Anticipated Start Date: ASAP

Estimated Pay: $15.00/hour (undergraduate) $18.00/hour (graduate)

Number of Jobs Available: 1

Schedule: To be determined, 10-15 hours/week

Location: Fintech Innovation Hub, 591 Collaboration Way, Newark DE

About the department / center:

The Office of Economic Innovation and Partnerships (OEIP) at the University of Delaware (UD) is seeking a Pixel Artist with animation experience to join an interdisciplinary team of engineers, business analysts, marketing specialists, healthcare specialists and athletes to work together as an interdisciplinary team with an innovative company seeking to leverage their existing live, in-person health and human performance training program to establish a scalable [digital] system to effectively reach young audiences.

The student team will work as an independent team, in close consultation and under the guidance of experts and mentors, to design and develop innovative ideas for the digital delivery of curriculum rooted in the science of Human Performance. The team will conduct marketing and business research, analyses and develop an interactive, software or web-based prototype with the objective to make learning about health and human performance engaging, interactive, and exciting for young audiences.

This Spin In® team will be based in a dedicated space located at the Fintech Innovation Hub on the UD STAR campus. Weekly team meetings required; live, in-person format.

Role Description:

This role is open to Undergraduate students or current/incoming Graduate students.

Position as Pixel Artist, Animator

Responsibilities entail taking part in a collaborative product development team to research, design, plan and develop an interactive, software or web-based deliverable of the specific product with purpose of delivering health and human performance content in an engaging way.

Responsibilities include:

• Develop a clear understanding of the existing product and service, and the field of human performance.
• Engage with Business and Marketing Teams to understand primary market and customer(s); need and drive for new solutions for human performance for children aged 6-13.
• Engage with Specialists to understand requirements pertaining to design and development of a platform to deliver clear, consistent content in an interactive, effective way to engage bases of learning.
• Design and implement pixel art and 2D pixel art style; and construct the game’s visual assets
  • Optimize assets for use on various platforms.
  • Establish and maintain consistent artistic style and theme.
• Utilize animation to provide an interactive and engaging experience; establish animation for artistic models and assets of the game, including character and object animation.
• Collaborate with Developers to determine requirements for asset integration and animation requirements.
  • Optimize animations to performance.
• Work with other members on the team, recommend and develop additional features to increase engagement.
• Internally validate the product and provide ongoing testing/feedback; work with Titus Human Performance and Champions representatives to develop a method to validate progress and product features.
• Work with team to ensure that project is delivered on target according to the requirements and with the highest quality
• Keep the team up to date on technical development trends and updates.

Professional qualifications:

• Enrolled in BS program or BFA program – art, animation, game design or similar.
• Experience with industry tools such as PhotoShop; Unity, etc.
• Experience with Aseprite and/or similar 2D pixel art and animation software tools, required.
• Experience with game design, game development, helpful but not required;
• Experience with Tiled, game map editor.
• An understanding of the software development life cycle, a plus.
• High attention to detail; excellent communication skills and leadership skills.
• Animation, programming and artistic knowledge is a plus all around.

Personal qualifications:

The successful candidate must have genuine interest in pixel art. Must be a personally motivated self-starter; and can also work with little guidance. Must have ability to actively engage with other members on the team, including students, peers, mentors, and experts to further develop his or her knowledge to solve work related challenges. The candidate must be capable of contributing and achieving in a small, highly collaborative, consensus-driven team. Strong interpersonal and communication skills are required.

Terms and Conditions:

This paid position begins immediately (position open until filled) and runs through February 2027 (Spring Semester), with a possibility of continuing through Spring Semester (through May 2027).  Average requirement of 10-15 hours per week.  Dates will be finalized during hiring process. 

Application Requirements:

Applicants should submit work and/or design samples related to the requirements of the role.

Hiring Timeline:

Positions will remain open until filled. Position will begin promptly upon completion of hire/onboarding.

Please note that dates are subject to change depending on the needs of the department.

For undergraduate student applicants:

Eligibility for Undergraduate Student Employment

Applicants must be undergraduate students at the University of Delaware. Work study eligibility can be found here. Applicants who are not enrolled as undergraduate students at the University will not be considered for this position. Employment Limitations and Exceptions

For graduate student applicants:

Eligibility for Graduate Student Employment

Applicants must be enrolled in a graduate program at the University of Delaware and be in good academic standing. To be considered for additional on-campus employment, applicants combined on-campus employment, including teaching, research and graduate assistantship, must not exceed 29.5 hours per week.

Graduate students on contract may hold additional employment, on campus or off, up to 29.5 hours per week total without approval by the student’s program, the student advisor or the Graduate College. However, graduate students on contract are encouraged to discuss additional employment with their advisors to avoid any situations that might hinder timely progress toward the degree.