Senior Javascript Engineer
Hidden Door
We're looking for an experienced Javascript engineer to help design, build, and maintain the frontend of our game.
Hidden Door is a game technology studio building the first narrative AI — a platform that transforms any work of fiction into an infinite social roleplaying experience, bringing together players, authors and other creators.
Role overview
We're seeking a Senior Javascript Engineer to help design, build, and maintain the frontend of our game web app and player experience. Our stack is Typescript, React, Astro, Express (Node.js), and a multiplayer server that uses websockets, communicating with a Python game engine and backend.
Many people can make one piece of a frontend really good. We're looking for someone who can see the whole tapestry and help make it come together — how we want players to feel, the language of components and interactions that help make it happen, and the wise judgment about where to spend your time to get us there.
You'll be joining our small and mighty engineering team! If you're passionate about building creative and principled experiences at the intersection of engineering, the web, narrative gaming, and AI, we want to talk to you 🙂
Things you'll do:
Imagine this: we're implementing a new feature that lets players create connections, or “portals,” between stories they’ve played. The goal as a team is to explore what a minimum viable slice of this feature could look like, from server logic to how players interact with the mechanic. You’re able to quickly sketch out and discuss the tradeoffs for a couple possible technical approaches, jam with the team on how they could work in the context of the game, and take the feature all the way through to an initial implementation (and later refinement).
About you
- Experience with modern front end frameworks and systems, and reasoned opinions about what good looks like.
- Shipped and supported a production web app that relied on a server-authoritative, API-based architecture.
- A background in web, mobile, or social apps for large audiences.
- Taste for when to prioritize speed-of-making and when to slow down for craft of execution.
- Excellent written and verbal communication, with attention to detail.
- Confidence that you work best as part of a collaborative team.
- Built web-native game systems, controls, and interfaces.
- Convictions about and experience with accessibility.
- Experience as a technical bridge for artists, co-creating art pipelines, assets, and animations.
- Passion for telling stories and playing games!
- A portfolio of some of your best work that you can share.
Other things to know
- We're a small team with shared core working hours centered on Eastern US Time. An ideal candidate would work a couple of days per week in our Brooklyn office; fully remote (with occasional travel) considered for exceptionally strong candidates.
- We love getting together as a whole team IRL! Our team meets up quarterly, often internationally, for planning and fun. We also regularly gather ~1x/month in NYC for jam sessions on product, game design, marketing, and more. Expect adventure 🚀
- This is a startup! As an early employee, you’ll play a role in shaping the company as well as the product.
- We value curiosity, creativity, and diverse perspectives. Successful teammates here tend to be kind, experienced folks who care deeply about craft but are also highly pragmatic.
- We strongly encourage candidates from under-represented or non-traditional backgrounds to apply.
Benefits
- 🏝️ Unlimited vacation (required minimum: 1 week per quarter)
- 🩺 100% medical, dental, and vision for employees, and family coverage
- 💪🏻 Reproductive and gender-affirming care benefit
- 💵 $1,000 annual home office budget ($2,000 your first year)
- 💜 Work with authors and artists
- 🙈 No NFTs or crypto
How to apply
Please apply here ! It will ask you to provide a resume or LinkedIn profile, tell us a bit about yourself, and share a story about something you've built that you're proud of and how it makes you a good fit for this opportunity. If you run into any issues, just email us.
Process
We don’t do whiteboarding or tricky code challenges. Our goal is to get to know each other and your background, learn how you think and work, and see if we are a good mutual fit.
- Phone screen(s) with the hiring manager and a cofounder. We’ll talk about your background, what you’re looking for, and how you work.
- Short technical take-home on a small, realistic ticket (~2 hours). You will add a small feature to a pared-down codebase in React.
- Full interview:
- 1-hour pairing session to extend the work you did on the take-home.
- Three 45-minute discussions with the team on practical topics like engineering practices or collaboration.
- 30-minute Founder Q&A.
- References and offer.