Carolina. They provide common ground. Everyone is welcome. The Department’s vision is to be the leader in using the state’s natural and cultural resources to build the social, cultural, educational, and economic future of North Carolina. Our goal is to promote equity and inclusion among our employees and our programming to reflect and celebrate our state’s diverse population, culture, and history. We encourage you to apply to become a part of our team. Check out this amazing video about our Department.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities / Competencies
To receive credit for your work history and credentials, you must provide the information on the application form. Any information omitted from the application form, listed as general statements, listed under the text resume section, or on an attachment will not be considered for qualifying credit.
Qualified candidates must have or be able to:
- Knowledge of the digital design process from wireframes to deployment
- Thorough knowledge of interactive programming and development
- Thorough knowledge of UX principles and methodology
- Professional experience with HTML and JavaScript
- Experience with programming and development for legacy applications
- Ability to present concepts and advanced technical information to clients and team members
- Ability to develop and maintain an inventory system of all programing code decisions, equipment and materials, and recommended training materials
Management Prefers:
- Knowledge of various hardware input/output devices (I/O) to interface with existing networks and control systems
- Proficiency with Unity game engine
- Experience developing AR and VR applications
- Experience writing C++ and Python programming languages
- Experience with the World viewer platform
- Experience with website and mobile app development
- Ability to collaborate and work in a team environment on assigned projects
- Ability to plan and prioritize work to ensure timely completion of a wide variety of jobs
Minimum Education and Experience Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in computer science or an IT related field from an appropriately accredited institution and two years of experience in the information technology field related to the position’s role
- Associate degree in computer science or an IT related field from an appropriately accredited institution and three years of experience in the information technology field related to the position’s role
- High School or General Educational Development (GED) diploma and five years of experience in the information technology field related to the position’s role
- An equivalent combination of education and experience
Supplemental and Contact Information
